Preliminary Reports
Caravan Loses Power During Climb
Cessna 208B Caravan, Verdigris, Okla., March 24, 2015–About 15 minutes after departing Tulsa International Airport on a Part 91 post-maintenance test flight, the Cessna turboprop single lost power while climbing to 11,000 feet at 2:59 p.m. The owner-pilot attempted to land at a nearby airstrip but, lacking sufficient altitude to reach it, chose a field that was closer. Shortly after touching down, the airplane contacted trees, severing the left wing and partially severing the right one. The pilot received minor injuries and the passenger was uninjured. The pilot told investigators that when he first noticed torque falling off the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) remained steady. But as the torque fell further, the EGT began to drop. A Honeywell TPE331 turboprop had been installed in the airplane about nine flight hours before the accident.
AStar Tail-Rotor Pitch Control Fails
Airbus AS350B2, Anchorage, Alaska, March 13, 2015–The helicopter was substantially damaged during a run-on landing at Merrill Field in Anchorage after the tail-rotor pitch control failed. The incident occurred at approximately 7:15 a.m. while the aircraft was cruising in VMC at 1,000 feet agl. The helicopter was being operated under Part 135. Neither the pilot nor the two passengers aboard were injured.
The pilot said he felt a “clunk” in the anti-torque pedals before the helicopter began yawing to the left. When he attempted to counteract the yaw by pushing the right pedal, it traveled to the stop with no effect. Post-flight examination revealed the tail-rotor pitch change spider assembly had fractured into multiple pieces, all with rotational scarring along the fractured surfaces.
Misfueling Accident Claims Pilot
Piper PA-46, Felts Field Airport (SFF), Spokane, Wash., Feb. 22, 2015–The NTSB preliminary report on the crash of the Canadian-registered Piper PA-46 Malibu says the aircraft was incorrectly fueled before departure. The Canadian-certified pilot and sole occupant died in a hospital two days after the accident. An FAA inspector reviewed records at Western Aviation (SFF) that indicated the piston-powered aircraft had been fueled with 52 gallons of jet-A before takeoff. Witnesses said the Malibu departed Runway 22R at 2:05 p.m. in visual conditions on an IFR flight plan for Stockton, Calif. Multiple witnesses saw the aircraft shortly after takeoff with the engine sputtering as the left wing dropped and the nose pitched up, followed by the aircraft rolling to a right-wing-low attitude before disappearing from view. Other witnesses watched the Malibu’s right wing strike a railroad track at the top of a hill and the aircraft slide down an embankment, coming to rest inverted near the bottom of a railroad bridge, destroying the aircraft. Both wings separated but they were located near the main wreckage. Investigators noted a strong smell of jet fuel at the accident site.
Dauphin Accident Claims Six
Airbus SA365N2 Dauphin 2, Semenyih Selangor, Malaysia, April 4, 2015–The privately owned helicopter was en route from Kuantan to Subang at approximately 4:15 p.m. local time when it crashed, killing everyone on board. All the occupants had been guests at a wedding luncheon for the daughter of the prime minister in his hometown of Pekan, Kuantan. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
Runway Excursion Damages Premier
Beechcraft 390 Premier I, Blackpool Airport, England, March 12, 2015–No one aboard the jet was injured after it left the runway at approximately noon, shortly after touchdown on a flight from Dusseldorf, Germany. The Premier’s nosegear collapsed as it entered the grass near the runway edge. The reason for the excursion was not immediately apparent.
Helicopter Accident Claims All Aboard
Airbus EC155B1, Carapicuiba, Brazil, April 2, 2015–All five people on board were killed when the EC155 crashed into a house on a post-maintenance test flight. Reports indicate the flight was the first following a main rotor blade change. Video footage appears to show separation of part of the helicopter in flight before impact.
Caravan Strikes Approach Lights
Cessna 208B, Muskegon, Mich. (MKG), March 10, 2015–The pilot and sole occupant was not injured, but the turboprop single was substantially damaged when it struck approach lights following an IFR approach at MKG. The airplane was registered to Aero Leasing of Incline Village, Nev., and operated under Part 135 by Martinaire Aviation of Addison, Texas. Although precise weather data was not reported, the pilot said he flew the approach to minimums at approximately 7:40 a.m., saw the approach lights and realized he was right of the runway. As he maneuvered to realign the airplane with the runway centerline, he struck the approach lights. After landing, he found the left horizontal stabilizer hanging down. There were also numerous dents on the leading edge of the left wing strut, and the left landing gear was bent.
Missing LongRanger Located in the Andes
Bell 206L-4 LongRanger, Andes Mountains near Llanta, Chile, March 31, 2015–The helicopter, operated by Inversiones Santa Francisca, carried three engineers and the pilot to a mountainous region to assess the severity of damage to a local water system following extensive flooding. The helicopter went missing on March 31 and was not found for an unspecified number of days. All aboard the aircraft were deceased when rescue teams arrived.
