Monday, October 08, 2012

Plane in emergency landing after assistant pilot falls ill

A Saudi passenger aircraft on a domestic flight made an emergency landing after its assistant pilot fell ill, a newspaper reported.

The Saudia Airlines plane was on route from the capital Riyadh to the northwestern town of Tabuk when the pilot aide had breathing problems.

The pilot decided to land in the northern city of Hail, where his assistant was taken to King Khaled hospital, Aleqtisadiya daily said.


http://www.emirates247.com

Authorities call off search for a plane crash in Campbell County, Tennessee

Officials in Campbell County have called off the search for a plane crash on Sunday night.
 

 Deputies centralized around the Stanfield Baptist Church during that search. They closed that area after 11:15 on Sunday night.

 On Sunday several people reported that a plane crashed in that area.

 The FAA confirmed that there were no reports of a crash and are not missing any planes in the Campbell County area.

 A spokesperson from the Campbell County Sheriff's Office said it was their duty to take tips on plane crashes seriously.

Grumman G-44 Widgeon, Fresh Water Adventures, N139F: Accident occurred October 07, 2012 in Aleknagik, Alaska

http://registry.faa.gov/N139F

http://theflyingboatforum.forumlaunch.net

NTSB Identification: ANC13FA001 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, October 07, 2012 in Aleknagik, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 09/12/2013
Aircraft: GRUMMAN G-44, registration: N139F
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 of the twin-engine seaplane was en route to a remote lake to pick up passengers. A passenger who was awaiting pickup witnessed the accident and said that when the airplane arrived in the area, it made multiple passes over the lake and island where he was waiting. After the third pass, the airplane came into view very low over the water. The airplane banked to the left, and the left wing float struck the water. The airplane veered sharply to the left, bounced, and cartwheeled three times. The airplane came to rest, partially submerged, with its high-mounted wings level with the surface of the water. The witness was unable to reach the airplane due to the icy water, and the airplane subsequently sank in the lake and was not recovered. The witness did not see the pilot.

The witness reported that the weather conditions at the time of the accident consisted of calm wind, low clouds, light rain, and fog restricting the visibility. He further described the water as glassy. It is likely that, due to visibility and water conditions, the pilot misjudged the height above the surface of the lake during a low pass, resulting in the left wing float inadvertently contacting the surface of the lake.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's decision to make multiple low passes over the glassy surface water, which resulted in an impact with the surface of the lake.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On October 7, 2012, about 1645 Alaska daylight time, an amphibious Grumman G-44 airplane, N139F, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the surface of Tikchik Lake, about 50 miles north-northeast of Aleknagik, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by Freshwater Adventures, Dillingham, Alaska, as a visual flight rules, VFR positioning flight, under Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91, when the accident occurred. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. Marginal visual meteorological (MVFR) conditions prevailed in the area of the accident, and company flight following procedures were in effect. The flight departed Dillingham, about 1600.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on October 10, a local hunting guide who witnessed the accident, along with his client, were waiting for the accident airplane’s arrival for a return trip to Dillingham. He said that when the airplane arrived overhead, it made several passes over the lake and island where they were located. After the third pass overhead, the airplane came into view in front of their location very low over the water. He said the airplane rolled into a left turn, and the left wing float struck the water. The airplane then veered sharply to the left, bounced, and cartwheeled three times. After the accident, the airplane came to rest, partially submerged, with its high-mounted wings level with the surface of the lake. The witnesses were unable to reach the airplane in the icy water, and the airplane subsequently sank about 5 or 10 minutes after the accident. There was no sign of the pilot.

The witness reported that weather conditions at the time of the accident consisted of calm wind, low clouds, light rain, and fog restricting visibility over the lake. He added that the water was glassy at the time of the accident.

On October 9, the wreckage was located on the bottom of the lake in about 40 feet of water.

INJURIES TO PERSONS

The solo pilot received fatal injuries.

DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT

The airplane sank to the bottom of a lake, and has not been recovered.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot age 71, held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land and sea, and airplane multi-engine land and sea. He was issued a first class airman medical certificate without limitations on April 23, 2012.

No personal flight records were discovered for the pilot, and the aeronautical experience listed on page 3 of this report was obtained from a review of the airman’s FAA records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center in Oklahoma City. On the pilot’s last application for medical certificate, dated April 23, 2012, he indicated that his total aeronautical experience consisted of about 30,000 hours, of which he listed 0 hours were accrued in the previous 6 months.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The airplane was a Grumman G44, N139F, manufactured in 1944, and equipped with two Continental Motors IO-470 series engines.

No airframe or engine logbooks were discovered for examination, and the airplane was not recovered for further examination.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

According to a witness, calm wind, low clouds, light rain, and fog restricted visibility over the lake. He added that the water was glassy at the time of the accident.

The closest official weather observation station was at the departure airport, Dillingham, AK (PADL), about 68 miles south of the accident site. At 1553, an aviation routine weather report (METAR) was reporting, in part: Wind 070 degrees (true) at 5 knots; visibility 15 statute miles; sky condition, scattered at 1,300 feet, overcast at 3,000 feet; temperature 58 degrees F; dew point, 58 degrees F; altimeter 30.09 inHg.

