Cessna 402

On 13 December 1999 at 1029 5H-GTO took off from Zanzibar airport for a direct VFR flight to Chankonde. The endurance was six hours and the pilot was the only occupant. The aircraft was destined to pick a party of five hunters at Chankonde hunting airstrip for a flight to Dar es Salaam. The forward leg of the flight was uneventful and the pilot reported to Dar Control at 1153 hours that he has Chankonde in site and was estimating to land at 1215 hours. The aircraft did in fact land at 1216 hours. The pilot reported that shortly before he landed at Chankonde he circled around the airstrip and noticed that there were some pools of water on the runway. Five passengers boarded the aircraft at Chankonde for a flight to Dar es Salaam. The pilot said that all the heavy baggage and two members of the hunting party left by road for Dar es Salaam. The remaining five who boarded the aircraft carried only hand luggage. In the preparation for take-off the pilot taxied to the threshold of runway 07, made the "first selection" of flaps and applied full power on brakes. He testified that he did not lean the mixtures since he saw no requirement for this. The initial phase of the take-off rolI appeared' normal to the pilot. When the aircraft 'had' covered about 600 metres and was accelerating through 65/70 kt it went through a muddy ditch causing the pilot to feeI deceleration. It immediately became apparent that he was not going to achieve the take off speed and clear the trees in the foreground. The pilot subsequently decided to abort the take-off. When the engines were throttled back and brakes were applied the aircraft continued to rolI on wet and slippery sandy surface till it overran the end of runway 07 and collided with trees located about 60 metres beyond the end of the runway. As the aircraft impacted the trees in the accident sequence, both wing sections outboard of the engines separated and caught fire. The aircraft came to rest about 56 metres forward of the detached wing sections. The grass beneath the aircraft and the right engine were also on fire. The pilot was unable to open the cockpit door because it was blocked by a tree. He subsequently rushed behind and opened the main door. As he did so, one passenger, "who was tall and muscular" pushed the pilot causing him to falI by the doorway on the ground where grass surface was on fire. All the five passengers stepped on the pilot and escaped. The pilot managed to rise an his own, returned to the cabin and picked the fire extinguisher. He subsequently fought the fire under the fuselage, the tail and the right engine. He was also joined by a vehicle which had 20 litres of water and this was used to put out the fire on the left hand side of the fuselage. The passenger who was in the copilot seat sustained a cut on his eyebrow and another passenger suffered minor burns on his fingers. The pilot whom the passengers used as a stepping stone and a fire blanket sustained first degree burns to his face and both arms. Both wings and parts of the tail plane were torn off the fuselage by impact with the trees. They were also partly destroyed by fire. The fuselage suffered relatively less "damage and the cabin remained intact. However, much of the interior equipment was destroyed by unknown persons a few days after the accident when the wreckage was left unguarded. The weather at the time of the accident was reported to be sunny with no wind. The ground was wet from rains which had been falling in the area. Chankonde Airstrip, elevation 3,386 feet, has one runway 07/25 which is 1,000 metres long and 30 metres wide. The surface is sand with some patches of scattered grass. There are tall trees starting 60 metres beyond the end of runway 07.

The twin-engine airplane impacted the ground in an uncontrolled descent following the inflight separation of the right wing during a normal descent. The airplane had accumulated a total time of 20,457 hours and had been flown 52 hours since the most recent annual inspection, which was performed by the current operator 3 weeks prior to the accident. Available maintenance records indicated that since 1988, maintenance personnel had made numerous repairs to the right wing, including repairing skin cracks, working rivets, wing stub spar straps, and the right main landing gear. Metallurgical examination revealed that the right wing's front spar failed due to fatigue that started at an area of mechanical damage and rough machining marks. The presence of primer covering the mechanical damage strongly suggests that the damage was produced during the manufacturing process. It could not be determined whether the mechanical damage or the machining, acting alone, could have caused the fatigue cracking to initiate. Fatigue cracking found on the rear spar and the forward auxiliary spar is most likely secondary fatigue due to load shedding as the crack grew in the front spar.

While on approach to land the left engine surged and lost power. The pilot switched the left engine fuel selector to another fuel tank and the engine restarted. A short time later the left engine surged and lost power again. The pilot switched the left engine fuel selector to the right main fuel tank and the engine again restarted. A short time later the left engine quit again and he shutdown the engine and feathered the propeller. A short time later the right engine surged and lost power. He shut down the right engine and feathered the propeller. He then made a forced landing in a field and during landing rollout the aircraft's left wing collided with a tree. A fire erupted in the left wing area. Post crash examination showed the right main fuel tank was empty. The right auxiliary fuel tank contained 2.5 gallons. The left main fuel tank contained one half gallon of fuel and the left auxiliary tank was ruptured. The pilot operating handbook stated that the main fuel tanks had one gallon unusable fuel and the auxiliary fuel tanks had one half gallon of unusable fuel.

