2020-05-01 Plane & Pilot

20 MAY 2020 ÇPlane&Pilot

North American SNJ

Chino, California, No Injuries

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported

that he was doing S-turns while taxiing and that he

did not see any airplanes in the run-up area. While

positioning the airplane in the run-up area, his

airplane’s left wing collided with the propeller of a

stopped airplane.

The pilot of the stopped airplane reported that,

after completing a run-up and waiting for a clearance

to depart, he saw a “warbird” entering the run-up

area. The other airplane continued straight, and

the left wing collided with his airplane’s propeller.

The tailwheel-equipped airplane sustained sub-

stantial damage to the left wing.

Both pilots reported that there were no preimpact

mechanical failures or malfunctions with their air-

planes that would have precluded normal operation.

PROBABLE CAUSE(S): The pilot’s failure

to maintain clearance from a stopped airplane

while taxiing.

Piper PA22 Tri-Pacer

Island Pond, Vermont, 1 Fatal

The private pilot was landing his airplane at his

home airport at the conclusion of a local flight. The

airplane was last seen flying normally on the left

downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern, and the

wreckage was subsequently discovered in a location

consistent with a turn from the downwind to base

leg of the traffic pattern. The airplane and engine

sustained extensive impact damage and postimpact

fire damage; however, examination revealed no

discrepancies that would have precluded normal

operation. A friend of the pilot, who flew with him

often, said that the pilot tended to turn from the

downwind leg onto the base leg of the traffic pattern

“quite steep” (about 40° bank) and slow (62-63 knots).

The friend said that he shared his concerns about

stalling with the pilot, but the pilot did not share the

same concern. The airplane was not equipped with

a stall warning horn or angle of attack indicator.

Postmortem toxicology testing revealed the pres-

ence of several medications, including diphenhydr-

amine, a sedating antihistamine; however, given the

low levels identified, there was no evidence that the

pilot was impaired by his use of diphenhydramine

or that it contributed to the accident.

Given the amount of fuel onboard and the dura-

tion of the flight, it is unlikely that the airplane ran

out of fuel. Although there were no witnesses to the

accident, given the location of the accident site,

lack of preimpact mechanical anomalies, and the

pilot’s reported habit of conducting traffic pattern

turns at a slow speed in a steep bank, it is likely

that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle

of attack while maneuvering for landing, which

resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent

impact with terrain.

PROBABLE CAUSE(S): The pilot’s exceed-

ance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while

maneuvering for landing, which resulted in an

aerodynamic stall.

Cessna 340A

Port Huron, Michigan/Injuries: 1 Fatal

The private pilot of the multi-engine airplane was

conducting an instrument approach during night

visual meteorological conditions. About 1.3 nau-

tical miles (nm) from the final approach fix, the

right engine lost total power. The pilot continued

the approach and notified air traffic control of the

loss of power about 1 minute and 13 seconds later.

Subsequently, the pilot contacted the controller

again and reported that he was unable to activate

the airport’s pilot-controlled runway lighting. In the

pilot’s last radio transmission, he indicated that he

was over the airport and was going to “reshoot that

approach.” The last radar return indicated that the

airplane was about 450 ft above ground level at 72

kts groundspeed. The airplane impacted the ground

in a steep, vertical nose-down attitude about 1/2 nm

from the departure end of the runway. Examination

of the wreckage revealed that the landing gear and

the flaps were extended and that the right propeller

was not feathered. Data from onboard the airplane

also indicated that the pilot did not secure the right

engine following the loss of power; the left engine

continued to produce power until impact.

The airplane’s fuel system held a total of 203 gal-

lons. Fuel consumption calculations estimated that

there should have been about 100 gallons remaining

at the time of the accident. The right-wing locker

fuel tank remained intact and contained about 14

gallons of fuel. Fuel blight in the grass was observed

at the accident site and the blight associated with

NOTE: The reports republished here are from the NTSB and are printed verbatim and in their complete form.