COMMUNICATIONS

After departing Dillingham, no communications were heard from the accident airplane, and no air traffic control services were requested.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The airplane impacted the surface of a remote lake and subsequently sank. A witness reported seeing the airplane cartwheel across the surface of the lake, after the left wing float touched the surface during a low pass over glassy water. Scuba divers located the wreckage in water about 40 feet deep, and recovered the deceased pilot. The wreckage has not been recovered for examination.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

A postmortem examination of the pilot was done under the authority of the Alaska State Medical Examiner, Anchorage, Alaska, on September 4, 2012. The examination revealed that the cause of death was attributed to drowning.

A toxicological examination by the FAA’s Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) on December 12, 2012, was negative for any alcohol or drugs.



 NTSB Identification: ANC13FA001 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, October 07, 2012 in Aleknagik, AK
Aircraft: GRUMMAN G-44, registration: N139F
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. 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.

On October 7, 2012, about 1645 Alaska daylight time, an amphibious Grumman G-44 airplane, N139F, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the surface of Tikchik Lake, about 50 miles north-northeast of Aleknagik, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by Freshwater Adventures, Dillingham, Alaska, as a visual flight rules, VFR positioning flight, under Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91, when the accident occurred. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. Marginal visual meteorological (MVFR) conditions prevailed in the area of the accident, and company flight following procedures were in effect. The flight departed Dillingham, about 1600.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on October 10, a local hunting guide who witnessed the accident, along with his client, were waiting for the accident airplane’s arrival for a return trip to Dillingham. He said that when the airplane arrived overhead, it made several passes over the lake and island where they were located. After the third pass overhead, the airplane came into view in front of their location and very low over the water. He said the airplane rolled into a left turn and the left wing float struck the water, and it veered sharply to the left, bounced, then cartwheeled three times. After the accident, the airplane came to rest, partially submerged, with its high-mounted wings level with the surface of the lake. The witnesses were unable to reach the airplane in the icy water, and the airplane subsequently sank about 5 or 10 minutes after the accident. There was no sign of the pilot.

The witness reported that weather conditions at the time of the accident consisted of calm wind, low clouds, light rain, and fog restricted visibility over the lake. He added that the water was glassy at the time of the accident.

On October 9, the wreckage was located on the bottom of the lake in about 40 feet of water.


IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 139F        Make/Model: G44       Description: G-44 Widgeon (J4F)
  Date: 10/07/2012     Time: 1712

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

LOCATION
  City: TIKCHIK LAKE   State: AK   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES. TIKCHIK LAKE, AK

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   0     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: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: ANCHORAGE, AK  (AL03)                 Entry date: 10/09/2012 

A small plane crashed on Tikchik Lake on Sunday and a hunting guide who saw it flip and sink told troopers no one got out, Alaska State Troopers report. 

 A National Transportation Safety Board investigator says the pilot was the sole person on board and was killed in the crash.

The guide and a hunter were waiting for the plane, owned and operated by Fresh Water Adventures, to pick them up, said Larry Lewis, an NTSB investigator. The air taxi service is owned by the Ball family and based in Dillingham, according to the company website. A message left at the air taxi service was not returned.

Troopers haven't identified the pilot or described the plane. KDLG radio in Dillingham said family friends identified the pilot as Newt Ball, 71.

The plane that crashed was a Grumman Widgeon built in 1944. It's an amphibious, high-winged twin engine plane that, based on initial reports, may have had a hard landing on glassy water, Lewis said.

"We just have some basic observations by some witnesses. And it looks like he may just have landed hard and maybe caught a wing but we're not sure yet," the investigator said.

The guide saw the plane trying to land on the lake, then flip and begin to sink, troopers said. The guide didn't see anyone escape the aircraft. He also watched the area after the crash and didn't see anyone in the water, troopers said.

Neither troopers nor the NTSB immediately knew how far the plane was from shore and the hunter and guide, or how deep the water was. Troopers may use divers to recover it.

The lake is in Wood-Tikchik State Park about 63 miles north of Dillingham.

The hunting guide reported to troopers around 5:15 p.m. on Sunday that the plane had crashed.

Troopers say they have preliminary information regarding the aircraft and pilot but won't release it until a trooper can get to the scene and confirm what they were told.

The pilot was experienced, Lewis said. He had traveled on the Grumman, with the pilot, in 2010 to investigate the plane crash that killed former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.

The witnesses reported glassy water on Tikchik Lake at the time of the crash, Lewis said.

"And glassy water landings are -- it seems odd -- but glassy water landings are some of the most difficult landings you can do in an amphibious airplane," Lewis said. "It presents some anomalies as far as depth perception goes." Special techniques are needed, he said.

Fog and darkness prevented troopers from getting to lake on Sunday and but the fog cleared by Monday afternoon, trooper spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said.

A trooper based in Dillingman was headed to the scene, she said. Troopers planned to meet with the guide to get a more precise location on the lake and determine whether the plane could be retrieved, Lewis said. He was awaiting word on whether to go out to Dillingham.


Alaska State Troopers are responding to Tikchik Lake after a plane reportedly crashed in the lake Sunday night, with no sign that its pilot survived.