The flight departed Fort Lauderdale's Executive Airport (FXE) at about 1833 on a northwesterly heading for the co-located Pahokee VOR/airport (PHK) on the second training session of the day for the 2 front seat occupants. This particular flight had a dual purpose, in that the left seat occupant/new-hire was getting a 'pre-check ride' by the right seat occupant/instructor/PIC, and the instructor was being observed by the air taxi's director of operations in anticipation of an endorsement for an FAA designation as a company check airman. The flight was not in contact with any ATC facility and was squawking a transponder code consistent with non-controlled, VMC flight. At 1902, the Miami ARTCC lost radar contact at the 334 degree radial/12 nmi from the PHK VOR at 1,300 feet agl. Eight days later, the wreckage with its 3 occupants still inside, was located and recovered from the lake bottom. The location roughly corresponds with the radial of the PHK VOR that would have to be tracked while performing the VOR Runway 17 approach. The wreckage was intact except for 2 nacelle doors, the nose cone, and the left propeller, and revealed no engine, airframe, or component failure or malfunction. There was no evidence of a bird strike. Evidence revealed that both engines were developing power and the airplane was wings level in the approach configuration and attitude at water contact.

On final approach to Stord-Sørstokken Airport by night, the twin engine aircraft stalled and crashed in a rocky area located 180 metres short of runway 33. The aircraft was destroyed and all nine occupants were killed, among them eight naval workers.

Prior to departure, the pilot reported to ground mechanics that an unusual noise came from the left main gear. An inspection was conducted but nothing anormal was noted. Nevertheless, the pilot was told to fly directly to Mombasa for further control. After takeoff from runway 09, while climbing, the pilot was contacted by ATC who reported that the left main gear detached and fell away. He was cleared to return for an emergency landing and completed a belly landing few minutes later. The aircraft came to rest on runway and was damaged beyond repair. All four occupants escaped uninjured.

On August 23, 1998, at 1740 eastern daylight time a Cessna 402C, N2748J, impacted rising terrain following a go-around from runway 09, at the Melville Hall Airport, Dominica. The airplane was registered to Hartford Holding Corporation, Wilmington, Delaware, and operated by Air Anguilla, Incorporated, St Thomas, Virgin Islands as Cardinal Airlines Flight 947 Dominica. The airplane was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 135, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed in heavy rain, and a VFR flight plan was filed. The commercial pilot and 10 passengers sustained fatal injuries and the airplane was destroyed. There was no fire. The airplane departed Princess Juliana Airport in St. Maarten, West Indies about 1600.

Surviving passengers reported that en route from Stewart Island to Invercargill there were symptoms of a righthand engine failure, which was corrected by the pilot's manipulation of floor-mounted fuel tank selectors. Shortly afterwards, both engines stopped. The pilot broadcast a Mayday and advised the passengers that they would be ditching. A successful ditching was carried out approximately 12 NM south of Invercargill. All occupants escaped from the aircraft, however, four persons exited without life jackets. The pilot entered the cabin but was unable to locate more before the aircraft sank. Rescuers reached the scene about an hour after the ditching only to find that all those without life jackets had perished, as had a young boy who was wearing one.

According to the passengers, they departed about 30 or 40 minutes late because of the late arrival of the airplane. When the pilot arrived, he 'seemed to...be in a hurry...there was no safety instructions or any attempt to show us or the kids the operation of the door.' After takeoff, the flight climbed to an altitude of 6,700 feet. The pilot attempted to make radio contact with an unknown station, was unsuccessful in making radio contact, and according to a passenger, 'seemed agitated.' The passengers noticed that the left alternator light was illuminated, and questioned the pilot. The pilot told the passengers, '...it's nothing it always comes on.' About 15 minutes after departure, the flight descended to 3,000 feet and the pilot attempted to make radio contact with someone again. The flight continued at 3,000 feet until the pilot saw a ship in the ocean. He descended to around 1,000 feet over the ship, and was still working with the radio. The flight continued onto the coast. The passengers told EMS personnel that the airplane made an 'abrupt' left turn to line up with the runway, and when the airplane touched down, they felt the right side of the aircraft collapse. After touchdown on runway 27L, the airplane's right main landing gear collapsed, then the left gear collapsed. The airplane slid off the right side of the runway and struck RVR (runway visual range) equipment. According to the pilot's statement he, '...made [a] normal approach to runway 27 left. All system indicated normal. Upon touchdown and roll out all was ok for 3-4 hundred feet- [right] gear collapsed...unable to hold aircraft on runway...nose hit RVR antenna swinging aircraft more right to catch right wing and remove tip tank. Left gear collapsed as aircraft came to rest.' According to the FAA Inspector's statement, it was his opinion, on the day of the accident the aircraft was 'over gross weight on departure from Marsh Harbor...the pilot was experiencing radio problems... and I [FAA Inspector] believe he was flustered and annoyed...in the pattern he made an abrupt left turn to lineup with [runway] 27, and when he touched down on the runway the right gear immediately collapsed due to [side] overload.' In addition, both landing gear trunnions, where the retract mechanisms attached, were broken as if 'overloaded.'