Takeoff (climb)

The aircraft landed at Edinburgh Airport, Scotland, at 00:03 and was parked there on Stand 31 in conditions including light and moderate snowfall. After preparation for a Royal Mail charter flight 670A to Belfast, start clearance was given at 15:03. At 15:12 hrs the crew advised ATC they were shutting down due to a technical problem. The crew then advised their company that a generator would not come on line. An avionics technician carried out diagnosis during which both engines were ground-run twice. No fault was found and the flight crew requested taxi clearance at 17:10. A normal take off from runway 06 was carried out followed by a reduction to climb power at 1,200 feet amsl. At 2,200 feet amsl the aircraft anti-icing systems were selected on. Three seconds later the torque on each engine reduced rapidly to zero. A MAYDAY call was made by the crew advising that they had experienced a double engine failure. The aircraft was ditched in the Firth of Forth estuary some 100 meters from the shoreline near Granton Harbour. Both pilots were killed. Weather reported just before the accident with a temperature of +2°C, dewpoint of -3°C, visibility of more then 10 km, broken clouds at 4500 feet and cover at 8000 feet.

The twin engine aircraft departed Varginha-Major-Brigadeiro Trompowsky Airport on a mail flight to Belo Horizonte-Pampulha Airport with two pilots on board. After takeoff, while in initial climb, the right engine lost power. The aircraft lost height and crash landed in an open field. It slid for about 100 metres before coming to rest, bursting into flames. Both pilots escaped with minor injuries and the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

The accident occurred during a dark night departure from a private unlighted airstrip. The pilot had landed, assisted by the headlights of a car, on the landing strip/road about 1830. After dropping off a passenger, he departed about 1900. The departure direction was towards a sparsely populated area of rolling hills. Local area residents reported hearing a plane depart, followed by a loss of engine sound, and an impact in a grape vineyard. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane impacted the ground in a nose down attitude. According to maintenance records, the last recorded annual inspection occurred 12 months and about 299.5 flight hours prior to the accident. Approximately 5 months before the accident, the FAA Certified Repair Station (CRS) that performed the maintenance on the airplane had given the pilot/owner a 15-item list of "grounding discrepancies." The discrepancies were: Cracked nose cowling; fraying seat belts; LH mag switch broken; LH window cracked; LH windshield crazed; stall warning inoperative; turbine inlet temperature inoperative; door latch safety inoperative; several hydraulic components leaking; main gear trunion pins worn; several cracks in wing lower skins; fuel leaks; loose rivets on RH flap; wing spar bolts loose; and elevator trim cable frayed. According to the CRS manager, the only item that had been repaired prior to the accident was the cracked nose cowling. However, an engine log entry indicated the TIT gage had also been replaced. Additionally, several witnesses reported that the pilot had been flying the airplane with an inoperative landing gear retract system for about 4 months. During post accident examination of the wreckage, investigators were able to verify that many of the listed discrepancies still existed; however, none of these discrepancies could be directly linked to the accident.

During the takeoff roll at Luena Airport, an unexpected situation forced the crew to abandon the takeoff procedure. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran and came to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

During the takeoff roll, the twin engine aircraft deviated to the left, veered off runway and came to rest. All 14 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft departed Omsk Airport on a test flight to Yakutsk, carrying 22 passengers and a crew of 11 in order to perform a test flight in low-temperature flight conditions, as part of the Ukrainian manufacturer's certification program. During initial climb, at a height of 20 metres, the engine n°3 lost power. The crew increased power on all three other engines and continued to climb. Less than 25 seconds laters, at a height of about 60 metres, the engine n°1 failed. The captain attempted an emergency landing in a snow covered terrain located 660 metres past the runway end. The aircraft belly landed and came to rest with severe damages to the fuselage (almost broke in two at wings level) and engines. All 33 occupants were rescued, among them four were injured, two seriously.

Shortly after takeoff at less than 200 feet above ground level the pilot reported an engine failure, and requested to return to the airport. The controller saw the airplane in a right turn, descending, and observed the airplane level its wings just prior to impact with the tips of trees. The airplane collided with terrain approximately 2,000 feet east of the approach end of runway 20L. A post crash fire ensued and consumed a majority of the airplane. Examination of both engines displayed contact signatures to their internal components characteristic of the engines being powered, with the propellers out of feather at the time of impact, and a low power range. Examination of the propellers found the left propeller blades showed more damage then the blades from the right propeller. Both propellers were rotating with considerable rotational energy. However, examination showed that the left propeller had more power then the right.

