14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, September 15, 2011 in Noblesville, IN
Probable Cause Approval Date: 04/25/2013
Aircraft: Remos Aircraft GMBH Flugzeugba GX, registration: N107GX
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot was maneuvering the airplane at a low altitude near the passenger's family residence when the airspeed approached level-flight stall speed. The airplane then descended and impacted terrain. The damage and wreckage distribution indicated a nose-down, low-speed impact consistent with an aerodynamic stall. Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The altitude at which the airplane was being flown was below that required by regulations for congested areas.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at a low altitude. Contributing was the pilot's decision to maneuver at an altitude below that required for congested areas, which did not afford an adequate margin for stall recovery.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On September 15, 2011, about 1705 eastern daylight time, a Remos Aircraft GMBH Flugzeugbau GX, N107GX, sustained substantial damage on impact with terrain while maneuvering over a residential area and golf course near Noblesville, Indiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The airplane departed from Purdue University Airport (LAF), Lafayette, Indiana, about 1620.
The pilot's father had flown the airplane to LAF where the pilot took the airplane with his college roommate for the flight. The father of the pilot stated that he did not know the intended destination of the flight.
The passenger's parents home was located near the golf course belonging to the Harbour Trees Golf Club. The passenger's parents stated to police that their son had planned to fly by their house with his roommate. The passenger's parents had spoken with their son while their son was airborne and he said that they were flying by the house. The passenger's parents told their son that they were not home, but instead they were by White River Elementary and thought they were going to fly over to that location.
A witness stated that the airplane was flying about 500-600 feet above the house roof and trees. The airplane was initially level for a few seconds and then "quickly" began to descend and turn "a little left."
A second witness stated that the airplane flew from the south to the north. As the airplane approached the golf course's number 3 green, it appeared to swoop down and pull up "quickly." The witness noticed earlier that the airplane appeared to be flying "low." The airplane then flew around again and crashed nose first into the ground after it flew over a house, close to where the witness saw it "swoop" down earlier. The airplane was flying from east to west when it impacted the ground.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot, age 21, held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane ratings.
The pilot's logbook was dated from May 21, 2009, to September 15, 2011. On August 19, 2009, he was issued a private pilot certificate at a total flight time of 58.2 hours. The next flight entry in the logbook was dated November 16, 2009, which was also the pilot's first logged flight and checkout in a Remos GX. All subsequent logbook entries listed N107GX as the aircraft flown by the pilot. On August 8, 2011, the pilot passed an instrument rating checkride. The pilot logbook showed that he accumulated a total flight time of 149.9 hours, of which 91.7 hours was Remos GX airplanes.
On May 29, 2009, the pilot failed the color vision portion of his Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman medical examination and his airman medical certificate would carry the following restriction until he passed the signal light test and received a statement of demonstrated ability waiver: "Not valid for night flying or by color signal control."
On May 29, 2009, the pilot was issued his most recent airman medical certificate which was a third class certificate with the following limitations: "Not valid for night flying or by color signal control. Must wear corrective lenses for distant vision." There were no subsequent FAA medical records indicating the removal of the restriction.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The aircraft was a 2008 Remos Aircraft GMBH Flugzeugbau Remos GX, serial number 293, airplane that was issued a special airworthiness certificate as a light-sport airplane. The airplane was registered to DB Aircraft LLC on November 9, 2009. The airplane was powered by a Rotax 912 UL-S, serial number 5651588, engine.
An airplane logbook entry dated August 31, 2011, stated that the airplane was last inspected during a "100-hour" at a Hobbs time of 477.9 hours and a total airframe time of 477.9 hours. An engine logbook entry dated August 31, 2011, stated that he engine was inspected in accordance with the "manufacturer's maintenance and inspection procedures." The engine logbook entry did not identify the type of inspection performed.
The airplane was not equipped with an optional "rescue system," which incorporates a parachute connected to the main spar in the wing/fuselage section.
According to the Remos GX Pilot Operating Handbook, Operating Limitations, the airspeed limits for minimum airspeed flaps extended (40 degrees) (Vso) was 38 knots. The minimum airspeed flaps retracted (0 degrees) was 44 knots.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The Eagle Creek Airpark (EYE), Indianapolis, Indiana, automated surface observing system (ASOS) was located about 19 nautical miles southeast of the accident site. The EYE ASOS recorded at:
1553: wind - 040 degrees at 8 knots, gusting 18 knots, variable 010 degrees to 070 degrees; visibility - 10 statute miles; sky condition - clear; temperature - 16 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 0 degrees C; altimeter - 30.29 inches of mercury (Hg).
