Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Skykits Savannah ADV, N9764J: Accident occurred September 03, 2012 in Murtaugh, Idaho

NTSB Identification: WPR12FA395 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, September 03, 2012 in Murtaugh, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/09/2014
Aircraft: SKYKITS USA CORP SAVANNAH ADV, registration: N9764J
Injuries: 1 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 flying over his mountainous ranch property to check on his cattle following a fire. When he did not return, the family reported him overdue. The wreckage was subsequently found on the ranch property at an elevation of about 7,115 feet mean sea level. The density altitude at ground level was estimated to be about 12,495 feet; the operating limitations for the airplane state that the maximum ceiling is about 14,000 feet pressure altitude at maximum weight. On-site wreckage documentation indicated that the airplane collided with terrain in a nearly vertical attitude. Because of the high density altitude on the day of the accident and the elevation of the terrain, the pilot had little altitude within which to operate before reaching the airplane's maximum ceiling. It is likely that, while maneuvering the airplane near or above the airplane's maximum ceiling, the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall and a subsequent loss of control. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at or above the airplane's maximum ceiling, which resulted in a stall and a subsequent loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to operate the airplane in the high density altitude conditions, which placed the airplane near or above its maximum ceiling.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On September 3, 2012, at an undetermined time, a Skykits USA Corp Savannah ADV, N9764J, collided with terrain near Murtaugh, Idaho. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight departed Twin Falls, Idaho, about 1200. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot had indicated to family members that he was going to fly up to his mountain ranch property to check on his cattle following a fire. When he did not return, the family reported him overdue, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT). The Cassia County Sheriff reported that the wreckage was discovered about 2030 MDT.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

A review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman records revealed that the 81-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. The pilot held a third-class medical certificate issued on January 7, 2010. It had the limitation that the pilot must wear corrective lenses. The pilot's medical certificate had expired, but he was operating a light-sport airplane.

No personal flight records were located for the pilot. The IIC obtained the aeronautical experience listed in this report from a review of the FAA airmen medical records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The pilot reported on his medical application that he had a total time of 3,000 hours with 11 hours logged in the last 6 months.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The single-engine, high-wing airplane was a Skykits USA Corporation Savannah ADV, serial number 07-07-51-621. A review of the airplane's logbooks revealed that the airplane had a total airframe time of 300.1 hours at the last engine maintenance performed (an oil change) on August 12, 2012. The last annual inspection was on June 1, 2012, at a total airframe time of 276.6 hours.

The engine was a 100-horsepower ROTAX 912 ULS, serial number 5649340. Total time recorded on the engine at the last annual conditional inspection was 276.6 hours.

The operating limitations state that the maximum ceiling is about 14,000 feet pressure altitude at maximum weight. However, if the pilot is operating under sport pilot privileges, FAR Part 61.315 (C) (11), restricts the airplane to 10,000 feet msl, or 2,000 feet above ground level (agl), whichever is higher.

METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS

The closest official weather observation station was Twin Falls, Idaho (KTWF), which was 21 nautical miles (nm) northwest of the accident site at an elevation of 4,154 feet mean sea level (msl). An aviation routine weather report (METAR) for KTWF issued at 1153 MDT stated: wind from 030 degrees at 5 knots; visibility 10 miles; sky clear; temperature 23/73 degrees Celsius/Fahrenheit; dew point -1/30 degrees Celsius/Fahrenheit; altimeter 30.16 inches of mercury.

The elevation of the accident site was approximately 7,115 feet, which was about 3,000 feet higher than the reporting weather station. Using a dry adiabatic lapse rate of 3 degrees F per thousand feet; the accident site temperature would be 67 degrees F with a dew point of 21 degrees F. Using a pressure differential (between 5,000 and 10,000 feet) of 0.86 inches per 1,000 feet, the atmospheric pressure would decrease from 30.16 to 27.20 inches. Using those numbers in a density altitude calculator, the calculated density altitude was 12,495 feet.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

An FAA inspector examined the wreckage on scene. The airplane came to rest nose down in a stand of willow trees in a marshy area. Only the trees in the immediate area of the wreckage had broken branches. The cabin area was crushed aft, and the leading edges of the wings were in contact with the ground. The fuselage buckled 90 degrees aft of the cabin so that the empennage was in a horizontal upright position. He established control continuity for the rudder and elevators to the crushed cabin area. The ailerons remained connected.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Cassia County Coroner, Burley, Idaho, completed an autopsy, and found blunt force trauma as the cause of death.

The FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team, Oklahoma City, performed toxicological testing of specimens of the pilot. Analysis of the specimens contained no findings for carbon monoxide, cyanide, or volatiles. The report contained the following findings for tested drugs: amlodopine detected in urine; amlodipine detected in blood (cavity); metoprolol detected in liver; metoprolol detected in blood (cavity).

TESTS AND RESEARCH

The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC), the FAA, and an investigator representing ROTAX examined the wreckage at the owner's hangar on October 31, 2012. A detailed report is part of the public docket.

The postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB Identification: WPR12FA395 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, September 03, 2012 in Murtaugh, ID
Aircraft: SKYKITS USA CORP SAVANNAH ADV, registration: N9764J
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On September 3, 2012, about 1230 mountain daylight time (MDT), a Skykits USA Corp Savannah ADV, N9764J, collided with terrain near Murtaugh, Idaho. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight departed Twin Falls, Idaho, about 1200. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot had indicated to family members that he was going to fly up to his mountain ranch property to check on his cattle following a fire. When he did not return, the family reported him overdue at 1300, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT). The wreckage was discovered about 2235 MDT.

