Maintenance caused C210 crash at Eros
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: MRats
Age: 54
Posts: 271
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Maintenance caused C210 crash at Eros
11.12.08
Maintenance error crashes plane
By: WERNER MENGES
THE official investigation into an aeroplane crash that claimed the life of a Swiss visitor to Namibia in September ended late last week with a finding that the crash was the result of an error made during maintenance of the aircraft.
A plastic bag left in a part of the air intake system of the Cessna 210 aeroplane that crashed after making an emergency landing in a street in Windhoek’s Hochland Park residential area on September 7 was the cause of the engine failure that led to the forced landing.
This is the conclusion in the report on the official investigation of the accident that was released by the Minister of Works and Transport, Helmut Angula, on Thursday last week.
With the report, a preliminary finding on the cause of the crash that was released by the Ministry nine days after the incident has been reaffirmed.
The aircraft – a Cessna 210, carrying the registration number V5-BIG and belonging to air charter operator Wings Over Africa CC – took off from Eros Airport just before 09h00 on September 7.
A 63-year-old Swiss pilot, with some 19 940 hours of flying experience, was in control of the aircraft, which was heading for Huab Lodge in the Kamanjab area. Four passengers – also Swiss – were on board.
The pilot did not notice any abnormalities during his pre-flight checks and during takeoff, it is stated in the report on the investigation, which was conducted by Ericksson Nengola, the Director of Aircraft Accident Investigations in the Ministry of Works and Transport.
Everything was normal during the initial climb of the plane after takeoff, it is related in the report.
However, about 600 to 700 feet (about 182 to 213 metres) above the ground, after the pilot had retracted the undercarriage and reduced the engine speed to 2 500 revolutions per minute, the engine power faded away without any warning.
The pilot initiated a descent for an emergency landing, which was carried out in Papegaien Road in Hochland Park.
With the landing, the left wing of the aircraft struck a lamppost, which swung the plane to the left. It collided with the boundary walls of four houses before it came to a rest.
The aircraft was a write-off, and all the people on board were seriously injured, the report states.
One of the passengers was Nicolas Peloponissios, a 44-year-old surgeon from Lausanne in Switzerland. He was rushed to a Windhoek hospital, where he died of his injuries a few hours after the crash.
During the investigation a piece of plastic was found in the plane’s engine, it is stated in the report.
Nengola concluded that during the takeoff, this material obstructed the air-intake ducts of the engine, leading to engine failure.
The aircraft had undergone a maintenance inspection on September 4.
“During the inspection, the air-intake ducts were removed, air filters were also removed for cleaning and the engine had to be washed with water,” the report reads.
“As per the engineer’s report, plastic bags were used to cover the air-intake ducts during the engine wash to prevent the water from entering the air-intake ducts.
“The aircraft was ground run before it was delivered back to the owner on the 5th September 2008. It appears that the plastic bags were not removed prior to refitting of air filters.”
During the investigation, the engine was restarted, with the plastic material again in the air intake system. The engine operated successfully at low power setting. Once the engine power was increased, as during takeoff, the engine stalled within 38 seconds, it is stated in the report.
The report ends with a set of recommendations. These include recommendations that detailed additional training should be scheduled for all aircraft engineering staff, including assistants and cleaners, that specific checks should be done for the removal of any covers used during maintenance, and that special solid air filter covers, with clear markings, should be used during maintenance work on this type of aircraft.
The last maintenance work done on V5-BIG was performed by Westair Maintenance, which is probably Namibia’s best-known and largest aircraft maintenance company.
This incident was the first of its kind to occur in the 41-year history of the company, Westair director Peter Keil said on enquiry on Friday.
He said the company was working with aviation authorities on the issues addressed in the accident investigation report, and had already “instituted serious measures” to prevent a repeat of the same sort of mistake.
The Hochland Park crash was the third fatal incident involving a light aircraft shortly after takeoff from Eros Airport since October last year.
