Crash of a Travel Air 4000 in Fort Myers

Date & Time: Nov 14, 2009 at 1018 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N3823
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Fort Myers - Fort Myers
MSN:
306
YOM:
1927
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
1789
Captain / Total hours on type:
60.00
Aircraft flight hours:
5284
Circumstances:
During approach, the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped biplane flew along at 20-30 feet above the runway until he was at midfield. The biplane touched down, bounced back in to the air, touched down again, and bounced once more prior to touching down for a third time in a nose-high attitude. The biplane then veered to the right, the right wing dipped, and the biplane cartwheeled, coming to rest inverted. The pilot had 60 hours of flight experience in the biplane. The previous owner had advised the pilot that landing the biplane took patience to land it perfectly and that attempting to land the biplane on asphalt with low experience could cause the biplane to bump repeatedly. He also advised that if the pilot pulled back on the control stick too soon during landing it could result in ballooning and porpoising.
Probable cause:
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing and failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in a ground loop. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's minimal experience in the airplane make and model.
Final Report:

Crash of a Canadair RegionalJet CRJ-100ER in Kigali: 1 killed

Date & Time: Nov 12, 2009 at 1315 LT
Operator:
Registration:
5Y-JLD
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Kigali - Entebbe
MSN:
7197
YOM:
1997
Flight number:
WB205
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
11478
Captain / Total hours on type:
1110.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1558
Copilot / Total hours on type:
533
Aircraft flight hours:
17140
Aircraft flight cycles:
17025
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff, when the Copilot pulled back the thrust levers of both engines to the desired positions, the thrust lever on left engine could not move and the engine remained in full power. The Pilot in Command (PIC) then informed Air Traffic Controller (ATC) that the aircraft had a technical problem and requested to return to the airport. The crew managed to land safely with the Copilot and accompanying company maintenance engineer struggling to control the left engine which was on high power setting and the PIC controlling the aircraft using only the right hand engine. The aircraft taxied to parking bay number 4 with the left engine still in full power. The captain applied the parking brake and the aircraft stopped for a while and before putting on the chocks, the aircraft started moving forward at a high speed through the jet blast fence and crashed into Control Tower building. A passenger was killed, six people were injured, three seriously.
Probable cause:
The flight crew’s failure to identify corrective action and their lack of knowledge of applicable airplane and engine systems in response to a jammed thrust lever, which resulted in the number 1 engine operating at high power and the airplane configured in an unsafe condition that led to the need to apply heavy braking during landing. Also causal was the flightcrew failure to recognize the safety hazard that existed from overheated brakes and the potential consequence on the braking action needed to park the airplane. Contributing factors included the possible failure by maintenance crew to correctly stow the upper core cowl support strut after maintenance, Flight crew’s failure to follow standard operating procedures, the company’s failure to be availed to manufacturer safety literature on the subject, and the susceptibility of the cowl core support shaft to interfere with the throttle control mechanism when the core strut is not in its stowed position.
Final Report:

