Takeoff (climb)

On 26 July 2020, at 12:46 local time (02:46 UTC), a Cessna 402C aircraft, registered VH-TSI collided with trees during an aborted take-off at an uncommissioned field near Papa-Lealea, about 16 nm North-West of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The pilot, during interview with the AIC, stated that he departed at 09:30 that day from Mareeba Airport, Queensland Australia and tracked towards the North North-East with a planned track set slightly left of Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby, National Capital District, Papua New Guinea. As the aircraft neared the Southern shoreline (within the Caution Bay area), he diverted left and began tracking towards the North West along the coast in order to avoid flying over villages in the area. He subsequently crossed over land before turning back to approach the intended landing field. As the aircraft approached to land, the outboard section of the left wing was clipped by a tree and separated from the aircraft. According to the pilot, he continued on with the approach and landed on the field at about 12:20. The pilot reported that he had flown to and within Papua New Guinea in the past and was familiar with the area and airspace. He confirmed that after departing Mareeba, he switched off the transponder. After shutting down the aircraft, the aircraft was refuelled with jerrycans full of fuel (AvGas) and loaded with cargo by persons waiting on the ground. The pilot reported that he estimated that a distance of 800 m would be required for the take-off. According to the pilot, at about 12:40, he lined up and commenced his take-off roll from the Southern end of the field. As the aircraft lifted off, he noticed that the airspeed indicator (ASI) was not working. He also observed that the aircraft was not achieving a positive rate of climb. He subsequently pulled the throttles back and manoeuvred the aircraft back towards the ground. The aircraft touched down with a speed that the pilot described as higher than normal, with about 400 m of usable field remaining. The aircraft continued off the end of the field and into the bushes clipping trees along the way until it came to rest. The pilot informed the AIC that he was the sole occupant of the aircraft, and sustained minor injuries as a result of the occurrence. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The investigation confirmed that the fire to the left wing and engine was a post-accident event and was deliberate. The pilot was later arrested and a load of 500 kilos of cocaine distributed in 28 bales was found at the scene.

Four minutes after takeoff from Tengará da Serra Airport Runway 20, while climbing, the twin engine airplane entered an uncontrolled descent. One minute later, it crashed with a high angle of attack in a cornfield, bursting into flames. The airplane disintegrated on impact and both occupants were killed.

The pilot departed on a cross country flight in a turbine-powered, multiengine airplane at night and in visual meteorological conditions. Recovered GPS data revealed that as the airplane accelerated down the runway, it drifted to the right of the runway centerline. A video recording showed that shortly after takeoff, the airplane rolled right, the nose dropped, and the airplane impacted the ground. It came to rest on its left side with both wings separated and the fuselage was highly fragmented forward of the main landing gear. A post-accident examination of the airframe and engines found no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A witness that spoke to the pilot shortly before the accident flight stated that the pilot exhibited difficulty in completing some paperwork; however, no medical reasoning for this difficulty could be determined based upon the available evidence. The investigation determined that at the time of the accident the pilot had been on duty for about 19 hours and 20 minutes, which was contrary to duty and rest regulations. At his estimated arrival time into the destination, the pilot would have accumulated about 20 hours and 54 minutes of duty time. The investigation was unable to determine if the pilot took advantage of the opportunity for rest that existed during the day, and therefore could not determine if fatigue contributed to the accident. Investigators were unable to determine the reason for the loss of control on takeoff with the available information.

On May 28, 2020, about 1600 Alaska daylight time, an Aero Commander 500S airplane, N909AK sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Aniak, Alaska. The pilot and three passengers sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 public aircraft flight. The airplane was owned by the State of Alaska and operated by the Division of Forestry. According to the pilot, after arriving in Aniak, he had the local fuel vendor's ground service personnel refuel the airplane. He then signed the fuel receipt, and he returned to the airplane's cockpit to complete some paperwork before departure. Once the paperwork was complete, he then loaded his passengers, started the airplane's engines, and taxied to Runway 29 for departure. The pilot said that shortly after takeoff, and during initial climb, he initially noticed what he thought was mechanical turbulence followed by a reduction in climb performance, and the airplane's engines began to lose power. Unable to maintain altitude and while descending about 400 ft per minute, he selected an area of shallow water covered terrain as an off-airport landing site. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the landing. The fueler reported that he was unfamiliar with the airplane, so he queried the pilot as to where he should attach the grounding strap and the location of the fuel filler port. Before starting to refuel the airplane, he asked the pilot "do you want Prist with your Jet" to which the pilot responded that he did not. After completing the refueling process, he returned to his truck, wrote "Jet A" in the meter readings section of the prepared receipt, and presented it to the pilot for his signature. The pilot signed the receipt and was provided a copy. The fueler stated that he later added "no Prist" to his copy of the receipt, and that he did not see a fuel placard near the fueling port. A postaccident examination revealed that the reciprocating engine airplane had been inadvertently serviced with Jet A fuel. A slightly degraded placard near the fuel port on the top of the wing stated, in part: "FUEL 100/100LL MINIMUM GRADE AVIATION GASOLINE ONLY CAPACITY 159.6 US GALLONS."