The official investigation of the two previous fatal accidents, which claimed a total of eight lives, attributed both those crashes to pilot error.
Maintenance error crashes plane
By: WERNER MENGES
THE official investigation into an aeroplane crash that claimed the life of a Swiss visitor to Namibia in September ended late last week with a finding that the crash was the result of an error made during maintenance of the aircraft.
A plastic bag left in a part of the air intake system of the Cessna 210 aeroplane that crashed after making an emergency landing in a street in Windhoek’s Hochland Park residential area on September 7 was the cause of the engine failure that led to the forced landing.
This is the conclusion in the report on the official investigation of the accident that was released by the Minister of Works and Transport, Helmut Angula, on Thursday last week.
With the report, a preliminary finding on the cause of the crash that was released by the Ministry nine days after the incident has been reaffirmed.
The aircraft – a Cessna 210, carrying the registration number V5-BIG and belonging to air charter operator Wings Over Africa CC – took off from Eros Airport just before 09h00 on September 7.
A 63-year-old Swiss pilot, with some 19 940 hours of flying experience, was in control of the aircraft, which was heading for Huab Lodge in the Kamanjab area. Four passengers – also Swiss – were on board.
The pilot did not notice any abnormalities during his pre-flight checks and during takeoff, it is stated in the report on the investigation, which was conducted by Ericksson Nengola, the Director of Aircraft Accident Investigations in the Ministry of Works and Transport.
Everything was normal during the initial climb of the plane after takeoff, it is related in the report.
However, about 600 to 700 feet (about 182 to 213 metres) above the ground, after the pilot had retracted the undercarriage and reduced the engine speed to 2 500 revolutions per minute, the engine power faded away without any warning.
The pilot initiated a descent for an emergency landing, which was carried out in Papegaien Road in Hochland Park.
With the landing, the left wing of the aircraft struck a lamppost, which swung the plane to the left. It collided with the boundary walls of four houses before it came to a rest.
The aircraft was a write-off, and all the people on board were seriously injured, the report states.
One of the passengers was Nicolas Peloponissios, a 44-year-old surgeon from Lausanne in Switzerland. He was rushed to a Windhoek hospital, where he died of his injuries a few hours after the crash.
During the investigation a piece of plastic was found in the plane’s engine, it is stated in the report.
Nengola concluded that during the takeoff, this material obstructed the air-intake ducts of the engine, leading to engine failure.
The aircraft had undergone a maintenance inspection on September 4.
“During the inspection, the air-intake ducts were removed, air filters were also removed for cleaning and the engine had to be washed with water,” the report reads.
“As per the engineer’s report, plastic bags were used to cover the air-intake ducts during the engine wash to prevent the water from entering the air-intake ducts.
“The aircraft was ground run before it was delivered back to the owner on the 5th September 2008. It appears that the plastic bags were not removed prior to refitting of air filters.”
During the investigation, the engine was restarted, with the plastic material again in the air intake system. The engine operated successfully at low power setting. Once the engine power was increased, as during takeoff, the engine stalled within 38 seconds, it is stated in the report.
The report ends with a set of recommendations. These include recommendations that detailed additional training should be scheduled for all aircraft engineering staff, including assistants and cleaners, that specific checks should be done for the removal of any covers used during maintenance, and that special solid air filter covers, with clear markings, should be used during maintenance work on this type of aircraft.
The last maintenance work done on V5-BIG was performed by Westair Maintenance, which is probably Namibia’s best-known and largest aircraft maintenance company.
This incident was the first of its kind to occur in the 41-year history of the company, Westair director Peter Keil said on enquiry on Friday.
He said the company was working with aviation authorities on the issues addressed in the accident investigation report, and had already “instituted serious measures” to prevent a repeat of the same sort of mistake.
The Hochland Park crash was the third fatal incident involving a light aircraft shortly after takeoff from Eros Airport since October last year.
The official investigation of the two previous fatal accidents, which claimed a total of eight lives, attributed both those crashes to pilot error.
