Crash of a Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601) near Penn Yan

Date & Time: Oct 28, 2007 at 1330 LT
Operator:
Registration:
N717SB
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Rochester – Danbury
MSN:
61-0808-8063418
YOM:
1980
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
2413
Captain / Total hours on type:
1683.00
Aircraft flight hours:
2619
Circumstances:
The private pilot was continuing a cross-country flight after having stopped for fuel. About 20 minutes into the flight, the pilot said both engines started running rough, and he turned the airplane toward the nearest airport and descended. The pilot reported that he did not think the airplane would make it to the airport, and that due to the rugged terrain, he felt it was better to ditch the airplane in a large lake he was flying over. The pilot reported there were no mechanical anomalies prior to the loss of engine power. He said he felt that fuel contamination was the cause of the engine problem, and that not fueling during heavy rain might have prevented the problem. Fuel samples were taken from the fuel supply where he added fuel, and the equipment used to fuel the airplane. No other instances of fuel contamination were reported, and according to the FAA inspector the fuel samples were tested, and found to be clean. The airplane was not recovered from the lake, and has not been examined by the NTSB.
Probable cause:
The loss of engine power during cruise flight for an undetermined reason.
Final Report:

Crash of a Canadair CL-215-1A10 in Duru Lake

Date & Time: Oct 4, 2007 at 1844 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
I-SRME
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Istanbul - Istanbul
MSN:
1049
YOM:
1974
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew departed Istanbul-Atatürk Airport in the afternoon on a fire fighting mission. While completing a scooping manoeuver in Lake Duru located about 50 km northwest of Istanbul, the aircraft crashed and burned. All three occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed. It was leased from Società Richerche Esperienze Meteorologiche (SOREM) to the Municipality of Istanbul (Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi).

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 310 near Punia

Date & Time: Aug 31, 2007 at 1300 LT
Operator:
Registration:
ZS-NJK
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Punia - Goma
MSN:
598
YOM:
1978
Location:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew departed Punia on a ferry flight to Goma. About 10 minutes into the flight, while cruising at a relative low altitude, the aircraft collided with power lines. The crew attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in the Lowa River located about 30 km northeast of Punia, coming to rest upside down. Both pilots escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Grumman E-2C Hawkeye in the Atlantic Ocean: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 15, 2007 at 2300 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
163697
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
MSN:
A137
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The Hawkeye was based on the USS Harry S. Truman cruising in the Atlantic Ocean. Shortly after take off, the aircraft crashed into the sea, some 240 km off the Virginia coast. All three crew members were killed. The accident occurred under unknown circumstances by night.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 off Moorea: 20 killed

Date & Time: Aug 9, 2007 at 1201 LT
Operator:
Registration:
F-OIQI
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Moorea – Papeete
MSN:
608
YOM:
1979
Flight number:
QE1121
Location:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
19
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
20
Captain / Total flying hours:
3514
Captain / Total hours on type:
298.00
Aircraft flight hours:
30833
Aircraft flight cycles:
55044
Circumstances:
On Thursday 9 August 2007, the DHC-6 aeroplane registered F-OIQI was scheduled to fly a public transport flight (QE1121) between Moorea and Tahiti Faa’a with a pilot and 19 passengers on board. The flight, with an average duration of 7 minutes, is performed under VFR at a planned cruise altitude of 600 feet. The following information is derived from the on-board audio recording and witness statements. At 21 h 53 min 22, startup was authorised. The pilot made the safety announcement in English and in French: “Ladies and Gentlemen, hello and welcome on board. Please fasten your seatbelts”. At 21 h 57 min 19, the air traffic controller cleared the aeroplane to taxi towards holding point Bravo on runway 12. At 21 h 58 min 10, the aeroplane was cleared to line up. It taxied up the runway and lined up at the level of the second taxiway. At 22 h 00 min 06, the aeroplane was cleared for takeoff. Six seconds later the engines were powered up. At 22 h 00 min 58, the pilot retracted the flaps. At 22 h 01 min 07, propeller speed was reduced. At 22 h 01 min 09 the pilot uttered an expression of surprise. Two GPWS warnings sounded, propeller speed increased and four further GPWS warnings sounded. The aeroplane struck the surface of the sea at 22 h 01 min 20. One minute and eight seconds elapsed between engine power-up and the end of the audio recording. Fourteen bodies were recovered during the rescue operations. Some aeroplane debris, including parts of the right main gear and seat cushions were recovered by fishermen and the rescue team. Some days later, at a depth of seven hundred metres, a fifteenth body was recovered during operations to recover the flight recorder, both engines, the instrument panel, the front part of the cockpit including engine and flaps controls, the flaps jackscrews and the tail section. It was noted that the rudder and elevator control cables were broken off in their forward parts and that the elevator pitch-up control cable had, in its aft part, a second failure whose appearance was different from that observed on the other failures that were examined.
Probable cause:
The accident was caused by the loss of airplane pitch control following the failure, at a low height, of the elevator pitch-up control cable at the time the flaps were retracted. This failure was due to the following series of phenomena:
- Significant wear on the cable in line with a cable guide;
- An external phenomenon, most likely jet blast, which caused the failure of several strands;
- The failure of the last strand or strands under in-flight loads on the elevator control system.
The following factors may have contributed to the accident:
- The absence of information and training for pilots on a loss of pitch control;
- The operator’s failure to carry out some special inspections;
- The failure by the manufacturer and the airworthiness authority to fully take into account the wear phenomenon;
- The failure by the airworthiness authorities, airport authorities and operators to fully take into account the risks associated with jet blast;
- The rules for replacement of stainless steel cables on a calendar basis, without taking into account the activity of the airplane in relation to its type of operation.
Final Report:

