Richland

The pilot-under-instruction (PUI) who possessed an expired medical, and the pilot-in-command (PIC), an ATP pilot with 1240 hours in the Cessna 340, departed on the third training flight for the PUI in the aircraft. The second training flight, flown the previous Saturday, had included single-engine work. The aircraft was observed in the vicinity of the Richland airport by witnesses, several of whom reported the left propeller turning slowly. All witnesses reported seeing the aircraft descending rapidly to the ground in a nose down attitude and several witnesses described the descent as a spin. The aircraft impacted the ground in a near vertical, nose low attitude and was destroyed by fire. Postcrash examination of the aircraft revealed the left propeller in the feathered position and power signatures on the blades of the right propeller. Disassembly of both engines revealed no pre-impact mechanical malfunction. The gear and flaps were up and the rudder trim tab showed about 5 degrees of left tab trim. The information manual for the Cessna 340 indicates that the air minimum control speed (single engine), Vmca is 82 KIAS. The manual also indicates that a more suitable airspeed for one engine inoperative training events is 91 KIAS.

Columbia Pacific Airlines Flight 23, a Beech 99 (N199EA), was operated under the provisions of 14 CFR 135 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Richland to Seattle, Washington. The crew arrived at Richland at 1525 P.s.t. on Flight 18 from Seattle. When they arrived, N199EA was being inspected to fulfill the requirements of an Airworthiness Directive. The aircraft was not available to the crew for preflight inspection until 1630; Flight 23 was scheduled to depart at 1640. At 1628, the captain was briefed on weather by the Walla Walla, Washington, Flight Service Station (FSS), and he filed a dispatch release which contained aircraft weight and balance, route of flight, and weather information. About 1630, the aircraft was fueled and 600 lbs of baggage was loaded. About 1635, the first officer left the terminal building and connected the auxiliary power unit to the aircraft. He then inspected the aircraft and boarded; the captain boarded shortly thereafter. When the passenger boarding call was made, the captain left the aircraft to obtain magazines for the passengers. He was seen getting into his seat when the first passenger boarded. At 1646, the first officer contacted the Pasco Airport Traffic Control Tower, using Flight No. 29, and advised that they were taxiing and would request an instrument flight rules clearance to Seattle via Yakima, Washington, when airborne. The Pasco Control Tower received no further calls from Flight 23. The first officer informed operations on company frequency that they would be departing shortly and would relay their estimated time of arrival in Seattle when airborne. There were no further radio communications with the crew. The aircraft daily flight log for February 10 showed that the aircraft left the ramp at 1645 and took off at 1648. In general, witnesses described the aircraft's attitude at liftoff as normal and estimated the point of liftoff between 1,173 and 1,486 ft; however, immediately thereafter the aircraft began a steep climb at an angle of 20' to 45" to an altitude of 300 to 400 ft above the runway and then appeared to decelerate. The wings rocked or wobbled at the top of the climb, and the aircraft turned or yawed to the left.
The nose dropped and the aircraft descended to the ground at a flightpath angle estimated to have been 45°. Fuel from ruptured fuel tanks caught fire after the aircraft hit the ground. Fire consumed the aircraft within 7 minutes. All 17 occupants were killed.