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: ...at the sharp end...
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Voel, good to see you are still active here ...
----------------------------------------------
It is that easy for the maintenance guys, is it? One person died for christ sake!! They “instituted serious measures”?? Bull****!!
Once again a clear example that the guys in the pound seat are above the law. A pilot dares to fart in the wrong flavour and his licence gets revoked ...
----------------------------------------------
It is that easy for the maintenance guys, is it? One person died for christ sake!! They “instituted serious measures”?? Bull****!!
Once again a clear example that the guys in the pound seat are above the law. A pilot dares to fart in the wrong flavour and his licence gets revoked ...
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: The frequency jungle
Posts: 975
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tom Kitty
I dont think its like you say it is. The engineer will most likely be prosecuted. Possibly have his liscense withdrawn. And, if he is human, he'll probably be fighting with himself and his consciene.....not to mention the legal battle Westair will be fighting or the compensation they will be paying......
No farting around in any flavour.
I dont think its like you say it is. The engineer will most likely be prosecuted. Possibly have his liscense withdrawn. And, if he is human, he'll probably be fighting with himself and his consciene.....not to mention the legal battle Westair will be fighting or the compensation they will be paying......
No farting around in any flavour.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: MRats
Age: 54
Posts: 271
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Another accid report released 3 years after the accident happended
Report out on plane crash that killed two
By: WERNER MENGES
A PILOT error, resulting in a controlled flight into the ground, has been identified as the most probable cause of an aeroplane crash in which two Antipodean pilots were killed during an aerial geophysical survey southwest of Windhoek in October 2005.
Australian pilot Ian Payne and a fellow pilot from New Zealand, Dougal Williamson, were the only people on board a Cessna 210 aircraft that was being used to conduct a low-level aerial geological survey for the Ministry of Mines and Energy when the aircraft crashed at farm Göllschau some 80 kilometres southwest of Windhoek on October 20 2005.
The two pilots, who were both 38 years old, were killed in the crash. The aircraft was completely destroyed by fire when it burst into flames after the crash.
The report on the official investigation of the incident by the Ministry of Works and Transport’s Directorate of Aircraft Accident Investigations has now been released.
In the report, aircraft accident investigator Titus Shuungula concluded that no evidence that the weather or mechanical problems had played a role in the crash.
He concluded: “The most probable cause of this accident could be attributed to Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT).”
The last flight of the aircraft, which carried the registration number V5-AAG, started when it took off from Eros Airport in Windhoek shortly after 06h00 on October 20 2005.
The aircraft, which had been modified for geological survey work in 2002, had undergone a routine mandatory inspection only a day before it crashed, it is stated in the accident investigation report.
The aeroplane crashed about 30 minutes after the take-off from Eros Airport.
With the investigation of the crash it was established that after the plane had first struck the ground, it skipped over rock outcrops and uneven terrain for 97 metres before the nose section struck a rise of about 1,5 metres, which swung the aircraft around. Coming to a rest, the plane burst into flames.
The two pilots were still inside the aircraft.
To be effective in geophysical recording, the aircraft had to stay 80 metres above ground and not higher, and that requires “absolute maximum efficiency” in the handling of the plane, it is stated in the accident report.
The aircraft was not fitted with a ground proximity warning system, but this was not required by regulation either, it is stated.
With an investigation of the plane’s engine not having produced any indications that the crash had been the result of an engine failure, it was concluded that a controlled flight into the ground was the most probable cause of the crash.
“It appears that the pilot in command manoeuvred the aircraft into very close proximity to rising terrain with insufficient time available to make the necessary flight path corrections,” the accident report reads.
The cause of the crash could only be partly explained, though, the report indicates. It is stated in the report: “It was not determined why the pilot lost control of the aircraft and let the aircraft collide with the terrain.”
The report concluded: “It is strongly recommended that during survey flights considerable time should be devoted in looking inside the aircraft cockpit in order to maintain lateral and vertical navigation. Hazardous states of inattention, distraction, preoccupation or absorption can easily cause a pilot to lose situational awareness.” Pilots should be reminded of this, it was recommended.