The airplane came to rest nose down in a stand of willow trees in a marshy area. The cabin area was crushed aft, and the leading edges of the wings were in contact with the ground. The fuselage buckled 90° aft of the cabin so that the empennage was in a horizontal upright position. An FAA inspector established control continuity for the rudder and elevators to the crushed cabin are. The ailerons remained connected.



Rancher Dies in Cassia Co. Plane Crash




TWIN FALLS • Joseph Edgar Tugaw, a prominent rancher and veterinarian in the Twin Falls area for more than three decades, died Monday evening in a plane crash in Dry Creek Canyon.

An announcement from the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office states deputies received information about a plane crash in the Dry Creek Canyon area at about 8:30 p.m.

They found Tugaw’s single engine Savannah ADV fixed-wing plane about 18 miles up the canyon, the announcement states.

“Everyone here is deeply saddened,” said Wyatt Prescott, Idaho Cattle Association executive vice president. “He’s a legend in the Idaho cattle industry.”

Tugaw was elected president of the Idaho Cattle Association in 1995 and in 1999 was inducted into the Southern Idaho Livestock Hall of Fame.

Mott Hill assisted in the search for Tugaw’s plane. He said he worked with Tugaw for 20 years, but was also a friend.

“Joe had a fire in his belly for raising quality cattle,” Hill said.

Along with a passion for cattle, Hill said Tugaw was a good horseman, a considerate neighbor and was a great environmentalist.

“He took care of the land and it took care of him,” Hill said.

Tugaw also took care of his friends, Hill said.

“He was just a kind, gentle person,” he said. “He took better care of his friends and relatives — keeping contact and providing encouragement more than anybody I’ve ever known.”

Just recently, fire swept through most of Tugaw’s grazing land, but Tugaw remained optimistic and was looking for ways to keep the herd fed, Hill said.

Monday evening, Hill said, Tugaw was checking on his cattle in grazing allotment in the South Hills and enjoyed that he could combine his love of flying with caring for his herd.

“He couldn’t have been happier than when he was up there,” Hill said.

Monday’s crash is still under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Allen Kenitzer with the FAA said Tugaw’s plane had departed the Twin Falls airport earlier Monday. The aircraft was completely destroyed, he said.

Mini-Cassia Search and Rescue, Rock Creek Ambulance and Air St. Luke’s assisted in the response.

According to a 1999 profile on Tugaw in Ag Weekly following his entrance into the Livestock Hall of Fame, Tugaw grew up on a cattle ranch in Okanogan, Wash., and in 1954 graduated from Washington State University in Pullman with a degree in veterinary medicine. Tugaw then entered the U.S. Air Force where he served at a hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, the article states. After two years in the service, Tugaw opened the Central Valley Veterinary Hospital in Salt Lake City with an uncle and later opened several more clinics in the Salt Lake Area.

In the article Tugaw spoke of the variety of experiences he had throughout his life, while always returning to ranching.

“I wanted to be a cowboy and own a ranch for ever and ever and ever, so that’s what I did,” Tugaw said at the time.


Source:  http://magicvalley.com

 
Credit: ICP 
Twin Falls rancher Joe Tugaw owned and flew a small plane similar to the one pictured here. The aircraft is manufactured by the I.C.P. company, and known as a Savannah A.D.V.


Cassia County, Idaho (KMVT-TV) - In remote Cassia County off of Dry Creek Road Fire, EMS, Police and search and rescue teams spent several hours Monday Night into the early morning hours of Tuesday looking for a reported downed airplane.

The Cassia County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by ground crews on ATVs and by Lifeflight in the search for the downed airplane. The plane was eventually located in the Dry Creek Canyon just off of Dry Creek Road outside of Murtaugh.

We spoke with Lt. Kevin Horrick of the Cassia County Sheriff's Department and he confirmed that a plane had crashed in the canyon. "The Sheriff's Department today responded to a plane crash up dry creek canyon. The crash is still under investigation."

While the Cassia County Sheriff's Office is releasing very little information about the plane crash, we have learned that there was 1 person aboard the plane, the pilot, and that the 1 person was a fatality. Family members tell us that Joe Tugaw, 82 years old of Twin Falls, was aboard the plane when it crashed.

Tugaw reportedly left the Joslin Field Airport in Twin Falls sometime Monday evening. He was flying over his ranch off of Dry Creek Road when the plane crashed near his cabin in the canyon. The Cassia County Sheriff's Office is continuing their investigation and we will have the latest information as it becomes available.

Story and video:    http://www.kmvt.com


 
 Joe Tugaw 
 Credit: Idaho Cattle Association

MURTAUGH, Idaho -- Emergency crews in Cassia County continue to investigate a serious airplane crash that happened near a remote canyon about 20 miles southeast of Twin Falls Monday night.

Cassia County dispatchers say the plane went down in Dry Creek Canyon around 9 p.m. Monday.

As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, officials couldn’t confirm details in the crash; however, they did say that authorities continue to investigate the scene.


http://www.ktvb.com

 http://registry.faa.gov/N9764J

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 9764J        Make/Model: LSA       Description: SAVANNAH ADV SKYKITS
  Date: 09/03/2012     Time: 2000

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: MURTAUGH   State: ID   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE 1PERSON ON BOARD WAS 
  FATALLY INJURED, NEAR MURTAUGH, ID

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    


OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: BOISE, ID  (NM11)                     Entry date: 09/04/2012 
 

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