The commercial pilot of the single-engine turboprop airplane reported that he was preparing to release
skydivers when he noticed that the engine torque indication was in the red arc. Specifically, the gauge
was indicating a torque of 70 pounds per square inch (psi) when it should have been indicating about 25
psi; the maximum allowed torque indication was 64.5 psi. The skydivers jumped uneventfully. As the
pilot was returning to the airport, the torque gauge was indicating 80 psi while the engine was at idle. At
that time, the pilot decided to perform a precautionary engine shutdown and land with no engine power.
During the landing, the airplane was fast and touched down about halfway down the 3,402-ft-long
asphalt runway. The pilot applied heavy braking, but the airplane traveled about 1,000 ft beyond the
departure end of the runway before coming to rest upright in a field with a collapsed left main landing
gear.
PAC-750XL Non-Fatal Raeford, NC December 03, 2015
The commercial pilot of the single-engine turboprop airplane reported that he was preparing to release
skydivers when he noticed that the engine torque indication was in the red arc. Specifically, the gauge
was indicating a torque of 70 pounds per square inch (psi) when it should have been indicating about 25
psi; the maximum allowed torque indication was 64.5 psi. The skydivers jumped uneventfully. As the
pilot was returning to the airport, the torque gauge was indicating 80 psi while the engine was at idle. At
that time, the pilot decided to perform a precautionary engine shutdown and land with no engine power.
During the landing, the airplane was fast and touched down about halfway down the 3,402-ft-long
asphalt runway. The pilot applied heavy braking, but the airplane traveled about 1,000 ft beyond the
departure end of the runway before coming to rest upright in a field with a collapsed left main landing
gear.