The pilot stated that after skydivers exited the aircraft, he began a descent from 10,500 feet msl in the direction of the airport. He stated that upon reaching 2000 feet msl, he enriched the mixture, and the engine lost power. He stated he elected to land on a nearby road. The airplane collided with a pick-up truck and departed the road to the right.
Category: Non-Fatal Single-Engine
The pilot stated that while the first parachutist was climbing out on the airplanes strut, her pilot chute got caught on a safety belt resulting in the inadvertent deployment of her main parachute, which streamed back over the right horizontal stabilizer. The parachutist went under as the main parachute went over the top of the stabilizer.
The pilot told an FAA inspector that he had completed an air drop of skydivers at 14,000 feet and was returning to land. During the descent, the engine quit. The pilot initially thought it was due to carburetor ice, but then realized that he ran “out of fuel.” The pilot was forced to land the airplane short of the runway.
According to the pilot, after the four parachute jumpers exited the airplane, and as he maneuvered the airplane for a landing, the engine lost power. Initial efforts by the pilot to restore full power were unsuccessful, however as the pilot continued, the engine regained partial power. The pilot entered a straight approach for runway 18
After departure, at an altitude of approximately 500 feet agl, the 2,100-hour pilot reported the engine “lost most of its power output.” The pilot stated he applied carburetor heat and did not notice improvement. The pilot banked the airplane slightly to the right to avoid an approaching tree line and initiated an emergency landing to an open grass field.
After completing a flight with a load of skydivers, the pilot “dipped” the left tank and it indicated 15 gallons of fuel. He then flew another flight to 3,500 feet MSL and started his descent. The pilot reduced power to 1,600 rpm and 16 inches of manifold pressure, and applied full carburetor heat. As the aircraft was approaching pattern altitude, approximately 1,000 AGL, the engine quit without warning.
According to the pilot, he completed an air drop of skydivers and was returning to land. During the final approach, he added power to maintain altitude and obstacle clearance, and the engine “quit without sputter[ing].” He made a forced landing in a sagebrush covered field. The airplane struck the ground, slid down a gully, and struck a tree.
During cruise flight, the 33,000-hour pilot stated that the airplane encountered “extreme clear air turbulence followed by three jolts in rapid succession.” He “heard a loud pop as he jerked the throttle to the flight idle position.” As the airspeed was slowing, the pilot attempted to add power. The “throttle would not move from the flight idle position and the propeller went into BETA.”
The airplane landed downwind, approximately halfway down the runway, overran the end of the runway and nosed over. The pilot reported that while en route he monitored a nearby automated weather observing system (AWOS) and the winds were “230 [degrees true] at 3 knots.” The pilot stated, “I decided I would use either end of [the] runway since [the] wind was calm.”
The commercial pilot reported a partial loss of engine power during takeoff. He was unable to restore full power, and made an emergency off-airport landing, which resulted in structural damage to the airplane. An FAA inspector and an aviation mechanic examined the engine and noted that the gasket between the air filter and carburetor was missing.
A witness reported that the airplane touched down within 1,000 feet of the runway threshold. The airplane rolled about 200 feet, and the nose gear collapsed. The airplane then veered left and came to rest inverted. The witness added that the nose gear collapse left scrape marks on the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that the upper link of the nose gear torque knee had failed.
The pilot reported that prior to takeoff he drained the main lower sump, but not the wing sumps, as was company policy. The pilot stated that he was told by the mechanic that “constant use of the wing sumps causes them to leak, and also causes damage to the fuel cells that is hard to repair.” The pilot also reported that the airplane had been fueled a few days prior to the flight from a 55 gallon barrel by an electric pump at the company’s fueling facility.
Approximately 1 hour into flight, the engine lost all power, and the pilot attempted a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane struck a tree located at the approach end of the field. The pilot initially reported that he departed with 2 inches of fuel in each tank, with the intention of flying 1 hour.
After a parachute drop flight, the airplane taxied back to the ramp area. The airplane was parked on the ramp, with the engine running, while the next group of parachutists were boarding the airplane. During that time, a parachutist who had just landed, contacted the propeller and sustained a serious injury.
While the aircraft was level at 10,500 feet above sea level (MSL), four skydivers took their positions on the right exterior jump-step of the aircraft. Just after the last jumper was on the step, the parachute of one of the jumpers inadvertently deployed and streamed back into the aircraft’s tail surfaces.
The pilot made a hard landing collapsing the nose gear and damaging the firewall. The pilot took off and turned to downwind for landing. He reported that he flew an uneventful and normal approach. He said that he touched down on the main landing gear, but the nose gear folded under the airplane as it touched down.
The pilot stated that he had recently purchased the airplane in Deland, Florida, and was ferrying it to Southeast Greensboro Airport, Greensboro, North Carolina. He said that he was enroute to the Siler City Municipal Airport, Siler City, North Carolina, for a scheduled fuel stop, and was approaching the airport at an altitude of about 5,500 feet, when the engine ceased operating.
After the parachutists jumped, the airplane was descending through 9,000 feet msl, and the engine lost partial power. The pilot verified that carburetor heat was on, the cowl flaps were closed, the fuel selector was positioned to “Both,” and the mixture was rich. She continued descending and entered a left traffic pattern for the runway. The pilot initially judged her pattern distance based on the available engine power.
While landing on runway 3, the airplane’s right wing contacted the runway and the airplane landed hard. A weather observation reported at an airport about 18 miles northeast of the accident site, included winds from 320 degrees at 13 knots. The pilot further reported that he conducted an uneventful flight an hour prior to the accident, with the same wind conditions.
The airplane initiated a forced landing after a partial loss of engine power during the takeoff initial climb. During the initial run-up the magneto check was not within acceptable limits; however, approximately 15 minutes later the pilot rechecked the magnetos and they were within acceptable limits. The pilot said he configured and checked the airplane prior to takeoff with 10 degrees of flaps and all gages “in the green.”
The pilot landed long beyond his intended touchdown point. He delayed his decision to initiate a go-around. The airplane struck trees at the end of the runway.
After releasing parachutists, the pilot planned to return to the airport. During the descent, about 2,500 feet msl, the engine began to lose power. The pilot thought that carburetor ice caused the power loss, and performed emergency procedures, which included the application of carburetor heat. The engine did not regain power, and the pilot planned an emergency landing to a field.
On the fourth parachute drop flight of the day for the pilot and aircraft, the pilot detected a reduction in elevator control authority on takeoff. He elected to continue the takeoff and climbed to 3,500 feet agl, where he released the two parachutists. On return to the airport, he used power to control his flare, but landed hard and began a porpoise maneuver.
After the pilot dispatched two parachutists, the pilot commenced his descent to return to the airport. While on final approach, approximately 200 feet AGL, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to land in a nearby open field rather than to attempt maneuvering around high power lines near the airport.
The certificated commercial pilot was conducting skydiving operations in the vicinity of the accident airport. After the airplane climbed to about 11,500 feet msl, all three of the skydivers aboard exited the airplane, and the pilot began a descent to return to the departure airport. The pilot said that while on approach, all engine power was lost, and emergency engine procedures did not restore engine power.