According to a Monday AST dispatch, a hunting guide told Dillingham troopers at about 5:15 p.m. Sunday that the plane had been attempting to land on the lake, about 63 miles north of Dillingham, when it flipped over and sank.

“No one was observed to exit the aircraft while it was sinking,” troopers wrote. “The guide watched the area of the incident and has not observed anyone in the water since the crash.”

Weather conditions, including darkness and fog, have blocked troopers’ efforts to fly to the lake and investigate the crash both Sunday night and Monday.

While troopers have preliminary information regarding the pilot’s identity, it will not be released until troopers can arrive at Tikchik Lake. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have both been notified of the crash.

Socata TBM700, C-FBKK: Accident occurred October 08, 2012, between Calabogie and Griffith, Ontario - Canada

The privately-registered Socata TBM-700 aircraft was on an IFR flight from Ottawa (Carp) Airport (CYRP) to Wiarton Airport (CYVV). NAV CANADA staff reported that the pilot was cleared to FL260, which was read back. The aircraft was observed (on radar) climbing through FL270 and then it commenced a very rapid descent. At approximately 12:18 EDT (1618Z), the flight crew of an Air Canada flight (ACA451) overflying Renfrew/Black Donald Lake waterdrome (CPK8) reported seeing an aircraft enter a steep dive and impact the ground, about 20NM west of Carp, ON. J.R.C.C. Trenton staff dispatched search and rescue helicopters. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

 
Bob Reany, 74, died Monday in the crash of Socata TBM 850 (C-FBKK) - the plane he used as an flight instructor.
 (Photo courtesy of the Reany family)

  
Lorenzo Girones
 Registered the Socata TBM 850 just two weeks ago


Video above: Lorenzo Girones and Bob Reany at the controls of C-FBKK on October 06, 2012.  

 18 knot cross wind landing at Buttonville, Ontario on Saturday, October 6, 2012 in  Socata TBM850 (C-FBKK) on runway 33.
 Looks like Bob is on the left, Lorenzo as co-pilot.
 


Police have identified the man who died in the crash of a small plane near Calabogie, Ont. as a 74-year-old man from Port Elgin, Ont.  

Ontario Provincial Police said Robert John Reany died at the scene after his plane crashed at about 12:20 p.m. Monday between Calabogie and Griffith, Ont.
 
Goderich Municipal Airport confirmed the six-seat Socata TBM-850 was travelling from the Carp Airport, west of Ottawa, to Goderich, Ont., in southwestern Ontario.

The airport confirmed the pilot died but said no one else, including the plane's owner, was on board.

A Timmins, Ont., lawyer, Lorenzo Girones, registered the Socata just two weeks ago.

Wife of pilot said flying was his dream

Reany's wife, Grace Reany, said her husband was hired to teach the owner how to fly the new plane from France.

Reany said her husband had just dropped off the lawyer in Carp and he was headed back to the airport in Goderich to pick her up and take her to see Ottawa for the first time.

She said he had been flying since the 1960s, and that it was his dream.

"We talked about this kind of thing happening, many times. And we knew that it does happen. And I understand it was pretty quick, for which I am grateful," said Reany.

"But I put him in God's hands when he goes out in the morning every day, and so I know he's there now, safe and sound," she said.

Plane crashed at 'steep' angle
 
The cause of the crash is not yet known, investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Tuesday in Calabogie.

They are looking for a small panel that could help determine what happened to the plane because it contains all the flight information.

But after early stages in the investigation, the wreckage shows the plane crashed violently, nose-first at a "steep" angle with a "great deal of speed and velocity."

"[The plane] picked up and moved a very large oak tree — about 18 to 19 inches in diameter — about 50 feet from the impact point," said investigator Ewan Tasker, who arrived in Calabogie from Toronto Monday evening.

Tasker also said investigators can only get as close as 500 metres from the crash site, which makes the clean-up of debris difficult. That will start in the coming days.

"The aircraft is heavily destroyed and fragmented into many pieces. The largest of which is probably the engine, the rest of them is smaller than that," Tasker added.

The aircraft will then be reconstructed in an Ottawa laboratory to determine what caused the crash. There are no similar crashes in Canada involving the Socata TBM-850, Tasker added.

 
Renfrew OPP members also continue to investigate the crash.

 The brother of a pilot killed in a plane crash near Calabogie, Ont., Monday said 74-year-old Bob Reany of Port Elgin had always loved flying and had logged thousands of hours in the air.

William Reany, a pilot himself, said brother Bob had flown across the Atlantic and to Africa and back numerous times, a passion he enjoyed until his final day.

In fact, William said, after watching their father waste away ravaged from cancer, he believes his brother would’ve preferred to have died in a cockpit than a hospital bed.

“I guess he learned to fly sometime in the late ‘60s. It’s something both of us always wanted to do, even as kids,” Reany said. “He learned to fly at first for pleasure, but then he got a commercial licence and he did a bit of that. The last 15 years or more, that’s what he’s done for a living.”

Reany said the plane his brother was flying Monday was new, but that he had flown in similar models often and was comfortable behind the controls.