Crash of an ATR72-212 in Mumbai

Date & Time: Nov 10, 2009 at 1640 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
VT-KAC
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Bhavnagar - Mumbai
MSN:
729
YOM:
2006
Flight number:
IT4124
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
38
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
7160
Captain / Total hours on type:
2241.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
973
Copilot / Total hours on type:
613
Aircraft flight hours:
9318
Circumstances:
As per the NOTAM, Runway 14/32 was under permanent maintenance on every Tuesdays since 10/11/2009 runway 27 was available only after runway intersection as runway 27A. To carry out operations on this reduced runway 27 a NOTAM ‘G’ No. G 0128/08 was issued by AAI on the same day of accident i.e. 10-11-2009 and designated as runway 27A for visual approach only. As per the NOTAM Landing Distance Available (LDA)/take off Distance available (TODA) was 1703 m. The weather conditions prevailing at the time of accident was winds 070/07 knots visibility 2800 m with feeble rain. Prior to Kingfisher aircraft, Air India aircraft IC-164, Airbus 319 had landed and reported to ATC that it had aquaplaned and broken two runway edge lights. The ATC acknowledged it and sent runway inspection vehicle to inspect the runway. The ATC person was not familiar with the terminology of ‘aquaplaning’ and not realizing the seriousness of it, cleared kingfisher aircraft for landing. At the time of accident there were water patches on the runway. ATC also did not transmit to the Kingfisher aircraft the information regarding aquaplaning reported by the previous aircraft. The DFDR readout revealed that kingfisher aircraft was not on profile as per localizer procedure laid down in NOTAM ‘G’ and was high and fast. The aircraft landed late on the runway and the runway length available was around 1000 m from the touchdown point. In the prevailing weather conditions this runway length was just sufficient to stop the aircraft on the runway. During landing the kingfisher aircraft aquaplaned and did not decelerate even though reversers and full manual braking was applied by both the cockpit crew. The aircraft started skidding toward the left of center line. On nearing the runway end, the pilot initiated a 45 ° right turn, after crossing ‘N 10’ Taxi track, the aircraft rolled into unpaved wet area. Aircraft rolled over drainage pipes & finally came to a stop near open drain. There was no fire. All the passenger safely deplaned after the accident.
Probable cause:
The accident occurred due to an unstabilized approach and decision of crew not to carry out a ‘Go-around’.
Contributory Factors:
i) Water patches on the runway 27
ii) Inability of the ATCO to communicate the aircraft about aquaplaning of the previous aircraft
iii) Lack of input from the copilot.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air in Greenville

Date & Time: Nov 9, 2009 at 1009 LT
Operator:
Registration:
N337MT
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Greenville - Greenville
MSN:
BB-1628
YOM:
1998
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
15717
Aircraft flight hours:
3060
Circumstances:
The pilot flew the airplane to a maintenance facility and turned it in for a phase inspection. The next morning, he arrived at the airport and planned a local flight to evaluate some avionics issues. He performed a preflight inspection and then went inside the maintenance facility to wait for two avionic technicians to arrive. In the meantime, two employees of the maintenance facility test ran the engines on the accident airplane for about 30 to 35 minutes in preparation for the phase inspection. The pilot reported that he was unaware that the engine run had been performed when he returned to the airplane for the local flight. He referred to the flight management system (FMS) fuel totalizer, and not the aircraft fuel gauges, when he returned to the airplane for the flight. He believed that the mechanics who ran the engines did not power up the FMS, which would have activated the fuel totalizer, thus creating a discrepancy between the totalizer and the airplane fuel gauges. The mechanics who performed the engine run reported that each tank contained 200 pounds of fuel at the conclusion of the engine run. The B200 Pilot’s Operating Handbook directed pilots not take off if the fuel quantity gauges indicate in the yellow arc or indicate less than 265 pounds of fuel in each main tank system. While on final approach, about 23 minutes into the flight, the right engine lost power, followed by the left. The pilot attempted to glide to the runway with the landing gear and flaps retracted, however the airplane crashed short of the runway. Only residual fuel was found in the main and auxiliary fuel tanks during the inspection of the wreckage. The tanks were not breached and there was no evidence of fuel leakage at the accident site.
Probable cause:
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot’s failure to visually verify that sufficient fuel was on board prior to flight.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft 1900D in Nairobi: 2 killed

