The airplane sustained substantial damage on impact with trees and terrain during a forced landing to a field following an in-flight loss of engine power. Skydivers had been dropped prior to the loss of engine power and the pilot reported no injuries. The pilot stated, “I climbed to 11000 [feet.] Was not getting usual climb rate. Before decent found I could not close cowl flaps. Decended to 6000 feet. Noticed eratic raise on manifold gage.
Category: Non-Fatal
The flight departed with approximately 20 gallons of fuel in each fuel tank and offloaded skydivers at 10,500 feet, then descended to return with the throttle at idle, the fuel/air ratio leaned; and carburetor heat applied. At 2,000 feet, the pilot began to level off and, “realized I was having engine trouble and began my emergency procedures for an engine failure at altitude….”
After discharging three parachutists into a drop zone from about 12,000 feet mean sea level, the pilot attempted to return to the departure airport. The engine began surging as the airplane descended through 8,000 feet. The pilot continued the descent and entered the departure airport’s traffic pattern. He misjudged his distance from the runway, and when all engine power was lost turning onto the final approach leg he was unable to glide to the runway.
The pilot reported that she taxied the aircraft to the grass covered run-up area in preparation for takeoff. As the aircraft moved over the grass, a ‘snapping’ sound was heard and the aircraft ’tilted back and to the right.’ The right wing and right side stabilizer contacted the ground.
After takeoff the pilot raised the landing gear and then had to take evasive action to the right to avoid a flock of birds. As he performed the evasive maneuver, he raised the flaps. The aircraft was slow, and he kept the nose down to build up speed for the climb. Just as he was to commence the climb, he caught a glimpse of a wire ahead. He pulled up rapidly, but contacted the wire with the right wing.
Prior to the day of the accident, the pilot had not flown out of the airstrip. During takeoff, the airplane traveled over a ‘soft spot’, and began to veer to the left. The pilot was unable to correct the turn, the airplane went off the left side of the runway and struck a tree. The runway was 1,515 feet long, 110 feet wide, and consisted of soft turf. Review of the pilot’s weight and balance calculations revealed that the airplane was approximately 300 pounds over the maximum gross takeoff weight.
The pilot stated that he was at 12,500 feet, preparing for a four-mile parachute jump run, when he had initial indications of a power/fuel problem. He said he told the skydivers to exit, then initiated a descending spiral to land, during which time the fuel flow became erratic. He said both engines ceased operating at 3,000 feet, and he did not account for the northwest wind, and crashed short of the runway.
The pilot stated that while descending through 6,000 feet msl, the engine lost power. The pilot reported that when he enriched the mixture, the engine regained power. He stated that he left the mixture full rich; however, when the airplane was at 600 feet and turning to base, the engine lost power again.
During its takeoff roll from a sod runway, the airplane’s pilot said a deer was running toward the airplane from its right side. The pilot said she ‘…throttled back and hit the brakes…[and the airplane] ground looped.’ Ground scars on the runway confirmed that the airplane made a left-hand, 180 degree turn that resulted in a collapsed right main landing gear and the outboard half of the right wing was bent upward about 20 degrees.
While landing, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane went off the left side of the runway. Four bolts secured the nose landing gear. Two of them were missing, and rust was evident in the slots where the bolts were originally secured. The pilot was able to recover one of the bolts. Examination of the bolt revealed that shearing was evident, consistent with a secondary failure.
The pilot reported that after takeoff he saw an approaching thunderstorm and returned to the airport to land on runway 21. The pilot stated that when he arrived at the airport there was a 90-degree crosswind. He estimated that the wind was 120 degrees at 25 knots, with 5-10 knot gusts. The pilot further reported that as the airplane touched down, ‘a gust of wind kept the wheels from settling so I could not brake effectively,’ and the aircraft ran off the end of the 3,000-foot-long runway and impacted a fence and a ditch.
The aircraft was landing on runway 36 when the right main landing gear separated. The aircraft departed the right side of the runway and came to rest. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Inspection revealed a fracture of the right spring landing gear leg about one inch outobard of the fuselage skin.
