Preliminary Reports
Huey Rolls Over After Emergency Autorotation
Bell/Garlick UH-1H, Shelton, Wash., Feb. 19, 2015–The aircraft experienced a loss of engine power when it began to hoist a 3,000-pound agricultural container, so the commercial pilot made an emergency landing using autorotation from a hover. The aircraft, being operated in VMC conditions under Part 137 agricultural rules by Northwest Helicopters, rolled over after striking uneven ground, substantially damaging the rotor system and tailboom. Investigators recovered and examined the engine-to-transmission-driveshaft adapter (the component between the engine output and the driveshaft), and found that it was broken in multiple pieces. The sole-occupant pilot was not injured.
Koala Experiences Uncommanded Yaw in Cruise
AgustaWestland AW119 Mk II, Gulf of Mexico, Feb. 20, 2015–The Part 135 air-taxi helicopter experienced an abrupt uncommanded left yaw in cruise at approximately 7:50 a.m. local time while flying in VMC conditions over the Gulf of Mexico. The helicopter, registered to ERA Helicopters, was substantially damaged but managed to return safely to its departure point, Houma-Terrebonne Airport in Lousiana, where the pilot executed a run-on landing. Post-flight inspection of the helicopter revealed one of the tail-rotor pitch change links was fractured. No injuries to the pilot or the three passengers on board were reported.
Super Puma Accident Claims Two Lives
Airbus Helicopters AS332L1 Super Puma, Kihoku Mie Prefecture, Japan, March 6, 2015–The helicopter, operated by Shin Nihon Helicopter, was en route to the heliport in Kihoku to retrieve materials from a hydroelectric power station when it struck a power line and crashed into a nearby forest, killing the pilot and the mechanic aboard.
GIV Fails To Rotate on Takeoff
Gulfstream IV, Eagle, Colo., Feb. 7, 2015–The crew of the jet aborted the takeoff when the pilot flying realized the aircraft would not rotate at Vr speed. The NTSB’s preliminary report uncovered no “anomalies with respect to the flight control system” and “no indication that the circumstances of this incident are related to any previous GIV takeoff accidents or incidents.” The aircraft was registered to Goat Airways and operated by Executive Air Charter of Boca Raton, Inc., dba Fair Wind Air Charter under Part 91.
The pilot reported checking the Gulfstream’s flight controls before taxi and that he found them responding normally. During takeoff with the autothrottles engaged, a triple chime sounded at 75 knots, causing the pilot to reject the takeoff and bring the aircraft to a safe halt. Neither pilot saw any crew alert system (CAS) messages or tripped circuit breakers so they attempted a second takeoff. During the next takeoff, no autothrottles were used. At 75 knots the triple chime sounded again and the pilot noticed an engine low-pressure turbine speed in the yellow arc. He adjusted the power to the normal range and continued the takeoff. At rotation speed, he pulled back on the control yoke and reported that the flight controls did not respond normally. He felt no “noticeable pressure resistance and [the controls] felt unloaded with hydraulic pressure.” The pilot rejected the takeoff, applying maximum braking and full reverse thrust. A right brake fire ensued and was extinguished by airport firefighters. No one aboard was injured during the evacuation.
EMS Helicopter Crashes Near St. Louis
Airbus EC130B4, St. Louis University Hospital, Mo. March 6, 2015–The pilot and sole occupant of the Arch Air Medical Services-operated helicopter died when the aircraft crashed into a parking lot near the hospital. The helicopter was on a ferry flight from the Arch base to St. Louis University Hospital at approximately 11:15 p.m. local time to pick up crewmembers. The helicopter was destroyed in a post-crash fire.
Challenger Leaves Runway at Marco Island
Canadair Challenger 600, Marco Island Airport, Fla., March 1, 2015–None of the nine people aboard the jet was injured when it departed the runway at Marco Island while landing at approximately 2:45 p.m. local time following a brief flight from Marathon Airport in the Florida Keys. The aircraft’s nosegear collapsed during the excursion. The airplane was reported to be owned by Six Hundred NP, a company owned by Nick Popovich of the Discovery Channel’s Plane Repo show.
CJ Loses Nosegear in Runway Excursion
Cessna 525 Citation CJ1, Fort Collins Loveland Airport, Loveland, Colo., March 3, 2015–Inbound from Santa Monica, Calif., the jet, operated by D&H Airways, ran off the runway at approximately 7:05 p.m. local time while landing, tearing off the nosegear in the process. None of the four people aboard the aircraft was injured.
PC-12 Experiences Runway Excursion
Pilatus PC-12/45, John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA), Santa Ana, Calif., March 2, 2015–The aircraft, being operated by Austin Encino, left the runway surface at approximately 10:50 a.m. local time under as yet unspecified circumstances while landing at SNA. Neither of the two people on board was injured. Sources said weather might have been a factor. The incident caused only minor damage to the aircraft.
