Writer

Amy Laboda

<h2>Preliminary Reports</h2>


<h5>Helicopter Down in Mountains of Molokai Island</h5>


Hughes 369D (MD500D), Nov. 15, 2016, Pukoo, Hawaii—The ATP-certified pilot and passenger were killed when their MD500 hit tree-covered terrain about a mile north of Pukoo, Hawaii, on a VFR Part 91 night flight into heavy rain showers. The pilot and his passenger departed the Honolulu International Airport (KHNL), Hawaii, just before sunset, destined for a private residence in the mountains near Pukoo, located on the Island of Molokai, a trip the pilot took regularly.


He was inbound to a lighted helipad (elevation 750 feet msl) and residence on the side of Kamakou mountain on Molokai Island. The property caretaker reported the aircraft overdue that night.


The helicopter was found two days later on the east side of a ridgeline in thick ferns and forest at 1,389 feet. The fuselage was consumed by fire and all other large components were located. South of the wreckage there were multiple broken tree limbs that revealed an impact approach angle of 18 degrees from treetops to the ground.


Witnesses living west of the accident site told the NTSB they saw the helicopter on the evening of the accident flying low and slow above their property with a bright landing light. It then departed for the shoreline. Another witness living just to the east of the pilot’s property said that she watched the helicopter make a descent under dark, windy and very rainy conditions, then disappear behind the ridge.


Though the Metar at Molokai Airport earlier in the evening was VFR, Weather Service radar data shows moderately heavy bands of rain passing from the northeast through the accident area at the approximate time of the accident.


<h5>Aero Commander Departs Runway, Hits Rocks&nbsp; </h5>


Aero Commander 690, Nov. 30, 2016, Scottsdale, Ariz.—An Aero Commander 690 on a VMC Part 91 maintenance relocation flight from Safford Regional Airport, Safford, Ariz., was substantially damaged during a runway excursion after landing at Scottsdale Airport (KSDL), Scottsdale, Ariz. The sole occupant, an airline transport pilot, was not injured.


According to the pilot, the landing on Runway 21 was normal and he intended to exit to a taxiway left of the runway; however, shortly after he applied reverse thrust, the airplane veered to the right. The pilot applied rudder and brake to compensate, then decided to enter the runway safety area (RSA) to avoid hitting a sign. As the airplane rolled into the RSA the landing gear sank into sand and rock, and the left propeller blades hit fist-sized river rocks, sending debris into the left side of the fuselage. Several rocks entered the fuselage through the skin and side windows, compromising the fuselage structure, according to an FAA inspector on scene.


<h5>King Air E90 Crashes En Route to Casais, Portugal</h5>


Beechcraft King Air E90, Dec. 4, 2016, Toledo, Spain—A U.S.-registered Beechcraft King Air E90 struck terrain in a rural area near Toledo, Spain, 20 minutes after takeoff, killing the owner-pilot, his right-seat passenger and two children seated behind them in a post-accident fire. The airplane departed Cuatro Vientos Airport, Madrid, Spain, and was en route to Casais Airport, Portugal. The last data point depicted on flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed the aircraft at 18,400 feet. The tail of the airplane was found 1km (0.4 nm) from the accident site.


<h5>Bell Helicopter Vertical Stabilizer Found Bent afterFflight</h5>


Bell OH-58A, Dec. 4, 2016, Sacramento, Calif.—A Bell OH-58A registered and operated by the City of Sacramento as a public aircraft incurred substantial damage to its vertical stabilizer for reasons as yet unknown during a VMC flight near Sacramento, Calif. The commercial pilot and observer were not injured.


The pilot and observer reported noticing the vertical stabilizer damage during the post-flight inspection after completion of a routine patrol flight flown at 600 to 700 feet agl. The vertical stabilizer was bent downwards, away from the tail rotor. No turbulence or any other unusual flying conditions were encountered, according to both the pilot and observer. The helicopter’s damaged vertical stabilizer was secured for further examination.


<h5>Citation Damaged in Hard Landing</h5>


Cessna Citation 500, Dec. 4, 2016, Gunnison, Colo.—The sole-occupant pilot was uninjured when his Cessna Citation 500 on a Part 91 night flight in VMC was substantially damaged during a hard landing and runway excursion at Gunnison-Crested Butte Airport (KGUC) in Gunnison, Colo. He was attempting to land there after deviating from his instrument flight plan to Pueblo, Colo., because of low fuel. The flight departed San Jose International Airport (SJC), San Jose, Calif. at 6:15 p.m., according to FlightAware data.


The pilot reported to ATC that the airplane was low on fuel and ATC provided radar vectors to KGUC at 8:40 p.m., clearing the pilot to perform the GPS-B Runway 24 approach. When the pilot reported the runway in sight, ATC cleared the flight for a visual approach. During touchdown, the airplane’s left main landing gear and nose gear collapsed and the airplane veered off the runway, substantially damaging the left wing. Wind at the time was 340 degrees at 4 knots.


<h5>Fairchild Breaks Up In Flight</h5>


Fairchild SA227-AC, Dec. 5, 2016, Camilla, Ga.—An on-demand Part 135 cargo pilot was killed when his Fairchild SA227-AC broke up in flight descending near Camilla, Ga. The ATP-rated pilot was flying cargo from Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (KECP) in Panama City, Fla., to Southwest Georgia Regional Airport (KABY) in Albany, Ga. He knew about extreme precipitation along his route of flight. ATC suggested a routing around the weather, which the pilot declined because of fuel restrictions. He was diverting to Tallahassee International Airport (KTLH) and descending when radar and radio contact was lost.


