Preliminary Reports
Circumstances of Helicopter Crash Remain Unclear
MD Helicopters 369E, Sept. 3, 2018, Orchard Lake, Michigan—Inconsistencies in the pilot’s account, witness statements, and physical evidence have complicated the investigation of the accident that occurred just 40 feet from the concrete pad of the pilot’s private heliport. Officers of the Orchard Lake Police Department were the first to respond, finding the helicopter lying on its left side with the main rotor blades detached and the tail rotor separated from the tailboom but the engine still running. Members of the Bloomfield Township Fire Department subsequently extracted the pilot from the wreckage. When asked what had happened, he answered, “I don’t know. It started spinning.”
The pilot initially said he was landing at the time, but a neighbor who heard but did not see the accident sequence told police that it happened during takeoff, just after the pilot started the engine and “ran to warm it up.” In a follow-up conversation with NTSB investigators on September 12, the pilot—who suffered serious head and body injuries—said that shortly after takeoff, a flock of Canada geese “flew at me,” and that attempting to avoid them was his last memory of the accident sequence. However, no bird remains were found on the helicopter wreckage or elsewhere at the accident scene.
The heliport included a hangar on the west side of a concrete pad oriented east-to-west and a cleared area to the south and east, bordered on its north side by several rows of power lines indicated by orange marker balls. There was no evidence of a wire strike or collision with any other obstruction. Responding FAA investigators were able to confirm continuity of the flight control systems between points of separation due to impact forces.
Positioning Flight Crashes, Killing Pilot
Beech King Air 200, Sept. 25, 2018, Oscoda, Michigan—A King Air 200 struck trees short of the runway during a GPS approach to Runway 06 of the Oscoda-Wurtsmith (Michigan) airport, killing the solo pilot. The accident occurred about five minutes before the beginning of civil morning twilight, more than an hour and a half before sunrise. Ceilings were reported as overcast at 400 feet above the ground with five miles visibility underneath.
The Kalitta Flying Service turboprop was on a positioning leg to board passengers for a Part 135 charter flight to Memphis. Examination of the accident site found “numerous chop marks in the trees.” The wreckage was largely consumed by fire, but investigators were able to determine that the airplane was configured for landing, with gear down and flaps at the approach setting.
“Supervan 900” Lost at Sea
Cessna 208B “Supervan 900” conversion, Sept. 27, 2018, 75 miles east of Sendai, Japan—A geophysical survey airplane disappeared from radar and was presumed lost at sea 10.5 hours after departing on a planned nine-hour ferry flight. The Australian-registered craft, flown by a solo Norwegian pilot, took off from the U.S. possession of Saipan in the Northern Marianas Islands at 07:00 Japan Standard Time (JST) for New Chitose, Japan. The pilot filed a required position report at 10:23 JST but not the subsequent report expected at 11:44. F-4 fighters of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force located the Caravan flying straight and level over the Pacific at 11:50 but were unable to reach the pilot by radio; visual contact was subsequently lost in clouds. Floating wreckage was discovered two hours after the last radar hit, recorded at 15:28.
As part of its modification for survey work, the airplane had undergone a “Supervan 900” conversion performed by Texas Turbine Conversions. The upgrade included a Honeywell TPE331-12JR engine flat-rated to 900 shp, associated engine instruments, and a reversible four-blade Hartzell propeller.
Falcon 50 Overruns Runway
Dassault Falcon 50, Sept. 27, 2018, Greenville, South Carolina –Neither pilot of the three-engine business jet that ran off the end of Greenville Downtown Airport’s 5,393-foot Runway 19 held the necessary rating to act as pilot-in-command of the aircraft. Interviews with the survivors are expected to clarify whether the flight, which was made under FAR Part 91, was actually a de facto "gray" charter which should have been conducted under the more stringent certification and operating requirements of Part 135. (See full story on page ??)
Factual Report
No Evidence of Engine Failure in Tucson King Air Crash
Beech King Air 300, Jan. 23, 2017, Tucson, Arizona –The NTSB cited physical evidence from the engines and propellers indicating that both were operating in the mid-to-upper power range at impact. Surveillance footage and witness reports suggested that while climbing at a steep angle, the airplane dropped its left wing and rolled inverted following an apparent stall. While this might have been consistent with a failure of the left engine during climb, slash marks on the propeller blades and wear marks on the compressor turbines, power turbine guide vanes, interstage baffles, and power turbines were similar in both engines, suggesting symmetric power during the accident sequence. No pre-impact anomalies in trim settings or flight-control systems were identified in the wreckage, much of which was consumed by fire after the airplane crashed onto the ramp at Tucson International and slid into a concrete wall. The pilot and only passenger were killed.
The airplane had been flown from Long Beach to Tucson the previous day for a pre-purchase inspection following maintenance work in California. That flight was conducted by a contract pilot employed by the seller. Contrary to the buyer’s expectations, the accident pilot did not take the controls during the outbound flight.
The 56-year-old pilot, a U.S. Air Force veteran, claimed more than 15,000 flight hours including 9,500 in multi-engine airplanes and 9,000 hours in turboprops. He had flown “as a line and corporate pilot” since leaving the Air Force in 1988, including contract missions for the Air Force in Afghanistan and Iraq. His toxicology results were positive for marijuana, amphetamine, clonazepam (used to treat anxiety and panic disorders and seizures), venlafaxine (a prescription anti-depressant), and pheniramine (a sedating antihistamine).
Final Report
Miss-set Rudder Trim Implicated in Essendon Crash
Beech King Air 200, Feb. 21, 2017, Essendon Airport, Victoria, Australia—The crash of a King Air 200 into a shopping center just after takeoff appeared to bear the hallmarks of an engine failure, but examination of the engines and propellers proved otherwise. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau found that the airplane departed with its rudder trim set to the full-left position, resulting in an increasing left yaw after takeoff and an escalating left sideslip as the airplane gained speed, ultimately making it uncontrollable. The ATSB also found that the airplane was loaded about 530 pounds (4 percent) above its authorized maximum takeoff weight of 12,500 pounds, but did not view this excess as having contributed to the accident.
The flight was intended to carry four passengers to a golf event in Tasmania. The pilot made a rolling takeoff on the 4,900-foot Runway 17; two witnesses, both B200 pilots, agreed that the takeoff roll seemed unusually long. Immediately after lifting off, the airplane began to yaw left in a relatively flat attitude while slowly climbing to a maximum altitude of 160 feet. Its airspeed appeared to decay further as the King Air slewed from a southerly to easterly heading, began to descend, and hit buildings in a retail outlet center located on airport grounds.
While much of the wreckage was consumed by fire, investigators were able to determine that the rudder trim actuator screw was extended 43 mm, corresponding to its full nose-left setting. Aerodynamic studies indicated that the King Air’s sideslip angle reached 30 degrees, significantly increasing form drag while blanking airflow over a large portion of the left wing. Follow-up testing in a level D King Air 250 simulator showed that, in the words of the test pilot, “The yaw on takeoff was manageable but at the limit of any normal control input. Should have rejected the takeoff. After takeoff, the aircraft was manageable but challenging up to about 140 knots, at which time because of aerodynamic flow around the rudder it became uncontrollable. Your leg will give out and then you will lose control. It would take an exceptional human to fly the aircraft for any length of time in this condition. The exercise was repeated three times with the same result each time. Bear in mind I had knowledge of the event before performing the takeoffs.”
The ATSB was unable to determine the reason the rudder trim was incorrectly set but did point out the pilot’s failure to detect the anomaly before departure, raising questions about his and the operator’s adherence to written pre-takeoff checklists.