“He had flown it a considerable amount. He had flown across the Atlantic about three times with a turboprop similar to the one that crashed. He went to Central Africa a few times to retrieve aircraft that were on aerial survey work.”

At 12:15 p.m., police were called to a wooded area between Calabogie and Griffith, about 80 kilometres west of Ottawa, to search for a small plane that went down for an unknown reason.

Goderich Municipal Airport manager Ken Bogie said the plane was leaving the Carp, Ont., airport and heading back to Goderich, Ont., in southwestern Ontario when it crashed 20 minutes into the trip.

Bogie confirmed the pilot was the only occupant.

The plane is owned by Timmins, Ont., lawyer and private pilot Lorenzo Girones.

Reany was giving Girones flying instruction on the newly purchased turbo-prop Monday. Reany dropped him at Carp then began his own flight home for Thanksgiving dinner with his wife of 46 years.

While Girones knows how to fly, he needed to learn the new plane.

Shortly after takeoff, Reany encountered an unknown emergency.

Reany said his brother would’ve likely been trying to manage whatever the problem was as long as possible before the crash.

“He wasn’t one to get easily frightened or frustrated or anything like that. He was calm, cool and collected.”

The likeliest cause of the crash, he suspects, was some sort of engine problem.

“It’s a new plane, so that shouldn’t happen, but depending on the altitude it could’ve ingested a bird. If that happened, it could cause an engine problem pretty quick. Right now, though, we don’t know what altitude he was at.”

In the ‘70s and part of the ‘80s, the brother ran their own business selling and repairing appliances before Bob immersed himself into flying full time.

The aircraft is described as a French-built Socata TBM700, a seven-seater with room for pilot, co-pilot and five passengers. Transport Canada reports that a Socata TBM700 was imported from the United States three weeks ago.

Reany said the aircraft cruises at a speed of more than 300 MPH.

“It has all kinds of navigation equipment and that sort of stuff on board, so it was really outfitted and equipped pretty much like a small airliner would be.”

A search of the U.S. aircraft registry confirmed the plane was exported to Canada from Columbia Aircraft Sales Inc. of Groton, Conn. The plane was new, having been built in June 2012.

The Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Reany and his wife have no children.

- With files from QMI Agency


An experienced pilot has died after a small plane crashed west of Ottawa near the town of Calabogie Monday afternoon.

The plane’s owner, Lorenzo Girones, identified the pilot as Bob Reany of Port Elgin, Ont., who was well-known in the flight community.

Reany was training Girones to fly the Socata TBM700 aircraft.

“Wonderful man…he was an excellent pilot,” Girones, a Timmins, Ont. lawyer, told CTV Northern Ontario’s Kari Vierimaa.

“It’s just a tragedy beyond comprehension.”

The aircraft went down shortly after the noon hour in a wooded area between the towns of Calabogie and Griffith, about a two-hour drive west of Ottawa. CTV Ottawa reported that the plane was destroyed on impact.

Girones said he and Reany flew from Goderich, Ont. to Carp earlier Monday and Raeny decided to fly back and spend Thanksgiving with his family. Reany was supposed to return and pick up Girones for his last day of training Tuesday.

Girones said his instructor was an practiced pilot who had logged 26,000 hours of flight time.

The Socata was a “brand new” aircraft, he said, adding that he doesn’t understand what went wrong.

“He spiralled down from 27,000 feet.”

Officers with the OPP’s Renfrew detachment had to approach the crash site on ATVs. The force’s Emergency Response Team searched the wreckage with local officers, as well as officials from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.

Jacqueline Allan was with her daughter in the area when the plane went down.

Allan said she heard “a high-pitched whine, kind of like motocross vehicles.”

“It was waxing and waning and then we heard a loud bang,” Allan told CTV Ottawa. “But it was muted, and my daughter thought maybe it was a gunshot.”

Allan said she only learned that a plane had crashed when the owner of a local trailer park told her he had heard reports of a plane going down in the area.

Girones said he’s thankful that he wasn’t aboard the plane when the crash occurred, “but I’m sad that it was (Reany).”

“I’m very concerned about his family and about his wife, with whom he was married for 46 years,” Girones said.

“I’m just sad and my heart goes out to her and his family.”

‘There was debris scattered all over hell’s half acre’   

 CALABOGIE — One person is dead after a small plane crashed into a heavily forested area just west of Calabogie on Thanksgiving Monday.

The aircraft went down in the cottage community more than an hour’s drive west of Ottawa shortly after noon, Ontario Provincial Police said.

Shawn Popkie, the owner of nearby White Pines Resort on Black Donald Lake, put on his coveralls and went up in his plane to try to find the wreckage.

“As soon as we climbed out over the trees you could see the smoke,” he said. “We flew over the site and everything was on fire down there. There was debris scattered all over hell’s half acre.”

The site was still on fire when he found it on foot some time later, he said.

Greg Veldhuizen, who was staying at the lodge at the time, looked up when he heard the plane as flying close to the ground.

“We saw him through the trees making loops, which he did two or three times,” said Veldhuizen. “Then we didn’t see him and we heard an explosion.”

The plane was almost vertical as it headed toward the trees, he said.

