Piper PA-60 Aerostar (Ted Smith 600)

During arrival, the pilot was cleared for an ILS runway 07 approach. Also, he was advised of a DC-9 that was 4 miles ahead and was told to use caution for wake turbulence. As the aircraft was on final approach, it descended below the ILS glide slope and subsequently hit trees and crashed about 1.8 mile short of the runway. No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the aircraft or engines was found that would have resulted in an accident. Also, there were no reported problems with the ILS system and it tested normal after the accident. The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate which was good for single engine land aircraft; his multi-engine privileges were authorized as a private pilot, only. An NTSB performance study showed the aircraft was 2 minutes and 57 seconds behind the DC-9. Radar data indicated the aircraft did not exceed a bank angle of 32° and no excessive g-values were evident during the approach. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The aircraft was on final approach to runway 30 at Somerset airport, Somerville, New Jersey when there was a loss of power of the right engine. The pilot raised the landing gear and flaps, and the aircraft rolled to the right, descended toward the ground and crashed. The fuel selector valve to the right wing tank was in the closed position. The right engine magnetos were defective. All four occupants were injured, two seriously.

Flight entered near vertical descent while flying in area of level 1 and 2 thunderstorms just after pilot had called requesting permission to deviate around rain showers. A level 5 thunderstorm was present 8 miles west. The aircraft descended at rates up to 13,800 feet per minute. Witnesses saw aircraft exit bottom of clouds at approximately 4,000 feet in a near flat attitude and rotating around the yaw axis to the left. Engine sounds increased and decreased as the aircraft rotated and all components appeared to be present on the aircraft. No smoke or flame was visible. At approximately 500 feet above the water the rotation stopped and the nose dropped to a 30 to 70° nose down angle and both engines could be heard increasing in power. Before the recovery could be completed the acft struck the ocean. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

As the aircraft was taxiing for takeoff, witnesses noted the left rear baggage door was unlocked and hanging down. A warning was relayed to the pilot via the tower, but by then the aircraft was airborne and the pilot had reported a control problem. During lift-off, the aircraft pitched up sharply and entered an immediate right bank of about 45°. As the gear retracted, the bank angle decreased to about 20°. The aircraft was reported to yaw slightly from side to side and circle to the right while climbing to about 1,000 feet. A witness (in radio contact) asked the pilot about the problem; the pilot replied the controls (ctls) were locked to one side. On advice of others, the pilot tried to control the aircraft with engine power adjustments, but the aircraft lost altitude to about 200 feet agl. Subsequently, while maneuvering, it struck a tree, then hit a utility pole and crashed. During impact the lower fuselage, which housed the flight control linkages, was badly damaged. No preimpact mechanical problem was verified concerning the flight controls, autopilot or trim. A pilot, who had previously flown the aircraft with the baggage door open, said he experienced no adverse control problems. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The pilot was conducting a freight charter flight, and witness evidence confirmed that on DEPARTURE he was occupying the left-hand seat. The pilot was accompanied by a friend who was also a commercial pilot, but not endorsed on this type of aircraft. Approximately 18 minutes prior to the estimated time of arrival at the destination, the pilot reported leaving the cruising altitude of 6500 feet on descent. Several minutes after the descent report had been made, a witness about 50 kilometres from the destination reported seeing the aircraft pull-up into a very steep climb from an extremely low height with its wings level, and then become inverted. It then entered what was described by the witness as a spin or spiral dive, before impacting the ground in a near vertical descent. The pilot was found in the right-hand seat, and the passenger had been thrown clear of the wreckage. It was established that neither seat belt had been fastened at the time of the impact. Although it could not be determined which pilot was flying the aircraft at the time of the pull-up, medical evidence suggested that the pilot occupying the right-hand seat position was handling the controls at the time of ground impact. The weather at the time of the accident was fine and clear, with 10-15 knot winds.

The pilot departed Louisville, KY reportedly with a known oil leak in the right engine and was on the second leg of an on-demand air taxi cargo flight. About 14 minutes after entering Mansfield approach control airspace, the pilot requested and received an altitude change from 5,000 to 3,000 ft because he 'was picking up a lot of ice.' After entering Cleveland approach airspace he reported the right engine had failed and requested to return to Mansfield. The pilot was informed of Mansfield weather. He then indicated he wanted to try Cleveland, then reported he could not maintain altitude and wanted to go to Mansfield. The pilot was receiving vectors from Mansfield for an ASR approach to runway 23 and at about 1 1/2 miles from the threshold the pilot reported he was lowering the landing gear. The aircraft then disappeared from the radar scope. Investigation revealed improper weld repairs to the right engine case and separation of the number six cylinder from the case due to fatigue cracking in the through bolts and studs.

The aircraft was at cruise altitude (9,000 feet) for approximately 20 minutes when the pilot reported the loss of right engine power. Chicago ARTCC reported the closest airport was Kalamazoo, 28 miles west. The aircraft began to descend and at 0330:53 Chicago ARTCC reported N554AC was approximately 6 miles from Kalamazoo Airport. The pilot reported 'my right engine cowling is gone...I don't know if I'm going to make it.' Witnesses observed the aircraft at 'tree top level' and impact in a heavily wooded area near interstate 94, 5 miles from the airport. Investigation revealed improper weld repairs to the right engine case and separation of the number 2 cylinder from the case due to fatigue cracking in the through bolts and studs. The top section of the engine cowling separated due to the force of the cylinder separation. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Witnesses stated seeing the aircraft enter a left downwind approach to runway 16, turn base to final normally then veer to the left of the runway in a nose high attitude and disappear behind a line of trees and crash approximately 500 feet east of runway 16. Post crash examination of the aircraft revealed the left engine was not producing power at the time of impact. Further examination revealed that the left engine fuel servo fuel mixture and idle speed settings were misadjusted. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The pilot was issued runway 05, 7,500 feet, for IFR departure with favoring 4 knots quartering headwind. Pilot requested runway 14, 4,498 feet, for takeoff with a 4 knots quartering tailwind. Ground witness and control tower observed aircraft use nearly all of the runway on takeoff roll. After an abrupt rotation, the controller observed aircraft yaw to left and make a low altitude left turn. Seconds later the aircraft rapidly descended into trees and caught fire. The left propeller was found in the feathered position and the left engine was consumed by a ground fire. There was no evidence of any internal engine failure. The engine time smoh was 43 hours. Witness heard the aircraft takeoff with a series of loud backfires 25 days prior to the accident. Injector nozzles on the right engine were learned to correct the problem after 6 hours of operation one week later. The pilots log failed to show any recent training in single engine procedures. Both occupants were killed.

The aircraft contacted electrical wires and trees shortly after takeoff. The aircraft then descended to impact with the terrain. Examination of the wreckage revealed the elevator trim actuator rod was extended 2.5 inches which correlates with a full nose down setting. Further examination showed the buss wire for the actuator retract switch was disconnected at the retract switch post. Splattered copper was found on the retract switch indicating the buss wire had been subjected to high amperage. The limitations section of the pilot operating handbook for this aircraft does not state that takeoff is prohibited with inoperative pitch trim. Both occupants were killed.