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver in Dodger Channel

Date & Time: Jul 31, 2007 at 1258 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N340KA
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Patricia Bay - Dodger Channel
MSN:
1127
YOM:
1957
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The Sound Flight DHC-2 float-equipped Beaver aircraft, N340KA, flew from Patricia Bay to Dodger Channel where the pilot planned to land. He set up an approach to land to the south in Dodger Channel, into the wind. On short final, the pilot noticed a shoal so he decided to overshoot, make a circuit, and land beyond the shoal. He applied power, established a climb and began a left turn. As the aircraft turned, it came into the lee of Diana Island. The aircraft encountered subsiding air and began to descend. The pilot was unable to arrest the descent. The aircraft struck the water and sank. All six occupants escaped without any injury but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Cessna 550 Citation II off Milwaukee: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jun 4, 2007 at 1600 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N550BP
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Milwaukee - Detroit
MSN:
550-0246
YOM:
1981
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Captain / Total flying hours:
14000
Aircraft flight hours:
4402
Circumstances:
On June 4, 2007, about 1600 central daylight time, a Cessna Citation 550, N550BP, impacted Lake Michigan shortly after departure from General Mitchell International Airport, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (MKE). The two pilots and four passengers were killed, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was being operated by Marlin Air under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 and departed MKE about 1557 with an intended destination of Willow Run Airport, near Ypsilanti, Michigan. At the time of the accident flight, marginal visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the surface, and instrument meteorological conditions prevailed aloft; the flight operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan.
Probable cause:
The pilots’ mismanagement of an abnormal flight control situation through improper actions, including failing to control airspeed and to prioritize control of the airplane, and lack of crew coordination. Contributing to the accident were Marlin Air’s operational safety deficiencies, including the inadequate checkrides administered by Marlin Air’s chief pilot/check airman, and the Federal Aviation Administration’s failure to detect and correct those deficiencies, which placed a pilot who inadequately emphasized safety in the position of company chief pilot and designated check airman and placed an ill-prepared pilot in the first officer’s seat.
Final Report:

Crash of a Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage off Ibiza

Date & Time: Apr 30, 2007 at 1735 LT
Operator:
Registration:
EC-IQX
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Madrid - Ibiza
MSN:
46-22181
YOM:
1995
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
600
Captain / Total hours on type:
480.00
Circumstances:
The single engine aircraft departed Madrid-Cuatro Vientos Airport at 1617LT with 3 passengers and one pilot on board. Following a flight at FL230, the pilot contacted Palma ARTCC and was cleared to descend to FL130. Few minutes later, the engine torque dropped while the temperature of the turbine increased. The pilot tried several times to troubleshoot the fuel supply system and checked the fuel selector as well, but the situation did not change. While descending to 9,000 feet, the IAS was 80 knots only. At 1722LT, the pilot contacted ATC and declared an emergency before continuing the descent. As he realized he could not reach Palma Airport, the pilot attempted to ditch the aircraft in the Mediterranean Sea. The aircraft landed in the sea about 27,7 km north of the Ibiza Island and came to rest. All four occupants were quickly rescued and were uninjured while the aircraft sank and was lost.
Probable cause:
Due to the lack of evidences as the wreckage was not found, the exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, the assumption that the loss of power/engine failure was the consequence of a technical failure of the fuel supply system was not ruled out.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft D18S in Jackson Bay

Date & Time: Apr 20, 2007 at 1541 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
C-GVIB
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Jackson Bay - Campbell River
MSN:
A-480
YOM:
1949
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The left engine of the float equipped Beechcraft D18S suffered a loss of oil pressure shortly after takeoff from Jackson Bay, BC. The engine lost power, the aircraft yawed to the left and while contacting the water, the left float was torn off. The pilot and all six passengers escaped with six life jackets and held on to one float which remained afloat. The aircraft sank within a minute. All seven occupants were rescued in about half an hour. One passenger got a minor injury and all suffered some levels of hypothermia.

Crash of a Piper PA-46-310P Malibu off Bird Cay: 2 killed

Date & Time: Apr 10, 2007 at 1703 LT
Registration:
N444JH
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Fort Lauderdale – Nassau
MSN:
46-8608014
YOM:
1986
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
9818
Aircraft flight hours:
6912
Circumstances:
The pilot obtained two data user access terminal service (DUATS) preflight weather briefings for the intended flight from the U.S. to Nassau, Bahamas; the briefings included information that thunderstorms were forecasted. The pilot did not request a weather briefing with DUATS or Lockheed Martin flight service station before departure on the return accident flight. Although there was no way to tell whether he received a preflight weather briefing with Nassau Flight Service Station before departure on the accident flight, thunderstorms with associated severe turbulence were forecasted for the accident area well in advance of the aircraft's departure, and would have been available had the pilot requested/obtained a preflight weather briefing. After takeoff, and while in contact with Nassau terminal radar approach control, which had inoperative primary radar, the flight climbed to approximately 8,000 feet mean sea level and proceeded on a northwesterly heading with little deviation. The airplane, which was equipped with color weather radar and a stormscope, penetrated level 6 radar returns with numerous lightning strikes in the area, and began a steep descent. Prior to that there was no request by the pilot to air traffic control for weather avoidance assistance or weather deviation. Radar and radio communications were lost, and the wreckage and occupants were not recovered.
Probable cause:
The pilot's poor in-flight weather evaluation, which resulted in flight into a level 6 thunderstorm.
Final Report: