The airplane experienced a total loss of engine power during a skydiving flight. After the pilot switched
the fuel tank selector from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank position, the engine restarted. The pilot
continued the flight. While returning to the departure airport and preparing for landing, the pilot
switched the fuel tank selector back to the left fuel tank position because the fuel gauge indicated a
greater fuel quantity. About 1 minute later, the engine quit. The pilot landed the airplane left of the
intended runway, about 200 feet from its end, and the airplane flipped over and pivoted on its nose.
Examination of the airplane revealed that the left fuel tank vent system was obstructed with an unknown
substance. It is likely that the obstruction prevented fuel flow to the engine and resulted in a total loss of
engine power.
Category: Non-Fatal
The pilot reported that the purpose of the accident flight was to release four skydivers at
10,500 feet mean sea level (msl). The pilot reported that, before the accident flight, he used a
calibrated dipstick to determine how much fuel was on board the airplane. The left and right
fuel tanks contained 10 and 5 gallons of fuel, respectively. He noted that the skydiving flight
typically took a single pass over the landing zone, which required about 20 to 25 minutes of
flight time and 8 gallons of fuel; however, the accident flight required two passes over the
landing zone at 10,500 feet msl, which added about 2 to 5 minutes to the accident flight. He
reported that the flight climbed to 10,500 feet msl and the skydivers were released without any
anomalies or malfunctions with the airplane. The pilot immediately initiated a descent to
reenter the traffic pattern at the departure airport, and the airplane experienced a loss of
engine power while on the downwind leg. A helicopter was approaching the airport at a similar
altitude, which delayed the turn onto the base leg. Believing he had insufficient altitude to
reach the runway, the pilot performed a forced landing to a field. The nose landing gear
collapsed shortly after touchdown, and the airplane subsequently nosed over. Following the
accident, the pilot reported to several individuals that the airplane "ran out of fuel,"
which resulted in the loss of engine power while in the traffic pattern. Additionally, the pilot
stated that there were no mechanical issues with the engine before the loss of engine power.
During a postaccident examination, 3.5 gallons of fuel were recovered from the airplane.
According to the Pilot Operating Handbook, the airplane has 3 gallons of unusable fuel
while operating in level flight and 10 gallons of unusable fuel while in flight attitudes other
than level flight; therefore, the airplane did not have enough fuel for the accident flight.
According to the pilot, he leveled the airplane at 8,500 feet for a tandem skydive. When the instructor
exited the airplane, the nose pitched up, then the airplane pitched over into a right, descending turn. The
pilot assessed the situation and determined that the right horizontal stabilizer was bent. He later
determined that the instructor’s drogue chute became trapped under the flap handle, resulting in a
premature deployment of the parachute. The drogue chute then caught the horizontal stabilizer, resulting
in a 45-degree downward bend. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures
with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The commercial pilot said he applied full power to go around after a bounced landing. Torque
generated by the turboprop engine pulled the airplane to the right, and the pilot stated that he
was unable to arrest the turn. The airplane collided with trees, resulting in substantial damage
to the right wing, fuselage, vertical stabilizer, both horizontal stabilizers, and the rudder. The
pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine
that would have precluded normal operation.
The pilot reported that the airplane floated during the landing flare, touched down long,
bounced, and went off the end of the runway. The airplane struck two ditches before coming to
rest on a road. The pilot stated that he should have recognized that braking action would be
significantly reduced with the possibility of hydroplaning, that pulling the power levers to the
stops before touchdown induced a lag in realization of reverse thrust, and that he should have
executed a go-around when the airplane floated before landing. No mechanical failures or
malfunctions of the airplane were reported. Heavy rain was reported about the time of the
accident at a nearby airport.
