Air Midwest Beech 1900 crashes into hangar at Charlotte-Douglas
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Yes, Paper Tiger, that was the one....
And the latest.....
Crash of U.S. Air Flight May Be Linked to Section of Tail
Friday January 17, 1:29 am ET
SAN FRANCISCO -- Investigators looking into last week's crash of a U.S. Airways commuter flight in Charlotte, N.C., suspect a tail part that may have been improperly installed years before helped jam the plane's flight controls, government and industry officials told Friday's Wall Street Journal.
The National Transportation Safety Board is trying to determine whether a sensor designed to record movements in the turboprop aircraft's tail was misaligned when it was installed on the plane as a retrofit item years earlier, these officials said. Investigators also suspect that routine maintenance work performed days before the crash to adjust the tension of a control cable played a role in the crash that killed all 21 people aboard.
While it is likely to be months before the safety board formally identifies the probable cause of the accident, the early findings suggest that there wasn't a systemic design problem with the Raytheon Co. twin-engine Beech 1900D model, or with the maintenance operations of Air Midwest, which was operating the flight for U.S. Airways . Air Midwest is a unit of Mesa Air Group Inc., based in Phoenix.
Preliminary data gathered by investigators point to some type of malfunction in the plane's elevator, the part of the tail that helps the plane climb and descend. Officials familiar with the probe said both of the aircraft's engines appeared to be operating normally, the takeoff roll was routine, and the nose of the plane lifted off without incident. But within a few seconds, the nose tipped up sharply, putting the plane into a fatal stall.
And the latest.....
Crash of U.S. Air Flight May Be Linked to Section of Tail
Friday January 17, 1:29 am ET
SAN FRANCISCO -- Investigators looking into last week's crash of a U.S. Airways commuter flight in Charlotte, N.C., suspect a tail part that may have been improperly installed years before helped jam the plane's flight controls, government and industry officials told Friday's Wall Street Journal.
The National Transportation Safety Board is trying to determine whether a sensor designed to record movements in the turboprop aircraft's tail was misaligned when it was installed on the plane as a retrofit item years earlier, these officials said. Investigators also suspect that routine maintenance work performed days before the crash to adjust the tension of a control cable played a role in the crash that killed all 21 people aboard.
While it is likely to be months before the safety board formally identifies the probable cause of the accident, the early findings suggest that there wasn't a systemic design problem with the Raytheon Co. twin-engine Beech 1900D model, or with the maintenance operations of Air Midwest, which was operating the flight for U.S. Airways . Air Midwest is a unit of Mesa Air Group Inc., based in Phoenix.
Preliminary data gathered by investigators point to some type of malfunction in the plane's elevator, the part of the tail that helps the plane climb and descend. Officials familiar with the probe said both of the aircraft's engines appeared to be operating normally, the takeoff roll was routine, and the nose of the plane lifted off without incident. But within a few seconds, the nose tipped up sharply, putting the plane into a fatal stall.
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The FAA just released an emergency AD for the Beech 1900 concerning rigging of the elevators:
http://www.aero-news.net/news/commer...ntBlockID=7610
http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory...6?OpenDocument
http://www.aero-news.net/news/commer...ntBlockID=7610
http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory...6?OpenDocument
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Here is is an article quoting FAA statistics of accidents vs. age of the pilot.
----- Start quote --------
..... a Federal Aviation Administration study obtained by Team 4 shows that pilots in their 20s have, by far, the highest accident rate:
89 percent higher than pilots in their 30s
59 percent greater than pilots in their 40s
62 percent higher than pilots in their 50s
----- End quote --------
I am not clear whether they are talking about pilots or commercial pilots.
----- Start quote --------
..... a Federal Aviation Administration study obtained by Team 4 shows that pilots in their 20s have, by far, the highest accident rate:
89 percent higher than pilots in their 30s
59 percent greater than pilots in their 40s
62 percent higher than pilots in their 50s
----- End quote --------
I am not clear whether they are talking about pilots or commercial pilots.
I have come into this one late, as I understand it OBSLF has hit the nail directly on the head, and I believe that checks are to be made on the fleet, I also understand that there are queries regarding the correct jigging on the elevators after maintenance on more than one operator, in particular the methodology used to assess the correct settings. My source indicates that FOD or other external influences at the time of the accident are unlikely to be the main cause.
It will be interesting to see where this ball ends up, with Raytheon/Beech for allegedly designing a system that can be set up incorrectly, or for the operators who allegedly may have done so. I am also led to believe that the crew are unlikely to be at fault for this accident. RIP all those involved.