Veldhuizen then went into the forest to find the plane. It had been broken into what he estimated was thousands of pieces, none of them bigger than three feet across.

Officers went into the area on all terrain vehicles shortly after the crash took place. An OPP officer was posted at the entrance to a dirt road area off Centennial Lake Road.

Popkie estimated it was about a kilometre off the road.

The scene was being held until investigators with the federal government’s Transportation Safety Board of Canada could arrive. They had not yet determined the cause of the crash.

The plane that crashed was a Socata TBM700, according to a TSB press release. That model carries about six people and has a propeller at the front, the manufacturer’s website said.

The plane was reportedly en route from the Carp Airport to the Goderich Municipal Airport.

A website that tracks small planes after they take off, Flightaware, noted a similar model of plane took off from the Carp Airport on Monday shortly after noon. It was supposed to arrive in Goderich at around 1:30 p.m., but stopped being on radar just west of Ottawa.

At one point it was flying at 26,000 feet, the website said.

The plane’s pilot was from Port Elgin, Ont., north of Goderich, CTV reported. He was not the owner.

Ontario’s air ambulance service initially sent a helicopter to the scene, but that was later cancelled.


A veteran Ontario pilot was killed when his plane plunged into a wooded area near Calabogie Monday, according to the aircraft's owner.

Ontario police said they were called to the area between Calabogie and Griffith around 12:15 p.m., needing ATVs to get to the scene about three minutes off a nearby trail.

CTV Ottawa's Katie Griffin says a witness told her a plane seemed to be doing aerobatics before she saw an explosion.

"We heard kind of a high-pitched whine, like a motocross vehicle . . . it was waning and waxing and we heard a loud bang," said Jacqueline Allan.

Others said they could feel the impact when it hit the ground, rushing to the scene to see it sitting "in a thousand pieces."

Lorenzo Girones, a lawyer in Timmins, said he and 74-year-old Bob Raeny flew from Goderich, Ont. to Carp earlier Monday.

Raeny then left alone to have Thanksgiving dinner with his family in southwestern Ontario before something went wrong.

Ken Bogie of the Goderich arport said the plane was scheduled to land there around 1:30 p.m. and crashed about 20 minutes after takeoff from Carp.

CTV Ottawa's Stefan Keyes visited the Carp airport and said it was a six-seater, single-engine Socata.

It was bought Sept. 18 and registered two days later, making its way from Timmins to Goderich, Ont.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is sending a team to inspect the scene, about a two hour drive west of downtown Ottawa.


One person is dead after a small plane crashed near Calabogie, Ont., about 120 kilometres west of Ottawa.

The crash happened Monday at about 12:20 p.m. ET between Calabogie and Griffith, Ont., said Ontario Provincial Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kristine Rae.
 
Goderich Municipal Airport confirmed the six-seat Socata TBM-850 was travelling from the Carp Airport, west of Ottawa, to Goderich, Ont., in southwestern Ontario.

The airport confirmed the pilot died. It is not known if the pilot was the plane's owner, who is a lawyer from Goderich who had just bought the plane brand new.

The plane was scheduled to leave Carp at 12:07 p.m. ET and arrive in Goderich at about 1:30 p.m. ET. The plane was on the first leg of a round-trip flight, with three people aboard.

Police confirmed one person had been killed.

ORNGE air ambulance service was asked to send a helicopter from Toronto, but that request was cancelled at about 2:30 p.m. while the helicopter was in the air close to Calabogie.
 
Police officers and paramedics had to use all-terrain vehicles to reach the crash site, which is in a heavily-wooded area near Black Donald Lake. Paramedics have since been released from the crash site.

Marc Allain was at a cottage nearby on the same lake when he said he and his friends heard a loud engine in the sky.

"Someone in our group pointed to the sky and said, 'Look it's a plane up there doing loop-de-loops,'" he told CBC News.

"Then next thing you know we sort of lost it behind the trees and then [there was] a loud explosion sound and then a big, black plume of smoke in the sky."

According to the online flight tracking service FlightAware.com, the plane was travelling at about 27,000 feet at 12:17 p.m., but the next recorded altitude was 5,200 feet just two minutes later.

The Transportation Safety Board is sending two investigators to the crash site to test for safety deficiencies.


Ontario police say one person is dead after a plane crashed into a wooded area near Calabogie Monday.

They said they were called to the wooded area between Calabogie and Griffith around 12:15 p.m., needing ATVs to get to the scene about three hours off a nearby trail.

An OPP officer on the area police scanner reported multiple times the plane is "blown apart." CTV Ottawa's Katie Griffin says a witness told her he saw an explosion around the time the plane went down.

ORNGE officials say there an air ambulance en route has been called off.
CTV Ottawa's Stefan Keyes visited the Carp airport where the plane took off from and says it was a six-seater, single-engine Socata.

The plane that crashed was bought Sept. 18 and registered two days later, making its way from Timmins to Goderich, Ont.  The crash scene is about a two hour drive west of downtown Ottawa.


Published on October 6, 2012 
18 knot cross wind landing at Buttonville, Ontario on Saturday, October 6, 2012 in a TBM850 (C-FBKK) on runway 33 
 Looks like Bob is on the left, Lorenzo as co-pilot.