Date & Time: Nov 9, 2009 at 0517 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5Y-VVQ
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Nairobi – Guriceel
MSN:
UE-250
YOM:
1996
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
15866
Aircraft flight cycles:
15941
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Wilson Airport at 03:39 hours, transporting a cargo of miraa to Guriceel Airstrip, Somalia. Taxi, take off and climb were uneventful. However, at 04:23 and flying at FL230 the crew contacted Nairobi Area Control Centre (ACC) and requested for a turn back to Wilson Airport due to a 'slight problem'. At about the same time, the aircraft made a right turn from a heading of 50° to 240° magnetic and commenced descent. The crew reported descending to FL220 and expressed intention to descend further to FL180. However, ACC informed the crew to initially maintain FL200 due to traffic moving in the opposite direction. At 04:28 the crew informed ACC that they were unable to maintain FL200 and requested to descend to FL180 having crossed the opposite traffic. At 04:29, the crew confirmed to Air Traffic Control (ATC) that they were heading to Wilson Airport and indicated that they did not require any assistance. The aircraft continued descending until FL120. The Nairobi Approach Radar established contact with the aircraft at 04:41 and indicated to the crew that they were 98 nautical miles North East of November Victor. The crew was then told to turn left to a heading of 225° and report when they were top of descent, which they did. The crew reported again that they had a 'slight problem' and as a safety measure they had to shut down one engine. They also expressed desire to route direct to Silos. At 04:42 5Y-VVQ aligned with the North East access lane via Ndula Marker. At 04:45, the crew confirmed to Nairobi Approach Radar that the malfunction was on the left engine and again acknowledged that they did not require any assistance. At 04:51, the crew requested for radar vectors for an ILS approach to runway 06 at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with a long final to runway 32 of Wilson Airport. At 05:09, the aircraft descended to 8000ft heading 260°. At 05:14, the crew was given vectors for runway 32 Wilson Airport. At the same time, the aircraft turned right to a heading 310° as it continued to descend to 7000ft. The crew confirmed the vectors and at 05:15 stated that they were passing Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC). They were also informed that the Wilson Airport runway 32 was 6.5 nautical miles away in the two o'clock direction. The aircraft continued to descend to 6000ft and at 05:16, the crew confirmed sight of runway 32. The crew was then transferred from the radar to the Wilson Tower frequency for landing. 5Y-VVQ was cleared for a straight-in approach to runway 32. Wilson Tower then communicated to the crew airfield QNH was 1022hPa and that winds were calm. The Tower controller had 5Y-VVQ visual and it was cleared to land on runway 32. At about the same time, the aircraft made a 5° right bank and again leveled off before making a steep left bank rising to 30° within 4 seconds. According to Tower and eyewitness information, the aircraft appeared high on approach and on short-final, it was observed to turn a bit to the right. This was followed by a steep left bank. The aircraft left wing hit the ground first approximately 100 meters outside the airport perimeter fence. The aircraft then flipped over, hitting and breaking the airport fence and coming to rest on the left of runway 32 approximately 100 meters from its threshold. The aircraft immediately caught fire upon the impact. Upon further investigations and interview of company personnel, it was established that the crew had made the decision to shut down the left engine following a low oil pressure warning. The flight crew did not declare an emergency.
Probable cause:
The investigation determined the probable cause of the accident as loss of aircraft control at low altitude occasioned by operation of the aircraft below VMCA during one engine inoperative approach.
Other significant contributory factors to this accident include:
- Inadequate pilot training on single engine operation and VMCA;
- inappropriate handling technique during one engine inoperative flight;
- inability of the pilot to monitor the degrading airspeed.

Ground accident of an Ilyushin II-76MD in Ivanovo

Date & Time: Nov 7, 2009
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RA-86894
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
00134 32977
YOM:
1981
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
6200
Circumstances:
The crew lined up on runway and was cleared for takeoff. Power was added on all four engine and the crew started the takeoff roll when the engine n°3 detached from its pylon, fall on the ground and rolled for about 150 metres before coming to rest. The crew stopped the airplane and evacuated safely. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
The engine n°3 detached during the takeoff roll for unknown reasons.