The pilot said he was landing on runway 25 and encountered a dust devil on touchdown. The airplane veered off the runway and into the dirt area beside the pavement, collapsing the right main landing gear.
While climbing through 600 feet after takeoff, a loud bang was heard and a hole appeared in the top of the engine cowling. Oil leaked from the engine and covered the windshield. The engine did not stop running, but did loose power. A forced landing was landing was made in a field and the nose landing gear collapsed during rollout.
The pilot stated that after four parachutists had boarded the airplane, he began to taxi away from the gate. The pilot stated that the airplane traveled about 25 yards on the upward sloping grass terrain when the right main landing gear collapsed. Examination of the landing gear revealed a break approximately 10 inches from the inboard end of the landing gear leg at a point where it is clamped to the fuselage structure.
The pilot stated that after four parachutists had boarded the airplane, he began to taxi away from the gate. The pilot stated that the airplane traveled about 25 yards on the upward sloping grass terrain when the right main landing gear collapsed. Examination of the landing gear revealed a break approximately 10 inches from the inboard end of the landing gear leg at a point where it is clamped to the fuselage structure.
The pilot stated that the airplane was loaded to the maximum gross weight. He said that on the takeoff roll the airplane did not appear to accelerate, and he anticipated a liftoff speed of 60 to 65 knots. He said he then attempted to stop the airplane; however the brakes locked on the wet grass and the airplane exited the runway at the end and crossed a road before coming to a stop.
The pilot stated that he had refueled the airplane with approximately 3.5 inches of fuel, which equates to 15.5 gallons. According to the Pilot Operator Handbook at 6,500 feet the fuel burn is approximately 13.9 gallons an hour. The pilot flew the airplane for 1.5 hours before the accident. The engine began to run roughly after dropping skydivers and returning to base.
The pilot reported that as the airplane was descending through 4,000 feet msl it started loosing power. She leveled off, pulled carburetor heat on, and switched fuel tanks. She reported that, ‘Upon restart the engine backfired and quit.’ She reported that she trimmed the airplane for best glide (80 mph) and flew directly for the airport 2.5 miles away. At .5 miles from the airport she realized she would not make the runway so she decided to land short.
After three uneventful parachute drop flights with three or four jumpers each, the pilot landed and picked up two jumpers. During the next takeoff roll, the pilot aborted the takeoff and was unable to stop the airplane before it struck a fence at the end of the 2,200 foot asphalt runway. The pilot stated ‘everything was normal, except the plane didn’t lift off.’
The pilot stated he was attempting to land after another airplane which had stopped on the runway. He transmitted three times in an attempt to get the other airplane to expedite off the runway. He then executed a go-around using full power and low pitch. According to the pilot, the engine accelerated briefly, then sputtered, and the propeller began windmilling.
The pilot reported that about 50 feet above the ground after takeoff he began to smell smoke and then saw smoke in the cockpit. He elected to abort the takeoff and land on the runway. He said the airplane bounced once and then landed. After touchdown he steered straight with both brakes full on. When it became apparent that he could not stop before the trees at the end of the runway, he began a hard turn to right.
The pilot was delivering an airplane to a new airstrip. He had been driven to the airstrip to inspect it before the first landing. While landing to the south during the airstrip’s inaugural landing, the pilot lined up to land on the east side of the new runway, and the airplane touched down on an unimproved portion of the airstrip.
The pilot of a tail-wheeled Stearman performed a run-up at the approach end of the runway in the run-up area, and waited for an airplane to land. The pilot then taxied onto runway 31 and began his takeoff roll. A review of a videotape of the accident revealed that the Stearman was right of the runway center line, but its main landing wheels remained on the runway.
After descending from 3,000 feet with engine power off and the carburetor heat on, the pilot entered the traffic pattern to land. While on downwind and base legs the pilot cleared the engine and it responded normally. While on final approach he increased the engine throttle and the engine did not respond.