On 12 May 2020, a Quest Kodiak 100 aircraft, registration PK-MEC, was being operated by Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) as a cargo flight from Sentani Airport (WAJJ), Jayapura, Papua with intended destination of Mamit Airstrip (WAVS) Tolikara, Papua. The pilot was the only person on board for this flight and the aircraft carried 694 kgs of cargo goods. At 0622 LT (2122 UTC), the pilot of PK-MEC aircraft requested clearance to the Sentani Tower controller to start aircraft engine and flying to Mamit at radial 241° with intended cruising altitude 10,000 feet. The Sentani Tower controller approved the request. At 0627 LT, on daylight condition, the aircraft took off from runway 12 of Sentani Airport, thereafter, the Sentani Tower controller advised to the pilot of PK-MEC to contact Jayapura Radar controller. At 0628LT, the pilot of PK-MEC declared “MAYDAY” on Jayapura Radar radio frequency. The Jayapura Radar controller tried to contact pilot of PK-MEC four times but no answer. At 0630 LT, the Jayapura Radar Controller requested the pilot of PK-RCE that was just took off from Sentani to visually observe the position of PK-MEC aircraft. Few minutes later, the pilot of PK-RCE reported to Jayapura Radar controller that some debris were seen on Sentani Lake and some boats were moving toward the debris location. The pilot of PK-RCE assumed that PK-MEC aircraft had crashed to the lake. The pilot fatally injured. The wreckages have been recovered including the Global Positioning System (GPS) data card.

On 24 April 2020 the pilot of a Pacific Aerospace Cresco 08-600 aircraft, registered ZK-LTK (the aeroplane), was conducting agricultural flight operations spreading superphosphate fertilizer on a farm in the Kourarau Hill area, near Masterton. The airstrip was a typical topdressing airstrip, with a downward slope and a left bend of about 5 degrees partway down the strip, in the direction of take-off. The ground at the end of the airstrip dropped sharply away to a valley that ran perpendicular to the direction of the airstrip. On the commencement of the third topdressing flight, witnesses reported, the aeroplane accelerated normally from the loading point. However, the aeroplane did not follow the direction of the airstrip around to the left, as it had done during the previous two flights. Instead, the aeroplane continued in a straight line from the load point and subsequently struck uneven terrain off to the right of the airstrip. The impact with the uneven terrain caused the right main undercarriage assembly to fracture off and damage the right wing and flap. The aeroplane descended into the valley, striking a tree with the right-hand wing, then continued across the valley floor and impacted the far side of the valley, coming to rest inverted. The aeroplane was destroyed by the impacts and a post-crash fire. The sole pilot occupant did not survive the accident sequence.

Air traffic control communications revealed that the pilot requested to take off from the departure runway so that he could perform traffic pattern work and return for a landing on the left adjacent runway. Shortly after takeoff and while departing to the west, the pilot was instructed twice to enter the left traffic pattern, with no response. Radar data showed the airplane departing the runway and remaining on runway centerline heading for the length of the flight. The airplane climbed to about 100 ft above ground level and the airplane’s groundspeed increased to 81 knots soon after departure then decreased to 70 knots before dropping off radar. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane depart the airport at a low climb rate and slow airspeed. Shortly after, the airplane flew out of view and a column of smoke was seen on the horizon. Accident site documentation identified symmetrical propeller strikes on the ground consistent with the airplane impacting the ground in a shallow, nose-up, wings level attitude. Examination of the airframe and both engines did not reveal any evidence of a preaccident mechanical failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal performance to allow for sufficient airspeed and climb rate after takeoff. Both the engines exhibited damage signatures consistent with the engines producing symmetrical power at impact. The pilot’s most recent flight in the accident airplane was 2 months before the accident. The pilot was reported to have problems with understanding the accident airplane’s avionics system; however, it is unknown if he was having these problems during the accident flight. Review of the pilot’s medical history revealed no significant medical concerns or conditions that could pose a hazard to flight.

After takeoff from Campo Verde-Luiz Eduardo Magalhães Airport, while climbing, the airplane entered a high pitch angle. The pilot initiated a sharp turn to the left when control was lost. The airplane dove into the ground and crashed in an open field, some 900 metres from the takeoff point, bursting into flames. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

An IAI Westwind II 1124A type of aircraft with registry number RP-C5880, was destroyed following a runway excursion while taking-off at RWY 06, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Manila Philippines. All eight (8) occupants (six (6) Filipino, one (1) Canadian and one (1) American citizen are fatally injured. The aircraft is being operated by Lionair Inc. and was bound for Haneda, Japan on a medical evacuation flight. While the aircraft was on take-off roll before reaching taxiway R2, sparks were noted at the runway, it continued until the aircraft came to complete stop and engulfed by fire. Chunks of rubber and metal debris were present on the runway. Scrape marks coming from the right hand (RH) wheel hub were also visible. Tire marks followed by scrape marks on the runway coming from the LH tire and wheel hub were also seen after taxiway H1 intersection. Large portion of the remaining LH tire was recovered from the grassy portion near taxiway H1. After exiting from the asphalted portion of runway safety area, the aircraft initially run over two (2) runway edge lights then impacted into a concrete electric junction box and came to a complete stop at the runway secondary fence. The aircraft settled almost 172 meters away from the end of RWY 06, in an upright position at 14°30'53.50"N; 121°1'48.48"E and heading of 170 degrees. The flight was on Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) condition. A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) of NAIA RWY 06/24 closure for aircraft operation was declared at 2000H and opened for operation at 0420H, March 30, 2020.

The single engine airplane departed Ust-Kamenogorsk Airport on an ambulance flight to Aksuat. After takeoff, while in initial climb, the crew encountered engine problems. They elected to make an emergency in a snow covered field. The airplane came to rest upside down, bursting into flames. All five occupants escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was destroyed.