Garlick Helicopters Inc UH-1H, N1577: Accident occurred October 07, 2012 in Medford, Oregon

NTSB Identification: WPR13FA006
14 CFR Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
Accident occurred Sunday, October 07, 2012 in Shady Cove, OR
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/25/2014
Aircraft: GARLICK HELICOPTERS INC UH-1H, registration: N1577
Injuries: 1 Minor.

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 reported that he was in straight and level flight over mountainous, tree- covered terrain when he heard a loud noise followed by an abrupt jolt and right yaw. The pilot initiated a descent into a valley when he heard a second loud noise followed by severe vibrations and activation of the low rotor RPM horn. The helicopter continued to descend before it impacted the trees and ground below. During an on- scene examination, control continuity was established throughout the helicopter with the exception of the 90- degree gearbox and tail rotor assembly, which were separated from the helicopter and not found.

Postaccident examination and run of the helicopter's engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The gear box is positioned in between the tail rotor drive shaft and tail rotor assembly; it takes the input from the tail rotor drive shaft (through a quill assembly), and adjusts and transfers the energy to the tail rotor assembly. Because the gearbox and tail rotor separated in flight, the investigation was not able to examine them to determine their condition or their proper installation. However, During the postaccident examination of the airframe, the tail rotor gearbox input quill assembly, vertical driveshaft clamp, and two remaining gearbox attachment studs were removed for additional examination. Fatigue damage was noted along the fracture surface of the two gearbox attachment studs that were still attached to the vertical fin side of the mounting flange. The remaining four attachment holes were empty;, however, helical rubbing marks were found around their perimeter along with an adjacent lip of deformed material, which is indicative of the studs being present at one point. Postaccident examination and a test run of the helicopter's engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The helicopter's most recent tail rotor gearbox inspection occurred about one month prior to the accident;, however, it was unable to bethe investigation could not determined if the fatigued area the fatigue was found was would have been included in the inspection, or whether any evidence of fatigue would have been detectable at the time of the inspection.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

The separation of the tail rotor gearbox and tail rotor assembly as a result of fatigue to the tail rotor gearbox input quill assembly attachment studs.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On October 7, 2012 about 1513 Pacific daylight time, a Garlic Helicopters UH-1H, N1577, made a forced landing following separation of the tail rotor gearbox and tail rotor assembly approximately 4 miles southwest of Shady Cove, Oregon. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries and the helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to a private individual and operated by Columbia Basin Helicopters under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that departed Merlin (Grants Pass), Oregon at 1400.

The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to long line buckets of water onto a wildfire. After dropping three loads of water, he started his flight back to base. During straight and level flight, he heard a loud noise and felt an abrupt jolt and right yaw. He descended into a valley when he heard another loud noise followed by severe vibrations. During this time, he also heard the low rotor RPM horn activate in the cockpit; he lowered the collective to maintain RPM and proceeded to an area of small trees. Slightly above tree level, he raised the collective and descended into the trees; the helicopter impacted the ground and rolled to its right side before it came to rest.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 30, held a commercial pilot certificate for helicopters issued on February 9, 2004, and a second-class airman medical certificate issued on December 8, 2011 with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses. The pilot reported that as of the accident date, he had 2,959 total hours, 744 of which were in the accident helicopter make and model. He flew 243 hours within the 90 days preceding the accident, and 24 hours within 30 days preceding the accident date.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The two-seat configured helicopter, serial number 65-09577, was manufactured in 1965. It was powered by a Honeywell T53-L-13B turboshaft engine, serial number LE-18674. Review of the helicopter's logbook records showed a 25 hour tail rotor gearbox inspection completed on September 4, 2012, at a recorded tachometer reading of 6,284.2 hours. A 50 hour inspection, which included an inspection and cleaning of the tail rotor blades, was completed on August 24, 2012, at a recorded tachometer reading of 6,258.2 hours. On August 17, 2012, skin on the left side of the vertical fin was replaced due to "cracking at lower rivets," and a doubler was added to the area; the tachometer reading was 6,231.2 hours. The pilot reported that the helicopter was due for a 25 hour inspection in about 2-5 flight hours.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The nearest weather reporting station, Rogue Valley International – Medford Airport (MFR), Medford, Oregon was located about 12 miles south of the accident site. At 1353, MFD reported clear skies, wind from 300 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, temperature 28 degrees C, dewpoint -3 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.85 inches of mercury.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

On scene examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed the helicopter came to rest on its right side in mountainous, tree-covered terrain. The helicopter remained mostly intact and flight control continuity was established throughout the helicopter with the exception of the 90 degree gearbox and tail rotor assembly. The 90 degree gearbox is positioned in between the tail rotor drive shaft and tail rotor assembly; it takes the input from the tail rotor drive shaft (through a quill assembly), and adjusts and transfers the energy to the tail rotor assembly. The 90 degree tail rotor gearbox and tail rotor assembly were separated from the tail rotor gearbox input quill assembly and were unable to be located at the accident site. Two of the tail rotor gearbox attachment studs and their nuts were still attached to the input quill mounting flange on the vertical fin side; however, they were fracture separated on the gearbox side of the mounting flange.

