Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

The airline transport pilot was on a Title 14, CFR Part 135 passenger flight. The pilot said during cruise flight he heard a loud bang, and the engine started running rough. He said he diverted to the nearest airport, but the engine quit completely, and he was unable to reach the runway. The airplane subsequently collided with terrain, sustaining substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. An examination of the engine revealed that a locking screw had backed out of one of the anti-vibration counterweights on the crankshaft, scoring the interior back surface of the engine case. The unsecured counterweight then moved from its position in the crankshaft, and was likely struck by the engine's master rod, which shattered the weight, and liberated it from its normal location. The liberated counterweight was struck by internal moving parts, creating several component failures, and ultimately an engine seizure.

The twin engine aircraft departed Medellín-Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport at 1610LT on a charter flight to Capurganá, carrying 16 passengers and two pilots. After landing on runway 03 at Capurganá-Narcisa Navas Airport, the aircraft deviated to the left. It veered off runway, rolled through a grassy area then collided with a perimeter fence and came to rest against a tree. All 18 occupants were rescued, among them three were injured, the captain seriously. The aircraft was destroyed.

The commercial pilot was on a Title 14, CFR Part 91, other work use flight when the accident occurred. As he approached his destination airport, he said he saw a large rain squall moving over the airport, and he elected to remain south of the airport to allow time for it to move. He reported that while maneuvering the airplane at 1,000 feet msl, all engine power was lost. Unable to restore engine power, the pilot selected a marshy tree-covered area as a forced landing site. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage during the forced landing. The NTSB discovered no mechanical problems with the engine during a postaccident teardown and examination.

The flight was conducting a straight-in approach during visual meteorological conditions. The approach was backed up by an ILS and was stable at 500 feet above touchdown. The initial touchdown was firm and main landing gear rebounded, possibly bouncing slightly off the runway. Control column input and possibly momentum from the touchdown resulted in a rapid pitch down and hard nose gear impact with the runway. Wing spoilers likely did not deploy due to the main gear bounce and/or throttle position. Following the nose gear impact, the airplane pitched up as expected and the column was held in a slightly forward position. Airspeed rapidly decayed, and engine power began to increase as the airplane pitch reversed to a downward motion for a second time. One of the crew, likely the FO, called “flare flare” and the column recorded a rapid nose up input, followed by a rapid nose down input, and the nose gear again struck the runway very hard, likely causing the majority of the damage at that point. Following the second nose gear impact, column inputs stabilized at a slightly nose up command, power was set on all three engines, and the go-around was successfully executed. A slight lag in the power increase on engine number 3 may have contributed to the nose down motion leading to the second nose gear impact, although the large forward (airplane nose down) column movement appears to be a much more significant contributor. It is unclear why the engine was slower to increase. Throttle lever angle was not recorded, but the engine operated as expected for all other phases of the flight, including after the impact, therefore it is possible the pilot did not advance the number 3 throttle concurrently with the others. The captain’s flight and duty schedule complied with Federal Aviation regulations, but he experienced a demanding 10-day trip schedule prior to the incident involving multiple time zone crossings and several long duty periods, and reported difficulties sleeping prior to the accident leg. The captain was likely further affected by a digestive system upset during the accident flight. It is likely that the captain’s performance was degraded by fatigue and some degree of physical discomfort brought on by a short-term illness. The captain had recently completed upgrade training to DC-10, having previously been flying as an MD-11 first officer. The training program was fragmented over approximately ten months, and while in accordance with FAA regulations, may have adversely affected his consolidation of skills and experience.

After takeoff from runway 36 at Canaima Airport, while in initial climb, the single engine aircraft encountered difficulties to gain height. It collided with power lines and crashed in bushes located 80 metres past the runway end. A young boy aged 6 was killed while all other occupants were injured, seven seriously. The aircraft was destroyed.

On the morning of 17 April 2009, a Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo Porter aircraft, registered PK-LTJ, operated by PT. Mimika Air, charter flight from Ilaga to Mulia in the Puncak Jaya District of Papua. The Mimika Local Government owned the aircraft. There were 11 people on board; one pilot, one observer, and nine passengers comprised of eight adults and one infant. The aircraft was also carrying National Government election boxes. The flight in accordance with the visual flight rules was estimated to take 18 minutes. There was no record of communication with the aircraft during the flight. Two minutes after the estimated time of arrival, when the Porter had not arrived, a search was commenced. On 18 April, search aircraft located the wreckage of the Porter at an elevation of about 12,000 feet on Mt Gergaji. The location was on the direct track between Ilaga and Mulia. The aircraft impacted the ground in an inverted attitude, and was destroyed by the impact forces and the post-impact fire. All occupants were fatally injured. The weather in the valleys along the route was mostly clear, with cloud on the mountains. The route flown by the pilot was the direct track, which passed over a mountain range, with a high peak adjacent to, and west of the track at about the midway point, at 13,700 feet. The investigation determined that it was likely that the pilot had flown the aircraft into cloud and lost control of the aircraft in instrument meteorological conditions. The impact signature was consistent with uncontrolled flight at the time of impact. This probably resulted from the pilot becoming spatially disoriented after entering cloud.

The twin engine aircraft departed Tuguegarao Airport at 0855LT on a charter flight to Maconacon, carrying five passengers and two pilots. Weather conditions at departure were considered as good. As the airplane failed to arrive at destination, SAR operations were initiated. The wreckage was found 13 days later in a wooded and hilly terrain located about 30 km southeast of Tuguegarao. The aircraft was destroyed and all 7 occupants were killed. It is believed that weather conditions deteriorated en route and that the mountain was shrouded in clouds.

The twin engine aircraft departed Charallave-Óscar Machado Zuloaga Airport on a charter flight to Valera, carrying four passengers and two pilots. While descending to Valera-Carvajal Airport in IMC conditions, at an altitude of 9,650 feet, the aircraft impacted the slope of Mt Piedra Gorda located 35 km from the airport. The wreckage was found the following day at the end of the afternoon. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 6 occupants were killed.

The single engine aircraft departed from a small airstrip in Bishkek on a charter service (flight GRA4571) to Bukhara with two passengers and two pilots on board. About a minute after takeoff, while in initial climb, the engine lost power. The crew informed ATC about the situation and was cleared for an immediate return. Shortly later, the engine failed and the crew attempted an emergency landing in an open field located near the aerodrome. Upon landing, the aircraft collided with a small drainage ditch, lost its left main gear and both left wings before coming to rest. All four occupants escaped with minor injuries and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The twin engine aircraft departed Coari Airport at 1240LT on a charter flight to Manaus-Eduardo Gomes Airport, carrying 26 passengers and two pilots. About 30 minutes into the flight, while cruising at FL115, the crew informed ATC that the left engine failed and elected to divert to the unused Manacapuru Airfield. While approaching runway 08, the aircraft rolled to the left to an angle of 30° then crashed in the Rio Manacapuru. 24 people were killed while 4 passengers were slightly injured.