According to the pilot, during the landing on a grassy area that was parallel to the paved
runway, the airplane touched down and impacted a ditch near an intersecting taxiway. The
airplane became airborne, touched down on the other side of the intersecting taxiway, bounced
again, and then landed hard on the nose gear, which resulted in substantial damage to the
fuselage and subsequent collapse of the nose landing gear. In a telephone interview, the pilot
stated that the ditch was about 200 feet from his initial touchdown point and that he regularly
lands on the grass, in the opposite direction, in order to minimize the wear on the main landing
gear tires. No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were noted with the airplane
that would have precluded normal operation.
The pilot said that, while on short final, the airplane experienced a sudden sink rate when the
wind changed from a head wind to calm conditions. He was unable to arrest the sink rate even
after power was applied because of the lag time for the airplane’s turbine engine to spool up.
The airplane landed hard short of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane
revealed that the left side of the fuselage was dented and wrinkled, and the left main landing
gear was bent inboard of the axle and was missing its brake assembly.
As a skydiver was exiting the airplane, his parachute inadvertently deployed and struck the
right horizontal stabilizer. He deployed his reserve parachute and landed without further
incident. After all the skydivers had exited the airplane, the pilot saw that the right horizontal
stabilizer and elevator were damaged. After an uneventful landing, postaccident examination
revealed the right stabilizer spar was bent.
The pilot was returning to the airport after dropping off parachutists at 9,000 feet. He said that
the flight lasted about 30 minutes, and as he turned onto final approach in the traffic pattern,
he pulled the throttle back, and the engine lost power. The pilot performed a forced landing in
a field, and the airplane struck some power poles lying on the ground, resulting in substantial
damage to the airframe. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no
evidence of a mechanical malfunction or anomaly that would have precluded normal
operation. Only residual fuel was recovered from the wing tanks, and there was no fuel in the
line from the tanks to the engine. The pilot stated that he should have monitored his fuel
gauges more closely.
The pilot reported that, during the final leg of the approach, the airplane was above the
intended approach path and speed. Over the threshold of the runway, the airplane encountered
a gust of wind. The pilot announced on the common traffic advisory frequency his intention to
perform a go-around maneuver. He was unable to perform the maneuver prior to the hard
landing; he then proceeded to overrun the runway and the airplane nosed over, which resulted
in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical
malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The
recorded wind at the airport about the time of the accident was variable at 4 knots and for the
hour before and an hour after the accident the wind was recorded as calm.
The pilot stated that he departed the airport for the 15-minute skydiving flight with about 20
gallons of fuel onboard. After completing a jump run, he was returning to the airport and
maneuvered the airplane on final approach. When the airplane was about 3 miles from the
runway and about 1,200 feet above ground level, the engine experienced a partial loss of
power. The pilot configured the airplane for the best glide speed, and, shortly thereafter, the
engine quit producing any power. The airplane subsequently collided with trees in an orchard
about 600 yards from the approach end of the runway.
A Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster skydiving plane sustained substantial damage in an accident at Lézignan-Corbières Airport. The pilot was not injured.
The airplane had dropped some skydivers and returned to land. On finals the pilot reduced power, but instead the engine delivered more power.
The pilot stated that he departed the airport with six parachutists for a jump flight. As the
airplane approached 1,000 feet above ground level, he noticed that the airplane wasn’t
climbing. He checked the engine gauges and noticed that the engine analyzer was flashing
“CHT” and the cylinder head temperature was 454 degrees F. As the pilot pitched the nose
down and turned back to the airport, he heard a muffled “thud” sound and saw white smoke
pour from the engine. As he prepared for a forced landing, four of the parachutists jumped
from the airplane. The pilot then performed a forced landing in a field, coming to a stop near a
dirt berm. An examination revealed a hole in the engine crankcase, near the No. 4 cylinder.
Various pieces of metal, including part of a “quick oil drain plug” were found in the engine oil
sump. The No. 4 connecting rod journal appeared distorted and displayed extensive heat
signatures. The crankshaft journals on either side of the No. 4 rod journals did not appear to be
distorted or to contain the same heat signatures and were coated with engine oil. The rod and
crankshaft bearings were scored. The signatures on the engine were consistent with the loss of
lubricant to the No. 4 connecting rod journal. A reason for the loss of engine oil to the journal
was not found.