Beechjet Departs Runway in Atlanta
Beechjet 400A, DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 25, 2015–The jet, owned by Florida Rock Industries, overran the runway during landing. The only two occupants, the two pilots were not injured. The damage to the aircraft has not been reported.
Beech 1900 Destroyed in Takeoff Accident
Beechcraft 1900C, Miami Executive Airport (TMB), Miami, Fla., Feb. 11, 2015–The twin turboprop’s crew reported an engine failure shortly after takeoff and asked to return to TMB. The aircraft crashed while attempting to turn around, killing all four people aboard. The NTSB’s preliminary report said a review of the aircraft’s maintenance records showed the left propeller was due for overhaul and had been removed while the aircraft was on the ground at TMB for maintenance. The accident flight was the aircraft’s first with the overhauled propeller.
A review of FAA ATC radar data and voice communications revealed the turboprop began a slight left turn just a few seconds after the report of engine failure, although the crew apparently did not specify which engine had stopped. The aircraft never climbed higher than 300 feet agl. Witnesses reported the aircraft flying left-wing-low with the left propeller turning more slowly than the right just before impact.
Final Reports
Twin Otter Pilot Failed To Maintain Airspeed
De Havilland Canada DHC-6-100, Hampton, Ga., March 8, 2011–The NTSB attributed the crash to the pilot’s failure to maintain proper airspeed. The Board’s report indicated the aircraft, operated by Desert Sand Aircraft Leasing, had not flown for the five months before the accident. According to witnesses, the accident flight was the first after both of the airplane’s 550-shp P&WC PT6A-20s were replaced with 680-shp PT6A-27s. The same Hartzell propellers used on the -20s were reinstalled on the -27s. According to maintenance records, the PT6A-27s were installed under supplemental type certificate (STC) SA96-123, held by Rocky Mountain Aircraft of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. According to a representative of the STC holder, however, there was no record that STC SA96-123 had been purchased for the accident airplane. A mechanic who witnessed the accident recalled that before takeoff the pilot conducted engine and propeller checks, after which the aircraft departed and conducted two touch-and-go landings.
Another witness, near the airport, saw the airplane flying in the traffic pattern for Runway 6, said the airplane’s engine noise was fluctuating from low to high without stopping completely, and that the airplane seemed to be “struggling to gain altitude and airspeed.” As the airplane turned to line up with the runway, it “stalled” and descended nose first toward the ground.
A third witness, a mechanic, saw the airplane yawing to the left and emitting noise associated with propeller pitch changes, which he believed were consistent with the Beta range. He stated the airplane was flying away from the approach end of Runway 6 when it made a “very adverse” and “very fast” roll to the left, which was followed by a spin, until it disappeared behind trees. The airplane struck trees in a wooded marsh area, about 0.8 miles short of the threshold, near the extended centerline of Runway 6.
Both the commercial pilot and the pilot-rated mechanic died in the accident.
Learjet Overran Runway at HOU
Learjet 25D, William Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, Texas, March 4, 2011–The NTSB said the flying pilot’s failure to touch down at the proper point in low visibility resulted in a runway overrun. Contributing to the accident was mission pressure on the pilots to land at that airport. At approximately 4 a.m. local time, the jet was substantially damaged when it collided with obstructions while landing at Hobby. None of the six people aboard was injured in the accident. Night IMC prevailed and an instrument flight plan was filed before the jet’s departure from Angel Albino Corzo International Airport (MMTG), Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México. The aircraft was registered to Grupo Desarrollador Mares del Pacifico and operated by Personas y Paquetes Por Aire under the provisions of Part 129 as a foreign air carrier air ambulance flight.
During the landing on Hobby’s Runway 12R, the airplane exited the southeast end of the runway, where it struck and damaged the instrument landing system (ILS) localizer antenna. The airplane continued traveling about 1,000 feet past the end of the runway and came to rest upright in a flat grassy area. Hobby automated weather at 3:53 a.m. reported a south wind at 3 knots, visibility three-quarters of a mile in mist and an indefinite ceiling at 200 feet. The temperature was 19 degrees C and the dew point 18 degrees C. The operator said the decision not to delay the flight and to land in marginal conditions was influenced by the passenger’s medical considerations and need for immediate specialized medical treatment.
Both pilots later stated they could not see the far end of the runway because of the weather and consequently flared the aircraft too high. After landing long on the runway, the pilot applied maximum braking and reverse thrust but could not stop the airplane before colliding with the ILS antenna. The operator reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure of the aircraft.