According to the report, Payne and Williamson were both experienced pilots. Payne, who had some 10 158 hours of flying experience, obtained his first pilot licence in 1984, more than 21 years before the crash that ended his life. He obtained a commercial pilot licence in 1987.
Williamson had some 3 905 hours of flying experience. He obtained a commercial pilot licence in late 2000.
Report out on plane crash that killed two
By: WERNER MENGES
A PILOT error, resulting in a controlled flight into the ground, has been identified as the most probable cause of an aeroplane crash in which two Antipodean pilots were killed during an aerial geophysical survey southwest of Windhoek in October 2005.
Australian pilot Ian Payne and a fellow pilot from New Zealand, Dougal Williamson, were the only people on board a Cessna 210 aircraft that was being used to conduct a low-level aerial geological survey for the Ministry of Mines and Energy when the aircraft crashed at farm Göllschau some 80 kilometres southwest of Windhoek on October 20 2005.
The two pilots, who were both 38 years old, were killed in the crash. The aircraft was completely destroyed by fire when it burst into flames after the crash.
The report on the official investigation of the incident by the Ministry of Works and Transport’s Directorate of Aircraft Accident Investigations has now been released.
In the report, aircraft accident investigator Titus Shuungula concluded that no evidence that the weather or mechanical problems had played a role in the crash.
He concluded: “The most probable cause of this accident could be attributed to Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT).”
The last flight of the aircraft, which carried the registration number V5-AAG, started when it took off from Eros Airport in Windhoek shortly after 06h00 on October 20 2005.
The aircraft, which had been modified for geological survey work in 2002, had undergone a routine mandatory inspection only a day before it crashed, it is stated in the accident investigation report.
The aeroplane crashed about 30 minutes after the take-off from Eros Airport.
With the investigation of the crash it was established that after the plane had first struck the ground, it skipped over rock outcrops and uneven terrain for 97 metres before the nose section struck a rise of about 1,5 metres, which swung the aircraft around. Coming to a rest, the plane burst into flames.
The two pilots were still inside the aircraft.
To be effective in geophysical recording, the aircraft had to stay 80 metres above ground and not higher, and that requires “absolute maximum efficiency” in the handling of the plane, it is stated in the accident report.
The aircraft was not fitted with a ground proximity warning system, but this was not required by regulation either, it is stated.
With an investigation of the plane’s engine not having produced any indications that the crash had been the result of an engine failure, it was concluded that a controlled flight into the ground was the most probable cause of the crash.
“It appears that the pilot in command manoeuvred the aircraft into very close proximity to rising terrain with insufficient time available to make the necessary flight path corrections,” the accident report reads.
The cause of the crash could only be partly explained, though, the report indicates. It is stated in the report: “It was not determined why the pilot lost control of the aircraft and let the aircraft collide with the terrain.”
The report concluded: “It is strongly recommended that during survey flights considerable time should be devoted in looking inside the aircraft cockpit in order to maintain lateral and vertical navigation. Hazardous states of inattention, distraction, preoccupation or absorption can easily cause a pilot to lose situational awareness.” Pilots should be reminded of this, it was recommended.
According to the report, Payne and Williamson were both experienced pilots. Payne, who had some 10 158 hours of flying experience, obtained his first pilot licence in 1984, more than 21 years before the crash that ended his life. He obtained a commercial pilot licence in 1987.
Williamson had some 3 905 hours of flying experience. He obtained a commercial pilot licence in late 2000.
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,929
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It is strongly recommended that during survey flights considerable time should be devoted in looking inside the aircraft cockpit in order to maintain lateral and vertical navigation
I find this recommendation weird. Frankly, if I was to conduct survey flights at <80m agl, I'd be looking OUTSIDE to avoid rising cumulugranite.
PS: Voel, good to see you're still there - what's up ?