The cargo hook was found in the open position with the long line and bambi bucket still attached. The long line extended loosely aft of the helicopter into the trees where the bambi bucket came to rest.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

A postaccident inspection of the engine revealed no visual anomalies. The chip detector was removed and no debris was noted. The engine oil filter was also removed and it contained some small debris, however, not enough to block the filter. The engine was installed into a test cell and was started and idled temporarily before it was operated at various power settings. There were no noted mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter's engine.

The tail rotor gearbox input quill assembly, the vertical driveshaft clamp, and the two remaining gearbox attachment studs were removed from the airframe and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board's Materials Laboratory for additional examination.

The NTSB Materials Lab reported that the two studs, which were still attached to the input quill mounting flange, were removed and the fracture surfaces were examined. Both of the studs exhibited a fatigue crack that started at the root of a thread on one side of the bolt and extended across the bolt until it met a second smaller crack that had initiated on the other side of the bolt. The relative size and location of the fatigue cracks indicated that the cracks grew initially by uniaxial bending fatigue and later by reverse bending fatigue. On one stud, the two fatigue cracks met along a parting line with no overstress region. The second stud had a rough region in between the two cracks indicative of a final overstress fracture.

The input quill mounting flange was cleaned and examined. Of the six stud holes, five of them exhibited helical rubbing marks around the perimeter of the hole and a lip of deformed material adjacent to the hole; indicative of contact by studs.


http://registry.faa.gov/N1577 

NTSB Identification: WPR13FA006 
14 CFR Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
Accident occurred Sunday, October 07, 2012 in Medford, OR
Aircraft: GARLICK HELICOPTERS INC UH-1H, registration: N1577
Injuries: 1 Minor.

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. 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.

On October 7, 2012 about 1513 Pacific daylight time, a Garlick Helicopters UH-1H, N1577, made a forced landing following separation of the tailrotor gearbox approximately 16 miles north of Medford, Oregon. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries and the helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to a private individual and operated by Columbia Basin Helicopters under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that departed Merlin (Grants Pass), Oregon at 1400.

The pilot reported that when in straight and level flight, during the return flight from the firefighting efforts, he heard a loud noise followed by an abrupt, hard yaw to the right. The pilot immediately initiated a descending right hand turn towards the valley below. During the descent, he heard another loud noise followed by severe vibration. The low rotor RPM horn and Master caution lights illuminated. The pilot continued to descend until the helicopter impacted terrain.

On-scene examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the tail rotor gearbox was separated from the helicopter and not present.


 A helicopter pilot was rescued from an area to the west of Shady Cove after his helicopter crashed while fighting a near-by fire. 





A 30-year-old pilot escaped without injuries Sunday afternoon when his helicopter crashed in rugged terrain west of Shady Cove after helping douse a fire. 

 The pilot, Cody Seeger, was airlifted from the crash site by Brim Aviation, but he declined medical treatment. Other than a ripped jumpsuit, Seeger appeared uninjured.

After being asked how he felt walking away from a helicopter crash, Seeger responded, "pretty good." The Bell UH1H "Huey" helicopter belongs to Columbia Basin Helicopters Inc. in Baker City.

Jackson County sheriff's Deputy Jeff McGrath said the pilot was headed back to Grants Pass when the crash occurred.

"As he was flying back, it started rattling and losing pressure, and then it went down," McGrath said. "This could be a lot worse."

The helicopter landed on its side in a forested hillside several miles to the west of Rogue River Drive. Only a Brim Aviation helicopter was able to spot the crash site, eventually airlifting the pilot out to safety.

McGrath said the trees surrounding the crash site may have softened the impact, preventing a harder landing.

Good visibility aided rescuers in finding the pilot, but the crash occurred so quickly the pilot didn't get a chance to pick a flatter area to land, McGrath said.

Craig Morrison, chief pilot for Brim, said the pilot initially indicated he wanted to walk out.

Eventually, rescue officials persuaded Seeger that he should be airlifted out, landing next to a large pond near a house in a remote area to the west of Rogue River Drive.

Reviewing a video of the crash site, Morrison and other Brim pilots found the helicopter was remarkably intact considering how and where it landed.

The tail section still was attached to the helicopter, and the cockpit didn't look badly damaged.

Morrison said pilots are always reviewing the landscape underneath them just in case there's a problem.

"What we're always looking for is open spots where we could land," he said.

The terrain was so rugged sheriff's deputies couldn't get to the scene of the crash with all-terrain vehicles. After the rescue, a bulldozer eventually was brought in to clear a trail so that deputies could investigate the scene and take photos.

The National Transportation and Safety Board also will investigate the crash, but deputies expected the helicopter would have to be airlifted out of the crash site by a heavy-lift helicopter.

Dave McCarty, president of Columbia Basin Helicopters, declined to be interviewed.

According to its website, the company has three Bell UH1H helicopters that are equipped with additional features, including a 323-gallon tank for firefighting. In addition, the company has one Hiller 12E Soloy helicopter and one Bell OH-58A helicopter.