The pilot said that he normally flew the airplane with the fuel selector positioned to the right
main fuel tank during skydiving operations. However, on the day of the accident, maintenance
was performed on the airplane, and three engine run-ups were performed using the left main
fuel tank. The pilot ferried the airplane back to its home base uneventfully with the left main
fuel tank selected. Before the accident flight, the pilot verified that there was adequate fuel in
the right main fuel tank; however, he did not reposition the fuel selector to the right main fuel
tank. During climb, about 800 feet above ground level, the airplane experienced a total loss of
engine power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and performed a forced landing.
Subsequent examination revealed that the airplane’s right main fuel tank had been
compromised and was leaking fuel, whereas the left main fuel tank was intact and devoid of
fuel. Additionally, data downloaded from the airplane’s engine monitor revealed that the
engine power loss was preceded by a loss of fuel flow. Postaccident examination did not reveal
any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal
operation.
The pilot stated that, before starting the engine by manually rotating the propeller, he set the
brakes, throttle, and trim. He exited the airplane and proceeded to rotate the propeller. When
the engine started, it went to full rpm, and the airplane started to move forward on the taxiway
at a high speed. The airplane veered off the taxiway and continued its high speed taxi until it
impacted a hangar door, damaging the engine, both wings, and the right main landing gear.
The pilot reported that he had not chocked the airplane and thought the brake was set. He
further reported there were no mechanical problems with the airplane.
Prior to the flight, the pilot fueled the airplane with 16 gallons of jet fuel. He planned to make two local flights carrying skydivers aloft. During the second skydiving flight, he delayed releasing the skydivers due to traffic in the area. As he turned the airplane back toward the drop zone, the airplane’s engine experienced a total loss of power.
The pilot reported that he was descending to land after his final flight of the day. The airplane was about 1,500 to 1,700 feet above ground level and about 1.25 miles from the airport when the engine lost total power. The pilot made an emergency landing to an open field, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.
The pilot stated that he was descending the airplane from an altitude of 8,000 feet after releasing skydivers. During the descent, at an altitude of about 3,000 feet, the airplane’s door opened and contacted the underside of the wing. The pilot slowed the airplane and attempted to close the door but noticed that the door had warped and that the window was missing.
While landing, the airplane touched down short of the runway, the left main landing gear impacted the edge of the runway and collapsed, and the airplane departed the edge of the runway into a culvert. The airplane’s left wing sustained substantial damage.
On August 9, 2011, about 1714 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182, N8718T, landed in a field while on approach to Boulder Municipal Airport (KBDL). The aircraft was substantially damaged and came to rest after striking a tree on the north side of the field.
The pilot stated that he fueled the airplane for two flights with skydivers and thirty minutes of reserve fuel. He further stated that during the second approach he had to adjust his intended flight path for other airplane traffic. Then, as the pilot decreased the pitch of the airplane on final approach, the engine sputtered and lost power.
According to the pilot, as he taxied the airplane to the runway for takeoff, the left main landing gear collapsed. Examination revealed that the left main landing gear had fractured and completely separated from the airplane about 6 inches outboard of its attachment point at the airframe.
The pilot of the skydiving airplane was performing the first takeoff of the day, and he had just raised the landing gear when the airplane experienced a complete loss of power in one of its two engines. There was still runway remaining, and the pilot made the decision to abort the takeoff.
During takeoff the airplane, which was taking off for a parachute jump, collided with trees lining the side of the grass runway. The pilot said that a previous flight that day had been uneventful. During the accident takeoff he said he heard a “pop” at rotation and the airplane pulled to the left.
The pilot received an unsafe landing gear indication for the left main landing gear when he configured the airplane for landing. He cycled the gear and then attempted a manual extension, both without success. The pilot then completed the landing on the nose and right main landing gear. A post accident examination of the left main landing gear actuator revealed that the supports for the actuator bearings lacked lubrication and that the bearings displayed wear due to inadequate lubrication.