The beech e18s ground looped during the takeoff ground run. The pilot stated that before lift off the airplane encountered a ‘dust devil.’
Category: Loss of Aircraft Control
After the parachutists exited the airplane, the flight returned to the airport and entered the downwind leg at 750 feet. Flaps were extended and when turning to final approach, the pilot stated that the airplane encountered a high sink rate. Before the pilot could correct the situation, the airplane collided with 20 foot tall trees approximately 300 feet short of the runway.
During the takeoff on runway 31, the pilot did not maintain directional control, because of the cross wind from the left. The airplane exited the grass runway and struck a ditch. The pilot had 12.6 hours total flight time in the cessna 185c. The wind was reported to be from 200 to 220 degrees at 12 knots.
While attempting to takeoff from a 1,865′ turf runway on an 85 degree day with four sky divers/passengers on board, the pilot was unable to attain sufficient airspeed for lift-off and elected to abort the takeoff. The pilot estimated that he had used about 60 – 70% of the runway before initiating the remedial action, and could not stop the aircraft before the end of the runway. It ran off the departure end of the runway, across a road, into a ditch, and then nosed over.
After dropping skydivers the pilot entered a descent to return to the airport for another load of jumpers. He was receiving radar advisories during the drop from a tracon controller. As the aircraft descended below 4,000 feet msl the controller terminated the radar advisory service. Immediately after the controller discontinued the service he asked the pilot to check for a stuck microphone switch. The aircraft continued its descent and collided with a camping trailer and building under construction in an extreme nose low attitude. The elevator trim was found in the full nose down position. No other malfunctions were found.
The non-instrument rated plt was on a flt to psn the acft for sky diving activities. As he was transiting the albany arpt radar svc area at 5500′, radio and radar ctc were lost. Subsequently, the acft crashed in a steep dive and was demolished by impact. Psnl in the area rprtd an ovc cond and estd the vis was at least 1 mi. Abt 12 mi ese, the 0750 albany wx was in part: 1200′ sct, 6000′ bkn. Vis 2 mi with fog. Low clouds at the rprtg stn had lifted by the time of the acdnt.
The pic had been airborne in the lcl area to let parachute jumpers jump fm his acft. To lose alt quickly the pic performed a prolonged slip. On the final app the eng quit and alt was insufficient to reach the rwy for lndg. The off arpt lndg was unsuccessful. The pic stated that the poss cause of the acc was improper fuel flow resulting fm the slip and the abbormal attitude associated with it. It was also imcumbant upon the pic for a safe lndg to have selected the proper fuel posn by referring to the owner’s manual. The owner’s manual cautions abt proper fuel selector positioning. Fuel selector on ‘both’ is required for all but straight and level flt. The fuel selector was found posnd to ‘off’ during insp of the acft and 10 gal of fuel was found in the rt tank. No fuel was found in the left tank.
The plt was returning to the airport after transporting skydivers to altitude and while on final aprch he allowed the acft to stall & crash short of the rwy.
Acft crashed immediately after takeoff on a flt to discharge jumpers over a drop zone located on the arpt. Witnesses stated that shortly after liftoff the acft entered a steep left bank estimated between 45 and 70 degs. After about 120 degs of turn the acft stalled and impacted the ground in about an 80 deg nose down attitude, with the left wing leading. Alt at the time the maneuver was attempted was aprx 125′ agl. Winds at the time of the accident were down the departure rwy at 10 kts gusting to 18 kts. One witness estimated the winds at 20 kts gusting to 25 kts. Research indicated that the acfts stall speed would have increased btw 40 and 100 percent during the turn depending on bank angle. The plt had a total of 3 hrs in this make and model of acft.
