Preliminary Reports
Dynamic Rollover Follows EMS EC135 Hard Landing
Eurocopter EC135, Feb. 7, 2017, near Beattyville, Ky.—Two passengers and a pilot were uninjured when an Airbus Helicopters EC135P2+ was substantially damaged during a hard landing that resulted in a dynamic rollover near Beattyville, Ky. The helicopter departed from Mt. Sterling-Montgomery County Airport (KIOB) and was destined for an emergency medical service heliport near St. Helens, Ky., on a Part 135 flight. Wind was from the southwest at 35 knots. The helicopter came to rest on its right side, with all the main rotor blades destroyed. The tail boom was fractured at the horizontal stabilizer/fenestron mount; the tail rotor and vertical fin were intact and the blades were undamaged. The pilot's windshield and skylight were broken and the nose bow area was crushed.
Líder Táxi Aéreo Hawker 800 Departs Runway
BAe-125-800B, Feb. 9, 2017, São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, São Paulo, Brazil—The main landing gear of a chartered Hawker 125-800B carrying a member of the Brazilian Federal Senate from Brasília to São Paulo collapsed on landing and the aircraft left the runway. No one was injured.
On liftoff from Brasília a main landing gear tire failed. The flight crew elected to continue to São Paulo, diverting to the longer runways of Guarulhos Airport from the planned destination of Congonhas Airport. On the landing rollout the left main landing gear collapsed as the aircraft veered off the runway.
Skydive Caravan Main Landing Gear Snaps on Touchdown
Textron Cessna 208B, Feb. 9, 2017, Illertissen Airport, Germany—No one was injured when a 1993 Cessna 208B Supervan 900 used in skydiving operations was damaged during landing at Illertissen Airport, Germany. Two pilots took the aircraft on a local training flight from Illertissen and were flying circuits when the right main landing gear snapped during a landing touchdown. The pilot flying executed a go-around and circled for 45 minutes before returning to land on the grass strip at Illertissen Airport. The extent of damage to the aircraft was unknown at press time.
Super King Air B200 Hits Shopping Mall on Takeoff
Beechcraft Super King Air B200 , Feb. 21, 2017, Melbourne-Essendon Airport, Australia—A Super King Air B200 , registered VH-ZCR, was destroyed and the pilot and four passengers were killed after an unknown problem caused the aircraft to bank left and descend nose first into the nearby DFO Essendon shopping center. No one on the ground was injured. Shortly after takeoff from Runway 17, the pilot radioed a Mayday. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating.
Aerospatiale SA-341 Gazelle Down in Kazakhstan
Aerospatiale SA-341, Feb. 25, 2017, Aygyz, Kazakhstan—A Khazak-registered Gazelle crashed on February 25 while operating in Eastern Kazakhstan, killing the pilot. The single-turbine helicopter departed from the Urdzharsky area with two people on board, landing in Akshatau in the Ayagoz district to refuel before the accident. The aircraft was found the next day some 32 nm (60 km) northwest of Ayagoz. Poor weather was reported in the area at the time of the crash.
Interim Reports
Ground Resonance Suspected in A109E Training Accident
AgustaWestland A109E, Aug. 2, 2016, Munich, Germany—Two pilots, one with a helicopter ATP ceertificate, and a helicopter flight instructor were on a training flight in a 1998 Agusta A109E flying circuits at Oberschleissheim Special Airfield (EDNX) demonstrating simulated engine failure when, at touchdown, the helicopter began rocking on its landing gear and was severely damaged, leaving the flight instructor with minor injuries.
The helicopter was not equipped with a flight data recorder (FDR) or a cockpit voice recorder (CVR). Analysis of the data collecting units on the two engines did not reveal any viable information.
The accident site was 300 feet (100m) short of Runway 26 at Oberschleissheim Special Airfield. The helicopter came to a stop upright, slightly tilting left, with its landing gear extended. The left main landing gear collapsed outward, whereas the nose gear was twisted to the left. The nosewheel center mechanism pin was not engaged. The nosewheel locking lever in the cockpit was not completely in the “Lock” position. The bracket of the main gearbox penetrated the roof of the cabin and all main rotor blades along with the rotor head were damaged. The tail rotor drive shaft was torn off the main gearbox near the rotor brake.
The four main rotor blade led/lag-dampers and the three landing gear shock absorbers, including the nosewheel-lock, were removed for further examination at the manufacturer. Experts from the helicopter manufacturer and the BFU at the facilities of the respective damper supplier examined the wreckage, but could find no technical malfunction in the dampers or the nosewheel-lock mechanism. Ground resonance, caused by a hard or uneven touchdown, is suspected, but not yet proven as a cause for this accident.
Final Reports
Pilatus Britten-Norman Turbine Islander Stall-spin Killed 12
Pilatus Britten-Norman BN-2T Islander, April 13, 2016, Papua New Guinea—A Pilatus Britten-Norman Turbine Islander (BN-2T) powered by two Rolls-Royce 250-B17C turboprops crashed just west of the runway at Kiunga Aerodrome, Papua New Guinea, killing the pilot and 11 passengers. Witnesses saw the aircraft pitch up suddenly and then roll, pitching down and hitting the ground in a near-vertical attitude. Investigation by the Papua New Guinea Accident Investigation Commission (AIC) determined that the aircraft was loaded with a center of gravity aft of its envelope and found evidence that the right engine had ceased to operate, possibly because of fuel starvation. The application of full flaps might have caused the unrecoverable stall-spin under these circumstances.
