The airplane was being used for sport parachute operations. During the initial climb after takeoff the right engine failed followed by the airplane’s slow descending right turn into wooded terrain. The airplane crashed through trees and caught on fire. The fire was extinguished prior to the destruction of the airplane.
Category: Non-Fatal Multi-Engine
The pilot stated that after parachutists egressed from the airplane, he returned to the airport and found that he did not have a green down-and-locked indication for the left main landing gear. He stated that he executed emergency procedures and did two fly-bys over the runway. Ground personnel stated that the landing gear appeared to be down-and-locked.
The pilot had made a refueling stop at Vandalia, Illinois. She did not observe the refueling process, but the FBO also operated a King Air and she felt he knew the proper procedure to follow. The airplane was reportedly serviced with 235 gallons of Jet-A fuel (total capacity is 384 gallons). The pilot flew between 7,500 and 10,500 feet.
The pilot was taking off with 10 jumpers onboard. At the rotation speed of 100 knots, he used elevator trim to rotate the airplane, but it did not lift off the runway. He continued moving the trim wheel violently to pitch the nose up, and attempted to pull back on the yoke, but the airplane collided with rising terrain off the end of the runway.
The pilot reported that the winds were from 260 degrees at 10 knots. During the takeoff roll on runway 28, at about 60 miles per hour, he ‘began to bring the tail up for a wheel takeoff…. The airplane began to veer to the left.’ He ‘attempted to get the airplane straight with right rudder and right brake. The airplane ran off of the runway and ground looped on top of a hill.’
After a normal parachute drop at 13,000 feet, the pilot initiated a descent. As the airplane descended to 2300 feet, both engines lost power. Unable to restart either engine, the pilot initiated an emergency landing to runway 9 at the departure airport. However, before reaching the runway, the airplane collided with vegetation and the airport perimeter fence. An examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical problem. No usable fuel was found in the fuel system during the postaccident examination.
Directional control of the aircraft was lost during the takeoff roll. The aircraft skidded sideways, veered off the runway into an agricultural field and both main landing gear assemblies collapsed.
The aircraft was damaged when a sport parachutist collided with the horizontal stabilizer while exiting the aircraft at 13,000 feet msl. According to statements from the pilots and other jumpers on board the aircraft, the injured jumper’s reserve parachute deployed as he exited the door. The parachute momentarily draped over the left leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer,
The pilot was conducting a local skydiving flight. During the climb, both engines began to operate intermittently. The pilot instructed the parachutists to bail out at 9,000 feet msl and returned to the airport. The pilot failed to use carburetor heat during the descent. The pilot applied power to both engines while on final approach, but got no response.
Shortly after takeoff, both engines lost power. The pilot said he selected different fuel tanks, but could not restart the engines. He subsequently made a wheels-up forced landing in a field below his flight path. The pilot stated that he had performed a preflight inspection and that there was 4.1 gals in both the front left and right main fuel tanks. Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed a combined total of about 5 gals in the forward left and right tanks.
The pilot stated that on initial climb, at about 400 ft agl, the crew smelled something burning, followed by light smoke in the cabin. Both engines appeared normal visually. The odor and smoke increased, and the left fire warning light illuminated. The left engine was shut down & the prop feathered. The pilot increased power on the right engine; however, the airplane would not climb or maintain airspeed.
The beech e18s ground looped during the takeoff ground run. The pilot stated that before lift off the airplane encountered a ‘dust devil.’
As the jumpmaster and student jumper backed into the door of the airplane in preparation for a tandem jump, he had a uncommanded deployment of his reserve parachute, that dragged them out the door. The jumpers went under the left horizontal stabilizer while the canopy went over the top. After a few seconds, the parachute shroud lines cut through the horizontal stabilizer and deformed the left elevator
The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff on a parachute jumping flt the left engine lost power, but a second later power was restored. Soon afterwards a total power loss occurred. According to the pilot, the propeller stopped rotating and did not windmill. He did not feather the left propeller. He made a shallow left turn toward an open field, while trying to return to the airport. He was unable to maintain adequate airspeed or altitude, and in order to maintain aircraft control, he reduced power on the right enggine. He made a forced landing in a wheat field. The airplane came to a stop and all occupants escaped the airplane before it caught fire. The examination of the airplane did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction.
After lift-off, at about 100 ft agl and 85 kts, the left eng decelerated and the airplane began to yaw and roll left. The pic aborted the takeoff, turned left and landed on a flat level field. The airplane struck a fence, then trees. Examination of the left eng revealed the loss of power was attributed to a fatigue fracture of a compressor turbine blade, which led to subsequent blade fractures. The right eng was examined and found to have advance wear on the throttle cam assembly of the power turbine governor. In a test cell, only aprx 28% of takeoff power could be achieved. The cam lobe wear had progressed over an extended period of time. The right engine prop governor was replaced 11/18/90, followed by a test run.
Both aircraft were involved in a movie operation with the helicopter (n250ca) carrying a camerman. The dhc-6 (n203e) carried parachutists. The purpose of the operation was to photograph the parachutists exiting the jump aircraft. The pilot of n250ca said he was in formation with n203e and was maneuvering into camera position when the rotor blades contacted the vertical stabilizer and rudder of n203e. The pilot of n203e was not in a position to have visual contact with the helicopter.
The aircraft’s left engine caught fire during the takeoff roll. The pilot managed to stop the aircraft on the runway and all 31 skydivers and the two member crew evacuated without injury. The left engine propeller had lost one blade which was found several days later 3000 feet west of the wreckage. There was no evidence found to substantiate compliance with a mandatory airworthiness directive on the propeller blade.
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.
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.
While in flt on a parachute jumping mission, a fire erupted in the right eng area & a precautionary landing was made. An exam revealed that the float fulcrum screw, pn 13773, on the stromberg carburetor had backed out & allowed fuel to escape into the exhaust area. Reportedly, the screw had not been safety wired.
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.
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.