As the plt & 16 jumpers deptd on a skydiving flt, the eng lost pwr at aprx 300′ agl. The acft then banked steeply left, spiraled in a steep nose dwn attitude & crashed. An exam revealed fuel in the tanks was contaminated with wtr & foreign material with the appearance of brown algae. Milky fluid (aprx 65% jet fuel & 34% wtr) was fnd in the eng fuel control, as well as iron contaminants. Dark stringy material was fnd in the fuel filters. The acft had been refueled fm 55 gal drums which contained contaminated fuel. The drums were stored upright & rain water could leak thru the filler caps. N551cc had a history of fuel contamination which on occasions caused the fuel bypass indicator to display. Rprtdly, the stall warning circuit brkr had been disengaged on other occasions, so as not to startle the jumpers; however, due to dmg, its preimpact psn could not be verified. Acft was estd to be 370 lbs ovr its max wt lmt & 1′ fwd of the cg lmt. The9 pax seats had been rmvd to haul up to 18 jumpers. Pax seat belts were not used. Lack of faa surveillance was noted.
The plt had returned from dropping skydivers & was landing on rwy 29 at sunset. He reported that during the flare to land, he was temporarily blinded by the sun. The acft landed hard & bounced back into the air. It then settled, veered off the rwy, hit piles of manure & nosed over.
The plt stated that during the initial application of power, the left eng backfired due to a possible too sudden application of power. He said that due to ‘inattention’ he let the acft ‘drift to the left side of the runway.’ just after the acft became airborne it ‘immediately started a roll to the left,’ and despite ‘full right aileron and rudder,’the left wing scraped the ground. He rejected the takeoff and the acft groundlooped. The purpose of the flt was to transport parachutists.
The acft was on a sport parachute flt to carry 24 parachutists to 12,500′ over a drop zone (dz) for a mass jump. It was in a cargo configuration with no passenger seats, but it had 1 jump seat. There were 24 seat belts on the floor of the cargo area. Also, the cabin door had been removed & an unapproved step & 4 handholds were installed outside & forward of the cabin door for parachutists. The usual jump-run procedure was for the acft to be slowed to 95 to 100 kts, extend the gear & apch flaps & reduce power on the left eng. The jumpers remained in position without using seat belts until apchg the dz, then 2 moved outside the acft while others moved close to the doorway. The 1st jumpers were unaware of anyproblem, but saw the acft enter a steep bank, roll over & spiral nose down. 16 jumpers exited the acft, but 3 hit the stabilizer. The acft crashed in a near vertical dscnt. Investigation revealed the cg was behind the aft limit for takeoff & the jump. The elevator trim actuator was found in a position for full nose-up trim.
The purpose of the flt was to transport 3 student parachute jumpers. After the jumpers egressed, the plt & jumpmaster returned to the arpt. During the landing, the acft hit a ridge on the grass rwy & bounced in the air. The acft then touched down in a crab, slid sideways & the left main gear collapsed. According to the plt, the wind was from the northeast at 5 gusting 10 kts.
The acft was on a parachute jumping mission. After climbing to 9000 ft msl, 4 sky divers jumped out & the plt began a descent back to the arpt. The acft was seen level at aprx 500 ft agl & in the aprx position for a downwind leg for a left pattern for runway 36. About 1/2 mi north of the normal turn point for the base leg, the acft began a steep descending left turn. Witnesses described a bank angle of 45 to 75 deg & a nose down attitude of 20 to 30 deg. One of the witnesses reported that the bank and descent angles then began to decrease, but at impact, the nose was still low & the bank angle was about 20 deg. Observers saw no indication of plt control movement before impact. An exam of the wreckage revealed no evidence of an inflt failure/malfunction. The plt’s wife said that onoccasions, he had experienced severe headaches, but never to an alarming point. She reported that he took only asprin for the headaches. Pathological & toxicological exams reflected no evidence of a preimpact incapactiating problem.
After returning from a sport parachuting flt, the plt landed on rwy 3 with a 5-kt, right x-wind. He stated that the touchdown was normal, but when the tailwheel came down at aprx 40 kts, the acft started to turn to the left. He corrected with right rudder & brake, then the acft veered to the right. He then tried to correct back to the left, but the acft continued off the right side & came to rest in a ravine. After the accident, the plt reported a right brake malfunction. However, when he submitted an accident report, he indicated there was no mechanical failure or malfunction.
The plt took off from a small arpt to reposition the acft on a road to pick up sky divers. During the landing, he lost control of the acft & it swerved off the road & hit a tree.
