Monday, March 17, 2014

Peck P-1, N16NM: Fatal accident occurred May 18, 2013 at Aztec Municipal Airport (N19), San Juan County, New Mexico

http://registry.faa.gov/N16NM

NTSB Identification: CEN13LA299 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, May 18, 2013 in Aztec, NM
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/16/2016
Aircraft: PECK NORMAN O PECK P-1, registration: N16NM
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

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 private pilot was conducting a personal flight in the amateur-built airplane. A witness reported that he saw the pilot start up the airplane and take off. Just after becoming airborne, the airplane impacted a berm on the right side of the runway, spun 180 degrees, and then came to rest. A postcrash fire ensued, which consumed a majority of the airplane. 

Examination of the airplane wreckage did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation; however, a complete examination could not be conducted due to extensive fire damage. The left side of the engine did exhibit more fire damage than other areas, which may indicate that a fuel leak occurred or that the fire started at that location from another source. Further, someone who knew the pilot reported that, after the previous flight, the pilot had indicated that fuel had pooled on the cockpit floor. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot becoming distracted during takeoff, possibly by a fuel leak or onboard fire; however, neither scenario could be verified. Therefore, the reason that the pilot did not maintain airplane control during takeoff could not be determined. 

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s loss of airplane control during takeoff for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident fire damage precluded a complete examination of the airplane. 


HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On May 18, 2013, about 1050 mountain daylight time, an amateur built Peck P-1 airplane, N16NM, was destroyed after it impacted the ground during takeoff from Aztec Municipal Airport (N16), Aztec, New Mexico. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and the flight was being conducted without a flight plan. The flight was departing at the time of the accident.

A witness to the accident stated that he saw the pilot start up the airplane and takeoff on runway 26. Just after becoming airborne, the airplane impacted a berm on the right side of the runway, spun 180 degrees, and was engulfed in fire.

A person who knew the pilot provided information that indicated that the pilot had purchased the airplane about 6 months prior to the accident. He also stated that the pilot had complained about 7-10 days prior to the accident that fuel had been pooling on the floor of the cockpit.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The 62 year old pilot held a private pilot certificate (airplane, single-engine land). He reported 2,500 total hours and 50 hours in the last six months on his last application for a medical certificate. He was last issued a Class-3 medical certificate on June 29, 2012. No pilot logbooks were located during the course of the investigation.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The airplane impacted a berm on the right side of runway 26, turned 180 degrees and came to rest. Fire consumed the majority of the airplane. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the wreckage and determined there was more fire damage to the left side of the engine, but he could not determine if there was a fuel leak there due to the fire damage. He did not identify any pre-impact anomalies with the engine or flight controls. 

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 1153 MDT, the weather station at Farmington, New Mexico (FMN), located 11 miles southwest of the accident site, reported wind from 240 at 3 knots, 10 miles visibility, few clouds at 10,000 ft, temperature 69 degrees F, dew point 25 degrees F, and altimeter setting 29.99 inches of mercury. 

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Office of the Medical Examiner, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The cause of death was determined to be inhalation of products of combustion and thermal injuries.

Forensic toxicology was performed on specimens from the pilot by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Diphenhydramine was detected in urine samples. Diphenhydramine was not detected in blood samples.


AZTEC — Last month, city commissioners approved the purchase of a mobile home at the Aztec Municipal Airport that is expected to house the next airport manager.

The purchase is part of preparations the city is making for a change in management at the small twin-runway airport.

The seller of the manager's home at the airport, Patricia Arnold, is the current manager at the airport.

She and her husband, former Aztec mayor Michael "Mike" Arnold Sr., took up residence on the airport grounds in 1999.

The Arnold's managed the airport together until May of last year when Mike Arnold, 62, died when he lost control of his single-engine plane and crashed shortly after take-off.

Patricia Arnold and her son, Mike Arnold Jr., have overseen daily operations there since Mike Arnold Sr.'s death.

Last September, city commissioners approved a one-year extension of a lease agreement with the Arnold family to continue managing the city's airport.

The extension expires Sept. 20. So far, the city has yet to fill the manager position but received responses from five individuals in the last month, according to City Manager Joshua Ray.

"Pat Arnold is not going to manage it any longer. We've been working with them to transition to the next manager. We're in the process of receiving proposals for the next manager," Ray said. "The (Sept. 20) deadline is there, but we will make a change as soon as we approve a new individual to take over."

The airport manager, an unpaid position, can derive an income from the sale of fuel at the airport and the leasing of hangar space. If the next manager agrees to live in the airport's mobile home, that person would be provided the living quarters, but still have to pay for any utilities, Ray said.

"We basically trade them the space — we own the property — as part of their income," Ray said. "We don't pay anything directly to the manager, so they can live there and provide on-site security."

Review of applications for the position should conclude within a month or so, Ray said.

Ray says the airport serves a definite purpose for the city.

"I think it's a huge benefit to the city to bring tourists to the city and to give people a local airport to use," Ray said. "It's been steady the last four years — pilot usage and hangar requests have seen a small upsurge."

The city collects about $900 each year from leases for two plane hangars, according to Aztec Finance Director Kathy Lamb.

Of the airport's total 73 acres, the city owns 18. The remaining 55 acres are owned by the Bureau of Land Management. The city leases the BLM acreage for $500 per year. The bureau only charges the city for the land where the two airstrips are located, according to Aztec Projects Manager Ed Kotyk.