It will be interesting to see where this ball ends up, with Raytheon/Beech for allegedly designing a system that can be set up incorrectly, or for the operators who allegedly may have done so. I am also led to believe that the crew are unlikely to be at fault for this accident. RIP all those involved.
Swounger
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The Public hearing has been scheduled for May 20.
"The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct a 2-
day en banc public hearing as part of its ongoing
investigation into the fatal crash of Air Midwest flight
5481 at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, Charlotte,
North Carolina. The hearing will convene at 9:00 a.m. on
May 20th at the NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center at
429 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., D.C. The hearing may continue
into a third day.. . . . .
A witness list will be released on the first day of
the hearing. Also on the first day, the Safety Board will
open its public docket on the investigation, which will
include hundreds of pages of factual reports and supporting
documentation. Factual reports from the docket will be
available on the Board's website, www.ntsb.gov. The entire
docket on CD ROM may be ordered from the Board's Public
Inquiries Office at (202) 314-6551."
"The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct a 2-
day en banc public hearing as part of its ongoing
investigation into the fatal crash of Air Midwest flight
5481 at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, Charlotte,
North Carolina. The hearing will convene at 9:00 a.m. on
May 20th at the NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center at
429 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., D.C. The hearing may continue
into a third day.. . . . .
A witness list will be released on the first day of
the hearing. Also on the first day, the Safety Board will
open its public docket on the investigation, which will
include hundreds of pages of factual reports and supporting
documentation. Factual reports from the docket will be
available on the Board's website, www.ntsb.gov. The entire
docket on CD ROM may be ordered from the Board's Public
Inquiries Office at (202) 314-6551."
Swounger
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Doh: http://www.ntsb.gov/events/boardmeeting.htm#previous
Washington, DC - The National Transportation Safety Board determined today that the probable cause of an airliner crash in Charlotte, North Carolina, last year was the airplane's loss of pitch control during takeoff. The loss of pitch control was the result of incorrect rigging of the elevator control system compounded by the airplane's center of gravity, which was substantially aft of the certified aft limit.
Washington, DC - The National Transportation Safety Board determined today that the probable cause of an airliner crash in Charlotte, North Carolina, last year was the airplane's loss of pitch control during takeoff. The loss of pitch control was the result of incorrect rigging of the elevator control system compounded by the airplane's center of gravity, which was substantially aft of the certified aft limit.
Dreamland,
Agree wholeheartedly, 19 pax is a full load, no probs with CoG there, the only issue left is baggage overload.
Maybe they were carrying bullion?
Really does sound like an elevator problem
Agree wholeheartedly, 19 pax is a full load, no probs with CoG there, the only issue left is baggage overload.
Maybe they were carrying bullion?
Really does sound like an elevator problem
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CG?
Ive got about 1500 hrs in this machine, and I can tell you that it's very easy to load with the cg out the back door. Some Carriers use a pogo stick at the back. If you can't get it out when you've finished loading, it usually means someone's telling porkies on the weight and balance. As someone else said, the excessive nose oleo extension can give you a clue, the bigger step up into the plane, and the fact that it's like taxiing a taildragger all tell you something.
All of this can only make a bad situation worse. I don't think any plane that could be taxied could be completely uncontrollable on rotation with a functioning elevator -- as long as you are sitting close enough to the controls.
So , IMHO CG made it worse, but could not have been the cause.
Wrong place at wrong time, I guess.
A control check should be made in every plane before every takeoff. I only started to do it EVERY time when I started flying jets. Until then, it was always a first flight of the day thing.
It's a shame that an accident has to happen before we take notice of these small but sometimes very important things.
All of this can only make a bad situation worse. I don't think any plane that could be taxied could be completely uncontrollable on rotation with a functioning elevator -- as long as you are sitting close enough to the controls.
So , IMHO CG made it worse, but could not have been the cause.
Wrong place at wrong time, I guess.
A control check should be made in every plane before every takeoff. I only started to do it EVERY time when I started flying jets. Until then, it was always a first flight of the day thing.
It's a shame that an accident has to happen before we take notice of these small but sometimes very important things.
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Our SOP's call for a full control check as well as an electric elevator trim check before every take off.
also now all 3 trims manually to full delection and back to zero on the morning preflight.
as far as the AD that was issued from Raytheon about the elvator stop bolts after this accident:
I have heard rumors that numerous aircarft were found to be out of limits. does anyone else know?
and cents.
also now all 3 trims manually to full delection and back to zero on the morning preflight.
as far as the AD that was issued from Raytheon about the elvator stop bolts after this accident:
I have heard rumors that numerous aircarft were found to be out of limits. does anyone else know?
and cents.