The aircraft was on a local flight involving a parachute jumping activity. In addition to the pilot, there were 12 parachutists and an observer on board. The pilot initiated his takeoff on runway 18. A witness stated that shortly after takeoff, the engine power was reduced to climb power, followed by the gear retraction. Reportedly, the aircraft had climbed to about 150 ft agl when the nose pitched up, th plane rolled to the left and then it crashed in a steep left bank, nose down attitude. An investigation revealed that the aircraft was loaded well beyond its maximum gross weight and aft cg limits. The amount of fuel on board was not verified, but even with no fuel, the plane would have been about 580 lbs over the maximum limit. With 100 gallons, the estimated gross weight would have been about 9939 lbs with the cg at about 121 inches. The maximum certificated gross weight was 8750 lbs with an aft cg limit of 117.6 inches. Extensive ground fire damage, but no preimpact, mechanical discrepancies evident.
Prior to flt the spark plugs on both engs were replaced due to minor eng vibration & the landing gear retract system wiring repaired due to the gear not retracting electrically on a prior occasion. After takeoff the gear would not retract electrically & the passenger had to crank up the gear manually. After the parachute jump the plt shut down the left eng to isolate the vibration. He then started the left eng & feathered the right eng. Unable to unfeather the righteng he elected to land with full flaps & gear down after a straight-in approach. As he approached the threshold a c-150 taxied onto the rwy. The plt executed a go-around while trying to retract the flaps & gear electrically without results.The pax was attempting to retract the gear manually when the acft struck a tree. The plt stated he did not make his landing intentions known on unicom during the approach. No pre-impact descrepancies were found to preclude normal prop operation. Normal elect power is halved with one generation inoperative.
Witnesses observed the takeoff roll as being unusually long. The acft never climbed much above 100-200 ft agl, & struck trees 1/2 mi off the end of the rwy. The flaps were observed up during takeoff. Normal takeoff flap setting used by the club for carrying jumpers is 10 deg. The acft was 166 pounds over max gross weight & the cg was beyond the aft limit. The density altitude was approximately 2,000 ft. The plt had never flown a c-182 or a constant speed propeller equipped acft prior to his checkout with the parachute club the week before the accident. The day of the accident was the first time he had carried any jumpers. The plt had agreed to fly for the club for no compensation other than to build flt time.
After a normal skydiver drop, the pilot spiraled down for a normal landing on a 2000 ft gravel runway with a powerline at the approach end. The wind was reported as variable at 5 kts. The pilot reported that during the landing, the aircraft touched down on the first 1/3 of the runway and the brakes were applied. Reportedly, the braking action was marginal and the aircraft ran off the end of the runway. The aircraft then struck a ditch and the nose gear failed. Prior to the accident, the pilot was warned that the aircraft brakes were marginal. The density altitude was about 2400 ft.
After returning from a parachute jumping flight, the pilot elected to land on the 1800 ft grass runway. A 3000 ft asphalt runway was available, but he had been using the grass runway to avoid wear on the tires. There was a 30 ft powerline at the approach end of the grass runway and the sod was wet. The pilot reported that there was light rain and the wind was calm. Reportedly, the plane touched down about 200 ft from the approach end, but the pilot was unable to stop on the runway. The aircraft continued off the end and collided with brush and trees. The computed landing distance over a 50 ft obstacle on a hard runway was about 1500 ft.
The pilot started a downwind takeoff on runway 15 with 9 parachutists on board. The runway was unidirectional requiring takeoffs on runway 15 which sloped downhill. After beginning the takeoff roll, the pilot had difficulity in maintaining directional control and initiated abort procedures. Reportedly, the aircraft continued to veer to the right in spite of the use of hard left rudder and braking action. As the aircraft decelerated, it departed the right side of the runway, struck 3 fence posts, and collided with a parked stinson, n368c. The pilot reported that the parachutist occupying the copilot’s seat stated that he had placed his feet behind the rudder pedals shortly before takeoff.
The pilot reported landing on a soft, slick runway at dusk after returning from a parachute jumping mission. The aircraft was landed off of the center of the runway and veered left in soft terrain. The nosewheel sank in mud as the plane crossed a shallow ditch and flipped over.