The wreckage was scattered across an area 2,600 feet long and 1,500 feet wide. The outboard sections of both wings showed damage and paint transfer consistent with contact with the fuselage, which was at the end of the debris path alongside a residence. The wreckage was recovered from the site and retained for further examination.


<h5>Kodiak Crashes on Takeoff from Canyonlands</h5>


Quest Kodiak 100, Dec. 12, 2016, Moab, Utah—The pilot was killed departing Canyonlands Field Airport (KCNY) in Moab, Utah, in a Quest Kodiak that appeared to turn and then descend rapidly into powerlines before hitting the ground shortly after takeoff. The weather at the time was VFR with wind from 330 at 4 knots. A security camera recorded the takeoff. The aircraft lifted off, turned right, descended, first slightly, then rapidly, hitting the powerlines and then the ground, destroying it.


<h2>Final Reports</h2>


<h5>Citation Crashed in Fog Approaching VFR-only Airport</h5>


Cessna Citation 501SP, Jan. 12, 2014, Trier-Fohren, Germany—Two flight crew and two passengers were killed and a U.S.-registered Cessna Citation 501 was destroyed when the captain decided to perform a VFR approach into Trier-Fohren airfield. He was aware of IMC weather there. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s selection of the wrong vertical profile for the approach and poor crew resource management, according to the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation, which investigated the accident.


The aircraft was returning from Shoreham Airport, near Brighton, West Sussex, England. The pilot had checked weather with flight advisory (Flugleiter) via telephone and had been briefed about the low visibility and freezing fog at Trier-Fohren, a VFR-only airport. The aircraft had a Garmin GNS 430W, GPS 500 with Taws, and a radio altimeter, along with a Garmin Aera 500. There was no cockpit voice recorder.


The pilot cancelled his IFR flight plan with Langen Radar 15 nm from the destination and let down to line up with the extended centerline of Runway 22. The crew never called Trier airport advisory.


When 4.6 nm from the threshold at 1,600 feet msl, the aircraft left the extended runway centerline to the south. Witnesses saw the aircraft flying at 50 feet below the cloud cover, just above the trees. They saw the airplane pull up before reaching a forested ridge. The airplane then banked left and disappeared in cloud. The right wing caught a powerline pylon and snapped off before the aircraft hit the ground inverted and burst into flames, killing all occupants. The weather report at Trier near the time of the accident shows freezing fog and visibility below 100 m (300 feet).


The accident site was 2.3 nm short of the threshold of Runway 22 of Trier-Fohren Airfield, about 0.3 nm southeast of the extended runway centerline at 666 feet msl. The airplane appeared to have hit trees, then the pylon of a powerline, and finally the ground. The main gear on the left side was down and locked, with flaps fully extended. The right wing was partially lodged in the pylon of the powerline, at a 60-degree angle.


German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation officials surmise that the crew used the Vnav profile feature of the Garmin GNS to set up a 3-degree glideslope to Runway 22. Radar data shows that the airplane flew at a high rate of descent despite being 300 feet below the 3-degree glideslope. Investigators believe that the pilots selected 0 feet for the final altitude instead of 666 feet, which was runway elevation. This would explain the high rate of descent needed to stay on the simulated glideslope. Since the pilots never called the airport advisory, investigators concluded it is likely they did not input the barometric pressure into the Vnav either. Wind was from 050 degrees, a nearly direct tailwind, which could also have influenced the steepness of the approach.


<h5>Citation 550 Overran Runway after Unstabilized Approach</h5>


Cessna Citation 550, Dec. 11, 2015, Arbent, France—Two pilots and four passengers were uninjured after their Cessna Citation 550 ran off the runway at Oyonnax Arbent Aerodrome in Arbent, France, during an unstable approach and long landing caused by the pilot’s disregard for both standardized aircraft checklists and numerous terrain and configuration warnings during the approach, according to the country’s Bureau&nbsp;d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA). Contributing to the accident was the crew’s under-estimation of the workload induced by anding at an aerodrome with a short runway in a mountainous environment.


The pilot flying said he spent time briefing the pilot-not-flying on the mountainous terrain surrounding the airport, and its short Runway 22 (770m/2,526 feet), which also has a 0.6-percent downhill slope. Calculations showed the 550 required 702m/2,303 feet for landing at a Vref of 108 knots.


The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) revealed the last 30 minutes of flight. The pilot flying disconnected the autopilot on base leg and asked for “full flaps.” The pilot-not-flying announced “full flaps.” As they passed 500 feet agl and 1.2 nm from the threshold on final, the EGPWS “terrain, terrain” and then “pull up, pull up” warnings triggered. The pilot flying said he was “a little fast” but the pilot-not-flying replied, “No you are Vref +10.” (The flight data recorder shows that the velocity from the middle of the downwind leg to the flare was actually Vref + 30 knots.) The EGPWS “too low flaps” alarm then triggered, followed by the announcement “Two hundred” and the “Too low flaps” alarm again. The pilot-not-flying called “speed brakes.” At the flare the pilot-not-flying suddenly retracted the flaps just as the pilot flying pulled the power to idle.


The aircraft touched about halfway down the runway and the pilot flying braked and deployed thrust reversers, but the aircraft ran off the end, with the nosegear snapping as it crossed a slope 150m (450 feet) past the end of the pavement. The aircraft stopped at a grove of trees.


The CVR indicated no standard airplane checklist was used, and the pilots appeared fixated on the external environment, to the detriment of the aircraft configuration and flightpath, according to the BEA.

News about significant aircraft accidents and information from accident reports.