Crash of a Grumman G-111 Albatross in Fort Pierce

Date & Time: Nov 5, 2009 at 1534 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N120FB
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Fort Pierce - Okeechobee
MSN:
G-331
YOM:
1953
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
9095
Captain / Total hours on type:
14.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
11500
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1100
Aircraft flight hours:
3747
Circumstances:
The pilot stated that during the landing gear retraction he heard a loud bang, followed by three to four smaller bangs. The first officer confirmed that the left engine was the affected engine and immediately began feathering the propeller. Once the propeller had been feathered, the captain confirmed the action by looking outside and noticing the propeller in the feathered position. The captain further reported that the right engine was producing the maximum power available and was indicating 55 inches of manifold pressure. Unable to achieve airspeed of greater than 95 to 96 knots indicated, the captain attempted to return to the airport for an emergency landing; however, he was unable to maintain altitude and attempted to land on an airport perimeter road, impacting the airport fence and a sand berm in the process. A cursory examination of the engine and system components revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction.
Probable cause:
A total loss of left engine power and subsequent failure of the airplane to maintain airspeed and altitude on the remaining engine for undetermined reasons.
Final Report:

Crash of a Xian MA60 in Harare

Date & Time: Nov 3, 2009 at 1936 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
Z-WPJ
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Harare - Bulawayo
MSN:
03 01
YOM:
2005
Flight number:
UM239
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
34
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll at Harare Airport, the aircraft was bout to lift off when it collided with five warthogs, causing the left main gear to be torn off. Out of control, the aircraft veered off runway to the left and came to rest. All 38 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Loss of control during takeoff following a collision with five warthogs.

Crash of a Learjet C-21A at Talil AFB

Date & Time: Nov 2, 2009 at 1430 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
84-0094
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
35-540
YOM:
1985
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a positioning flight to Talil AFB (Imam Ali), Iraq. On approach, the aircraft was too high and descended with an excessive speed and a tailwind component of 10 knots. The crew failed to initiate a go-around and the aircraft landed about two-third down the runway. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, lost its undercarriage and came to rest in a sandy area about 60 metres past the runway end. Both pilots escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and later destroyed by soldiers from the 68th Transportation Company.
Probable cause:
The accident investigation board (AIB) president found clear and convincing evidence that the mishap crew failed to sufficiently reduce speed and altitude during their approach to execute a normal landing, failed to complete the appropriate checklist for a high speed partial flap landing, and failed to recognize that there was insufficient runway remaining to safely land. Finally, the mishap crew failed to initiate a 'Go-Around' to correct the aforementioned deviations. Additionally, the AIB president also found sufficient evidence that skill-based errors, judgment and decision-making errors, cognitive factors, psycho-behavioural factors, coordination, communication and planning factors, and planning inappropriate operations all were substantially contributing factors to the mishap.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-76MD in Mirny: 11 killed

Date & Time: Nov 1, 2009 at 0849 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
RF-76801
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Mirny – Irkutsk – Chita
MSN:
00934 95866
YOM:
1989
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
The four engine aircraft departed Mirny on a positioning flight to Chita with an intermediate stop in Irkutsk, carrying four passengers and a crew of seven on behalf of the Russian Ministry of the Interior. Shortly after takeoff by night, the aircraft rolled to the right to an angle of 90° then crashed at a speed of 364 km/h some 1,893 metres past the runway end. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 11 occupants were killed. The accident occurred 59 seconds after takeoff.
Probable cause:
The day before the accident, the aircraft arrived in Mirny following a cargo flight, delivering various goods. After landing, the crew activated the electrical locking system for the rudder and the ailerons, and the 'lock on' light came on in the cockpit panel. In the morning of the accident, prior to takeoff, the crew followed the pre-takeoff checklist and deactivated the electrical locking system, but the 'lock on' light remained illuminated. Considering this as a false alarm, the captain decided to take off and proceeded with a manuel control of the ailerons. The left aileron moved normally while the right aileron got locked because of the locking mechanism. During the takeoff roll, because the four engine were not in full power mode, there was no sound alarm about the aileron locked mechanism. The aircraft deviated to the right and after lift off, it rolled to the right to angle of 8°. The pilot-in-command elected to counteract the banking but this maneuver was limited due to the right aileron locked mechanism. The aircraft continued to roll to the right to an angle of 90° until control was lost.