AStar Accident Fatal to Four
Airbus AS350B3, San Martin de Torres, Oaxaca, Mexico, March 27, 2015–The pilot and three passengers died when the helicopter crashed and caught fire just after takeoff from San Martin at 3 p.m. The helicopter was reportedly operating in poor weather to support a telephone maintenance crew.
Final Reports
Pilot Lost Control of King Air
Beechcraft King Air 200, Long Beach, Calif., March 16, 2011–The NTSB cited the pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during a momentary engine power loss as the cause of the 2011 accident, which killed four people on board, including the pilot. One other passenger was seriously injured. The NTSB said the left engine experienced the power interruption during the initial takeoff climb likely because of water contamination of the fuel, which the inspector believed was not drained before takeoff per the POH. The airplane, operated by Carde Equipment Sales under Part 91, departed Long Beach at 10:29 a.m. in VMC.
Witnesses reported the aircraft’s takeoff appeared normal until shortly after liftoff, when it stopped climbing and yawed left. Several witnesses heard abnormal sounds they attributed to propeller blade angle changes before the aircraft began a left yaw and the airspeed began to fall. The left bank angle increased to between 45 and 90 degrees as the King Air’s nose dropped to nearly vertical. Just before impact, the bank angle and pitch began to flatten out. The airplane had turned left approximately 100 degrees by the time it struck the ground some 1,500 feet from the midpoint of the 10,000-foot runway. A post-impact fire consumed the fuselage.
A security camera captured the takeoff and revealed the airplane was near the midpoint of the runway, approximately 140 feet above the ground and at a groundspeed of approximately 130 knots when it began to yaw left. The yaw coincided with the appearance, behind the airplane, of a dark grayish area that appeared to be smoke. An experienced King Air mechanic who witnessed the crash reported hearing two loud “pops” about the time the smoke appeared. He believed the pops were generated by one of the engines intermittently relighting and extinguishing.
It was impossible for the post-accident investigation to identify any contamination in the King Air’s nacelle fuel tanks since both were torn open during the crash. Samples from the fuel truck used to service the aircraft before takeoff also tested negative for contamination.
Further investigation revealed that the pilot’s previous employer, where he had acquired most of his King Air 200 flight experience, did not ask pilots to drain the fuel tank sumps before every flight. Instead, it relied on maintenance personnel to drain them at some unknown interval. Upon teardown, the engines displayed no indications of any pre-impact anomalies or distress that would have precluded normal engine operation before impact. Investigators were unable to find anyone who had seen the pilot conduct the preflight inspection of the airplane before the accident flight, so it could not be determined whether the pilot had drained the fuel tank sumps. Because the airplane was not on a Part 135 certificate or a continuous maintenance program, the Board deemed it unlikely there was a mechanic assigned to drain the airplane’s fuel sumps routinely.
Although the investigation revealed that the King Air took off at approximately 650 pounds over maximum gross takeoff weight, the NTSB did not believe that condition should have precluded the pilot from maintaining directional control.
Beech 99 Gear Failed To Extend
Beech 99, Cedartown, Ga., April 10, 2011–The NTSB cited inadequate lubrication by maintenance personnel as the reason the pilot of the Part 91-operated airliner received an unsafe left main landing gear indication when he configured the airplane for landing. The pilot cycled the gear and attempted a manual extension, both without success, before completing the landing on the nose and right main landing gear. The sole-occupant pilot was not injured in the accident.
Examination of the left main landing gear actuator revealed that the supports for the actuator bearings lacked lubrication and displayed wear as a result of inadequate lubrication. The overhauled actuator had accumulated 377.5 hours and 285 cycles since overhaul and was installed about 31 months before the accident. The manufacturer’s maintenance manual prescribed lubrication of the retract actuator and actuator support bearings every 1,000 cycles or 30 months (whichever occurs first). It could not be determined if inadequate lubrication was applied at installation, or if a loss of lubrication was not detected in subsequent inspections.
The manufacturer’s maintenance manual did caution operators, however, that “when washing the airplane with soap and water, use special care to avoid washing grease away from lubricated area. After washing the wheel-well areas with solvent, lubricate all lubrication points. Premature wear of the lubricated surfaces may result if these precautions are not observed.”
Pilot Lost Control Taxiing Caravan
Cessna 208B, El Paso, Texas, April 26, 2011–The NTSB said the pilot lost control of the aircraft while taxiing at El Paso in a strong, gusty wind. As the pilot prepared for an evening Part 135 cargo flight, he radioed ATC for his clearance and requested the wind conditions. Since the wind was higher than previously reported, the pilot told the controller he would wait before taxiing. The pilot added that, after he had decided to delay the flight but before he could shut down the engine, a strong gust of wind pushed the airplane’s nose left and lifted the left wing. The airplane’s propeller and right wing hit the ground, bending the wing in the process. At the time of the accident the airport’s automated weather station reported the wind from the west at 36 knots gusting to 48 knots.