A Douglas DC-3 airplane departed an island runway during dark night, VFR conditions without filing a flight plan. The airplane collided with a volcanic mountain at 1,500 feet msl on the runway heading, 4.5 miles from the airport. Earlier in the day, the airplane arrived from Anchorage, Alaska, without a flight plan, having flown along the Alaska Peninsula when VFR flight was not recommended. The crew of the airplane initially planned to remain overnight on the peninsula, but the captain received a request to transport cargo to Anchorage. The airplane was loaded with cargo and fuel, and departed. The crew did not file a flight plan. The end of the departure runway is positioned at the edge of an ocean bay. Beyond the end of the runway, open water and rising volcanic island terrain are present. In the area of intended flight, no illumination of the terrain, or any ground based lighting was present. An obstacle departure procedure for the departure runway recommends a right turn at 2 DME from the runway heading, and then a climb to 7,000 feet. Forty-five minutes after departure, a fire was spotted on the side of a volcano cone, and an ELT signal was detected in the area. No company flight following procedures were found for the accident flight, and the airplane was not reported overdue until the following day. The day after the accident, the airplane wreckage was located on steep, snow-covered terrain. Due to high winds and blowing snow, a rescue team could not get to the accident site until three days after the crash. The captain was the president, the director of operations, and the sole corporate entity of the company. No current maintenance records, flight logs, or pilot logs were located for the company. In the past, the captain's pilot certificate was suspended for 45 days following an accident in a DC-3 airplane when he ran out of gas. Also, the captain's medical certificate had previously been considered for denial after serving 49 months in federal prison for cocaine distribution, but after review, the FAA issued the captain a first class medical. FAA medical records for the captain do not contain any record of monitoring for substance abuse. The first officer's medical had also been considered for denial after an episode of a loss of consciousness. After a lengthy review and an appeal to the NTSB, the FAA issued the first officer a second-class medical. The first officer was part of the flight crew when the captain ran out of gas, and she had two previous aviation accidents. A toxicological examination of the captain, conducted by the FAA, found cocaine and metabolites of cocaine. A toxicological examination of the first officer found two different prescription antidepressant drugs. The FAA prohibits narcotic and mood-altering drug use by pilots.

The captain stated that prior to departure the flight controls were tested, with no abnormalities noted, and the takeoff trim was set to the "middle of the takeoff range," without referring to any available pitch trim charts. During the takeoff roll, the pilot attempted to rotate the airplane twice, and then aborted the takeoff halfway down the 4,840 foot long runway, because the controls "didn't feel right." The airplane traveled off the departure end of the runway and through a fence, and came to rest near a road. The pilot reported no particular malfunction with the airplane. Examination of the airplane revealed that the horizontal stabilizer was positioned at -4.6 degrees, the maximum nose down limit within the takeoff range. The horizontal stabilizer trim and elevator controls were checked, and moved freely through their full ranges of travel. According to the AFM TAKEOFF TRIM C.G. FUNCTION chart, a horizontal stabilizer trim setting of -7.2 was appropriate with the calculated C.G. of 20% MAC. Additionally, Learjet certification testing data stated that the pull force required at a trim setting of -6.0 degrees, the "middle of the takeoff range", was 33 pounds. With the trim set at the full nose down position (-1.7 degrees), 132 pounds of force was required.

The aircraft, with the pilot and four passengers on board, departed Blackbushe from Runway 08 in fog with a visibility of less than 500 metres. As the aircraft reached the upwind end of the runway it was seen to bank to the left before disappearing from view. It crashed 13 seconds later into a factory complex where a major fire ensued. All on board were fatally injured. A substantial amount of the aircraft structure was consumed by fire. Engineering examination of that which remained showed that there was no malfunction found within the engines, propellers or controls that would have affected the flight. Analysis of the cockpit voice recorder however showed a reduction in one of the propellers rpm as the aircraft rotated that would have led to thrust asymmetry. Through a combination of lack of visual reference, confusion as to the cause of the power reduction and possible disorientation the pilot lost control of the aircraft and although he may have realised the situation seconds before impact with the ground there was insufficient height available to effect a safe recovery.