The wreckage was airlifted to Kiunga. All flight control surfaces were accounted for and remained connected to their respective cockpit controls. The elevator trim tab was in the full nose-down trim position. The rudder trim was in the full nose-left trim position. The rudder trim screw jacks and push rods were not dislodged. The force of the impact separated the right engine from its mount, but the right propeller assembly was still attached. The propeller blades were feathered.
The left engine and its mount separated from the airframe. The left propeller assembly sheared from its drive shaft. The propeller blades were at fine pitch. The fuel tanks were intact and the caps of both fuel tanks securely fastened. There was evidence of some fuel in the left main fuel tank; however, the right main tank was dry.
The investigation revealed that the aircraft had been involved in another accident, after which it sat on a ramp unused for years. During repairs, contaminants were found in the fuel tanks and fuel systems. Following its return to service, contaminants were again found in the wing tanks and fuel filters. A pilot reported a partial right engine failure on Jan. 23, 2016. The aircraft was checked and returned to service. During the subsequent flight, the right-wing tip tank was used and the right engine lost power again. Maintenance engineers reported that the tip tank was not feeding the right main tank. The engineers found contaminants in the right wing’s main and tip fuel tanks, and a blocked fuel filter.
There was no evidence of contaminants in the aircraft’s fuel system after the accident; however, cockpit fuel selectors were found in positions consistent with crossfeeding fuel from the left side to the right engine.
The daily flight record for the accident flight was not found. There was no evidence that takeoff weight and load distribution within the aircraft had been computed before takeoff. The investigation determined that while the aircraft was within weight limitations, the load distribution was significantly aft of its center of gravity limit for takeoff and landing. Loaded as it was, full nose-down elevator and elevator trim likely had no effect in lowering the nose of the aircraft. Unless the flaps had been retracted immediately, the nose-up pitch may also have resulted in a tailplane stall. The apparent loss of power on the right engine only exacerbated the situation resulting in the accident, according to the AIC.
King Air 200 Damaged on Misaligned Takeoff
Beechcraft King Air B200, Oct. 26, 2016, Brisbane Airport, Australia—The pilots of a King Air B200 departing Brisbane Airport mistook runway edge lighting for centerline lighting on a dark night takeoff, damaging the aircraft nosewheel and several runway edge lights.
According to the pilot flying, the crew felt rushed when the tower controller gave them clearance to line up, and they were still completing the line-up checks when the controller issued a change in radio frequency. The pilots said they felt distracted.
Brisbane Airport taxiway and runway lights were operational on the night of the incident. The taxiway has green centerline lights and leadoff lights from the runway, but no lead-on lights from any intersection departure points. The leadoff lights are one-way lights and would not be visible to the pilot entering the runway. Runway 01 has white runway centerline lights, runway threshold lights and both high- and medium-intensity runway lights along the runway edge.
The pilot flying said his LED taxi light did not allow him to differentiate between centerline lighting and the runway edge lights. He confirmed that the taxi light was on during taxi and takeoff; however, he was uncertain whether the landing light was switched on during takeoff. As they began the takeoff the pilots realized something was odd and realigned the aircraft on the runway centerline. Only after airport ground personnel found the damaged lighting was it clear the aircraft had rolled along the runway edge.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has a Pilot Information Card available to pilots to help them identify risk factors for misaligned takeoffs.
Cessna Caravan Lost Engine, Landed on Taxiway
Cessna 208 Caravan, Nov. 11, 2016, Darwin Airport, Northern Territory, Australia—A missing fuel line locking plate allowed a fuel transfer tube to slide out of its nozzle adapter gradually; eventually it backed out far enough that fuel under pressure leaked during a takeoff, causing the engine to lose power. The training pilot and flight instructor initiated a 180-degree descending turn back to the airport, landing on Taxiway A at Darwin Airport.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) noted that it had been 86 hours since mechanics had left the critical plate off the fuel transfer tube in the engine.
The aircraft departed with a 10- to 15-knot headwind with two pilots and 1,984 pounds (900 kg) of fuel. The takeoff was normal. At about 500 feet, the trainee pilot reduced the flap setting from the takeoff setting of 20 degrees to 10 degrees. At this time, the instructor noted the climb speed reducing while the trainee continued to maintain the nose attitude for best angle of climb. Then the instructor heard the engine lose power and saw a thin film of fuel on the windshield. He saw the engine torque, fuel flow, inter-turbine temperature and airspeed all winding down.
As the airspeed fell to 60 knots, the instructor took control. He felt a strong nose-down force through the control column and the aircraft pitched down. The instructor conveyed a PAN emergency to the air traffic control tower. He recovered the aircraft to 85 knots and saw an area to the left suitable for a forced landing. In the turn toward that clear area he unlocked the emergency power lever and attempted to restore engine power. The engine did not respond. The flight instructor chose to continue the turn back to the airport because he saw that the headwind, when it sheared to a tailwind, would help them reach the airport environment. He also added 30 degrees of flap to provide a short zoom climb to clear two hangars and an area of trees before settling onto the taxiway. The ATSB noted that the maneuver was successful despite the low altitude because of the pilot’s rapid recognition of the problem, application of best glide attitude and favorable wind/weather conditions.