"Pat's been excellent to work with — it's been seamless for us," Ray said. "The nobility of her taking care of the airport on behalf of the city has just been outstanding. The big challenge for her was not having Mike. I'm excited for her to finish up her work there and get the next manager on board."

Calls to Patricia Arnold for comment about this story were not returned Monday


Story and photos:   http://www.daily-times.com

 


NTSB Identification: CEN13LA299
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, May 18, 2013 in Aztec, NM
Aircraft: PECK NORMAN O PECK P-1, registration: N16NM
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 may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On May 18, 2013, about 1150 mountain daylight time, an amateur built Peck P-1 single-engine airplane, N16NM, registered to and operated by a private individual, was destroyed after it impacted the ground during takeoff from Aztec Municipal Airport (N16), Aztec, New Mexico. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.

A witness to the accident stated that he saw the pilot start up the airplane and takeoff on runway 26. Just after becoming airborne, the airplane impacted a berm on the right side of the runway, spun 180 degrees, and caught fire.

A person who knew the pilot provided information that indicated that the pilot had purchased the airplane about 6 months ago. He also stated that the pilot had complained about 7-10 days prior to the accident that fuel had been pooling on the floor of the cockpit.

U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith blames new regulations for airline woes

McCOOK, Nebraska — U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith urged caution on legislative involvement in the national pilot shortage that has reportedly hurt most airlines and contributed to the suspension of commercial air service to McCook.

Smith said the situation was created by an overreaction by lawmakers to the crash and he wants to avoid repeating the mistake.

Congressman Smith visited with the McCook City Council and Airport Advisory Commission, as well as other citizens in attendance, this morning during a pair of public meetings at the Municipal Facility.

Smith said the pilot shortage affected every airport in his district and a focus would need to be placed on restoring reliability of air service and passenger confidence. Smith repeatedly said he was against the government setting ticket prices or writing contracts between airlines and local airports, but, some level of action would be necessary.

Smith said the regional airline accident in Buffalo, New York was very unfortunate, but the resulting changes were clearly an overreaction.

Smith said Essential Air Service had issues prior to the pilot shortage, adding it seemed as though subsidized airlines advertised very little and were in a rush to cancel flights. Smith said it is a privilege for a business to use tax dollars and he believed they should make more of an effort to promote their own business.

“A system of high-priced empty seats doesn’t make sense and it’s not just this [McCook] route,” Smith said.

He indicated he would look into incentivizing airline subsidies with related requirements, adding that, right now, there is no incentive to fill seats. City staff suggested the addition of incentives for on-time and on-schedule flights also be considered.

Police Chief Ike Brown asked about the disparity in fares and asked about setting guidelines for a more reasonable fare but Smith cautioned against legislators deciding at what price airline tickets should be set. Smith said the market should determine prices and government involvement often had a negative effect on the market.

“We want business to prosper and our government, for the most part, to stay out of the way,” said Smith.

Smith said he hoped to give communities the ability to increase passenger boardings on their own.
 
Smith said efforts were already under way to bring more flexibility to the smaller passenger markets, such as McCook, which he hoped would provide a transition period into writing better contracts and ultimately increasing reliability of flights. Smith said he would prefer to avoid having legislators come up with the language but indicated an incentive program based on performance might be the right approach.

Above all else, Congressman Smith indicated any legislation would need to be carefully researched, “the only thing worse than a slow bill, is a bill that passes too fast.”

Story and comments/reaction: http://www.mccookgazette.com

Pilot Shortage Hurting More Airports

Great Lakes Airlines will suspend its flights to and from McCook's Ben Nelson Regional Airport starting April 1st. The only way they will be able to resume service by April 27th is if Great Lakes figures out a new plan or a different airline bids on McCook's route.

"If you're going to ask me is it going to affect our service, is it going to affect us next, it's possible," said Mike Sharkey, the North Platte Airport manager.

Sharkey has been with the North Platte airport for 14 years. He said business has slowed down dramatically since November. They used to average about 900 passengers a month but in January that number dropped to about 410.

The main concern is the pilot shortage which has affected the number of flights the airport services. .

"Before this started we had four flights a day. Four round trips. Starting about 6:30 in the morning and the last one would come in around 9:30 at night. So that's been reduced to one, " he said.

After a fatal crash of a regional airliner 5 years ago on the East Coast, Congress demanded changes in legislation requiring captains and co–pilots to have 1500 hours of flight time and an ATP or an Airline Transport pilot rating, which is deterring a pool of new pilots..

"It's not just 1500 hours its specialized time.So you cant get into the right seat of a King Air, and fly around for 1500 and it might take you 3–4 K hours. So by the time you have that many hours and you have an ATP, you're way up in the salary scale food chain and to where you're not going to ride in the right seat of a small commuter," Sharkey said.

Congressman Adrian Smith said he's talked with FAA officials directly to discuss the implications the regulations have on local airports.

"The seven essential airports around the 3rd district, around the 75 counties of the third district, these are important to the communities to that they exist... We want a system that's reliable in terms of safety and we want a system with reliable service because if we don't see a system with reliable service "

North Platte Airport's contract with Great Lakes airline is ending at the end of this year.

Sharkey says they are currently talking with other airlines that are not affected by the shortage who may take on North Platte's route.


Source:   http://www.knopnews2.com