1653: wind - 020 degrees at 9 knots; visibility - 10 statute miles; sky condition - clear; temperature - 16 degrees C, dew point 1 degrees C; altimeter - 30.29 inches Hg.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The main wreckage consisting of the fuselage, empennage, wings, control surfaces, engine, and propeller was located within the planform of the airplane. The main wreckage was resting on the edge of a sand trap and adjacent to the number 3 green at the Harbour Trees Golf Course. The elevation of the accident site was approximately 836 feet mean sea level.
The airplane was in an upright position and oriented on an approximate southerly tail to nose heading. The left wing was attached to the fuselage at the wing root. The right wing was attached at the wing root forward attach point and displaced forward of the fuselage. Both wing struts were separated at the fuselage attach point which exhibited overstress separations. Both wing leading edges displayed crushing. The left wing and forward fuselage section exhibited an approximate 45 degree crush angle. The right wing was resting at an approximately 90 degrees.
The instrument panel sustained impact damage. The magneto key switch was in the both position. The airplane was equipped with two Dynon displays and a handheld global positioning system (GPS) receiver. The displays and GPS receiver were removed for download of the nonvolatile memory by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Vehicle Recorder Division.
Examination of the flight control system revealed that all of the flight control surfaces were attached to their respective wing structures. The rudder was detached from its upper attach point to the vertical stabilizer through a fracture consistent with overload. The rudder was attached at the bottom attach point to the vertical stabilizer. The examination confirmed flight control continuity from all of the control surfaces to the cockpit controls. The flap jack screw was extended about 27 threads which equated to about 295 millimeters. According to the aircraft manufacturer, the flap jack screw extension equated to a flap extension of approximately 23 degrees.
The engine was removed and examined at Rotech Flight Safety Ltd., Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, under the supervision of the NTSB. The examination revealed that the engine sustained impact damage. There were no mechanical anomalies found with the engine during the examination. Rotational scoring within the gearbox and the ingestion of sand was consistent with engine operation at the time of impact. A liquid consistent with fuel was present within the fuel pump when it was disassembled. The liquid tested negative for water contamination. Small cracking was found on the fuel pump diaphragm on the dry side of the pump. The fuel pump was sent to the Rotax Factory for additional testing and examination; however, recorded data of fuel pressure and fuel flow is discussed in Tests and Research.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy of the pilot was conducted by the Hamilton County Coroner on September 16, 2011. The cause of death was multiple blunt traumatic injuries to the body.
The FAA Final Forensic Toxicology Fatal Accident Report for the pilot stated: no carbon monoxide detected in blood, no cyanide detected in blood, 51 (mg/dL, mg/hg) ethanol detected in vitreous, no ethanol detected in urine, no ethanol detected in blood. The report notes stated that the ethanol found in this case is from sources other than ingestion. No drugs listed were detected in urine.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
The nonvolatile memory from the Dynon displays contained various engine performance parameters that included fuel flow and fuel pressure. The fuel flow and pressure were above their minimum values until the end of the recorded data.
GPS data recorded at 21:04:12 (GPS time was not correlated to local time), that the airplane groundspeed decreased to 40 knots at a ground track of 32.9 degrees and a GPS altitude of 1,344 feet. The last four GPS records began showed the following:
At 21:04:37; ground speed - 61 knots; ground track - 171.1 degrees; altitude - 1,323 feet
At 21:04:40; ground speed - 52 knots; ground track - 133.9 degrees; altitude - 1,298 feet
At 21:04:43; ground speed - 35 knots; ground track - 85.6 degrees; altitude - 1,213 feet
At 21:04:45; ground speed - 24 knots; ground track - 104.3 degrees; altitude - 1,098 feet
Part 91.119, Minimum safe altitudes: General.
Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes:
(a) Anywhere. An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.
(b) Over congested areas. Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.
(c) Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
Left: Joe Neuzerling Right: Joshua DeBoer
http://www.faa.govAccident_incident/preliminary_data
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo
A plane crash on a Hamilton County golf course killed two students on Thursday.
Joshua Deboer, a senior in the College of Engineering, was the pilot and Joseph Neuzerling, a junior in the College of Engineering, was a passenger when the plane went down at 5:06 p.m. in Noblesville, Ind.
According to some media outlets, Deboer's father was present when the plane crashed.
The Purdue Tower reports the plane left at 4:30 p.m. The aircraft was not based at Purdue nor is a Purdue plane. The plane was registered to DB Aircraft LLC in Lynwood, Ill.
According to eye-witness reports to the Noblesville Police Department, the plane, a small two-seater sports craft, was seen flying at a low altitude and circled the golf course once or twice before crashing.
Noblesville Police Department Lt. Bruce Barnes said the Federal Aviation Administration was out on the golf course conducting a preliminary investigation Thursday evening.
FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board resumed its investigation of what caused the crash today at 9 a.m.