Bob Miller, Fire District No. 4 chief, said the helicopter had dropped water on a grass clipping fire at Joseph Stewart State Park.

Miller said the fire likely could have started because a camper inadvertently dumped ash in the grass clipping pile. He said a bulldozer was sent up later to take the pile apart so the embers wouldn't spread. The cause of the fire still is being investigated.

The Joseph Stewart park fire call came in at 2:26 p.m.

Another fire burned almost 5 acres near 23611 Highway 62, and the call came in at 1:44 p.m., Miller said.

He said fire crews still were mopping up the fire into the evening Sunday. The cause of that fire is unknown, Miller said.

Overall, it was a busy weekend for Miller's firefighters. On Saturday, around noon, a hunter fell out of his tree stand near Abbot Creek in the Prospect area. Miller said the hunter suffered a broken leg and was flown to Providence Medford Medical Center for treatment.


Story and photo gallery:   http://www.mailtribune.com

Cessna 180H, N2780X Accident occurred October 06, 2012 in St. Maries, Idaho

http://registry.faa.gov/N2780X

NTSB Identification: WPR13LA005  
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, October 06, 2012 in St Maries, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 09/12/2013
Aircraft: CESSNA 180H, registration: N2780X
Injuries: 1 Minor,1 Uninjured.

NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The pilot reported that while descending the airplane from cruise flight toward his destination airport, the engine began to make unusual sounds and then lost total power. Despite the pilot’s attempts, the engine would not restart, so he initiated a forced landing to a nearby dirt road. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a tree, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. Postaccident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The weather conditions were not conducive to the formation of carburetor icing. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the engine and airframe did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

On October 6, 2012, about 1714 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 180H, N2780X, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing near the St. Maries Municipal Airport (S72) St. Maries, Idaho. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot was uninjured and the passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight which originated from Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport (LWS) Lewiston, Idaho at about 1600 with a planned destination of S72.

The pilot reported that during descent to S72, the engine started making popping sounds and then lost total power. The pilot reported that he does not recall the position of the fuel selector, or if he moved it prior to attempting an engine restart. Despite the pilot attempts, the engine would not restart and he initiated a forced landing on a dirt road about 15 miles southwest of S72. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a tree and the airplane came to rest inverted. The pilot stated that following the accident, he turned off the fuel selector to off and turned off all of the electrical switches.

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector was conducted at the accident site. The inspector observed fuel in both tanks and in the fuel inlet line to the carburetor.

The airplane was recovered to a local storage facility. According to an airframe and powerplant airplane mechanic who examined the recovered engine under the supervision of a FAA inspector, no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures were observed on the engine or engine systems. Fuel was present in the carburetor, the accelerator pump operated normally and no blockages were observed. The fuel was clear of contamination.

The spark plugs were removed and were slightly worn but not fouled. The cylinder combustion chambers were examined using a lighted borescope and the piston heads, combustion chambers, intake and exhaust valves had normal operating signatures. The rocker covers were removed and were unremarkable. The crankshaft could be rotated by hand and rotational continuity was established throughout the engine and cylinder valve train.

All engine accessories remained attached to the engine via their respective mounts. The magnetos would produce spark at all the respective leads when to engine crankshaft was rotated.

Weather conditions recorded at S72, located about 15 miles northeast from the accident site, at 1715, wind from 060 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear sky, temperature 61 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 18 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 30.23 inches of mercury. According to the FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin, entitled Carburetor Icing Prevention, weather conditions were not conducive to the formation of carburetor icing.

NTSB Identification: WPR13LA005 
 Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, October 06, 2012 in St Maries, ID
Aircraft: CESSNA 180H, registration: N2780X
Injuries: 1 Minor,1 Uninjured.

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. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.


On October 6, 2012, about 1714 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 180H, N2780X, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing near the St. Maries Municipal Airport (S72) St Maries, Idaho. The airplane was registered and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot was uninjured and the passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight which originated from Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport (LWS) Lewiston, Idaho at about 1600 mountain daylight time.

The pilot reported that during descent the engine lost power. Despite the pilot attempts, the engine would not restart. Subsequently, the pilot landed off the airport on a dirt road. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a tree and the airplane came to rest inverted.

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector was conducted at the accident site. The inspector observed a small amount of fuel in each tank. The wreckage has been transported to a secure location for further examination.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 2780X        Make/Model: C180      Description: 180, Skywagon 180 (U-17C)
  Date: 10/06/2012     Time: 2314

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: ST MARIES   State: ID   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT LOST POWER AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. ST. MARIES, ID

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


OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Cruise      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: SPOKANE, WA  (NM13)                   Entry date: 10/09/2012 


 



  

ST. MARIES, Idaho -- A couple flying over North Idaho escaped any serious injuries when their plane made a crash landing Saturday.

They were headed from Lewiston to Coeur d’Alene when the Cessna C180’s engine failed.

The plane’s right wing struck a tree on the way down, causing it to flip over. The plane landed on its top on private property near Alder Creek Road, not far from St. Maries.

The woman in the plane was airlifted to the hospital as a precaution. She suffered only minor injuries.

The crash is under investigation.