Noblesville Police Department will not be releasing the destination of where the students were heading due to the confidentiality the NTSB needs for its investigation.
Media outlets have reported that the two students were roommates and neither were part of Purdue's aviation program.
Deboer, 21, was from Chicago Heights, Ill., and Neuzerling, 21, was from Noblesville, Ind.
Jeanne Norberg, the University spokeswoman, offered a comment on behalf of the University of the two student's death.
"This is a tragic loss for not only their family and friends, but for everyone in the Purdue community," she said. "Both these young men had bright futures."
The Exponent will follow this story as it develops.
http://www.purdueexponent.org
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo
A plane crash on a Hamilton County golf course killed two students on Thursday.
Joshua Deboer, a senior in the College of Engineering, was the pilot and Joseph Neuzerling, a junior in the College of Engineering, was a passenger when the plane went down at 5:06 p.m. in Noblesville, Ind.
According to some media outlets, Deboer's father was present when the plane crashed.
The Purdue Tower reports the plane left at 4:30 p.m. The aircraft was not based at Purdue nor is a Purdue plane. The plane was registered to DB Aircraft LLC in Lynwood, Ill.
According to eye-witness reports to the Noblesville Police Department, the plane, a small two-seater sports craft, was seen flying at a low altitude and circled the golf course once or twice before crashing.
Noblesville Police Department Lt. Bruce Barnes said the Federal Aviation Administration was out on the golf course conducting a preliminary investigation Thursday evening.
FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board resumed its investigation of what caused the crash today at 9 a.m.
Noblesville Police Department will not be releasing the destination of where the students were heading due to the confidentiality the NTSB needs for its investigation.
Media outlets have reported that the two students were roommates and neither were part of Purdue's aviation program.
Deboer, 21, was from Chicago Heights, Ill., and Neuzerling, 21, was from Noblesville, Ind.
Jeanne Norberg, the University spokeswoman, offered a comment on behalf of the University of the two student's death.
"This is a tragic loss for not only their family and friends, but for everyone in the Purdue community," she said. "Both these young men had bright futures."
The Exponent will follow this story as it develops.
http://www.purdueexponent.org
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- Two 21-year-old men who died Thursday afternoon when a plane crashed in a Noblesville golf course were Purdue University students.
Joseph Neuzerling, 21, of Noblesville, and pilot Joshua DeBoer, 21, of Chicago Heights, Ill., were killed when the plane came down on the third hole of the Harbor Trees golf course near Roxbury Lane and Oxford Drive just after 5 p.m.
Both men were mechanical engineering students who lived off campus and may have been roommates, said Jeanne Norberg, Purdue spokeswoman.
"This is a tragic loss for not only their family and friends, but for everyone in the Purdue community," Norberg said. "Both these young men had bright futures."
Noblesville fire crews and state police inspected the scene, cooperating with National Transportation Safety Board officials to determine what went wrong.
Bruce Barnes with the Noblesville Police Department said witnesses could help them with their investigation.
"(Witnesses) observed something that they said was a bit out of the ordinary in terms of flight path of an airplane. In terms of the plane's elevation, that information is critical," Barnes said.
John Clayton witnessed the crash and called authorities for help, 6News' Ericka Flye reported.
"All of a sudden the (plane's) left wing just dropped. I never did see (it) come up from the tree line," Clayton said.
FAA officials said the plane was registered to DB Aircraft of Lynwood, Ill.
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A small plane that crashed into a suburban Indianapolis golf course was flying normally on a clear day just before witnesses say it suddenly spiraled into the ground, killing the Chicago Heights man who was piloting it and his passenger.
The single-engine plane crashed into the Harbour Trees Golf Club, which winds through a neighborhood along Morse Reservoir in Noblesville, early Thursday evening. The plane smashed to a halt in a sand trap next to a putting green, leaving scorch marks on the nearby fairway.
Federal aviation investigators would return to the golf course Friday to try to determine the cause of the crash, Noblesville police Lt. Bruce Barnes said.
The crash killed pilot Joshua DeBoer, 21, of Chicago Heights, and passenger Joseph Neuzerling, 21, of Noblesville, according to police.
Nearby resident Eric Smith said he was the first person to reach the plane after it circled above the golf course near his home and then “corkscrewed” into the ground.
He said the crash sounded “like a gunshot — one thump, then done.”
Smith said he pulled away a wing that was lying on top of one of the occupants, but that the man had no pulse. Only when emergency personnel arrived did he realize there was a second man in the plane.
Another witness said nothing appeared wrong until just before the crash.
“All of a sudden the left wing just dropped,” John Clayton told WRTV. “I never did see it come up from the tree line.”
No comments:
Post a Comment