NTSB Identification: ERA15CA272
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, July 18, 2015 in Junction City, KY
Probable Cause Approval Date: 08/11/2015
Aircraft: SMITH STEEN SKYBOLT, registration: N31CS
Injuries: 1 Minor.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that the accident flight was his first flight in the experimental airplane. He planned a fuel stop during his long cross-country flight based on an estimated 12 gallons per hour fuel consumption rate. The pilot further stated that his estimated fuel consumption rate did not account for the fact that the engine had been upgraded from carbureted to fuel injected. During the first leg of the cross-country flight, the airplane was on approach to the planned fuel-stop airport; however, the pilot performed a go-around as the airplane ballooned during flare. During the go-around, about 500 feet above ground level, the engine lost all power and the pilot performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane struck an unoccupied house and came to rest on its right side. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the airplane's single fuel tank was not compromised and was absent of fuel. The examination did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions, nor did the pilot report any. The inspector also noted the right wing and fuselage were substantially damaged.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's inaccurate fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
A single-engine plane crashed in Junction City on Saturday afternoon.
The pilot, the only person aboard, was taken to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital with injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, said Mike Wilder, director of Boyle County Emergency Management.
He said the pilot, who was alert when taken from the scene, was helped out of the plane by neighbors who went to the crash site before emergency crews arrived.
The plane crashed against a vacant house, but the home was not damaged, Wilder said.
He said the plane took out some tree limbs and power lines.
Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the Steen Skybolt aircraft crashed while trying to land at Stuart Powell Field in Danville at about 1:20 p.m.
The name of the pilot has not been released, but the plane is registered to Glenn S. Packard of Hattiesburg, Miss., according to the FAA website.
Danville-Boyle County Emergency Management said in a Facebook post that officials would be "standing by securing the scene" off Simpson Lane in Junction City until the FAA or the National Transportation Safety Board arrived to investigate.
Bergen said the FAA is investigating the crash and the NTSB will determine the probable cause of the crash.
“It’s not as bad as it could have been,” said Mike Wilder, director of Danville-Boyle County Emergency Management. “The pilot was able to walk away. There were no life-threatening injuries; he was taken to the University of Kentucky Medical Center by Air Evac, but he was alert and talking.”
When the plane hit the ground, it narrowly missed hitting the vacant house at 226 Simpson Lane. Officials aren’t sure what caused the plane to come down, but when it did it made no sound until the point of impact, said neighbors.
“It sounded like a tree falling,” said Mark Taylor, who lives across from where the plane hit. When he and a next-door neighbor came out, they saw a trail of limbs the plane took out, as well as an electric line it had pinged before the crash.
“The leaves were still falling,” he said of how quickly it happened.
Taylor went to one neighbor’s house to get medical help for the pilot while another neighbor went to help the pilot, who was able to crawl out of the wreckage himself.
The power was knocked out on Simpson Lane until about 5:30 p.m. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been called to the scene, but will not arrive until Monday. Law enforcement officials will monitor the wreckage until they arrive.
Source: http://www.centralkynews.com
BOYLE COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - Boyle County's Emergency Management Director tells WKYT that one person was injured in a plane crash on Saturday.
Crews were called to the crash on Simpson Lane in Junction CIty around 1:30 p.m.
Emergency Management Director Mike Wilder says the pilot had engine trouble and they believe that is what caused the crash.
The pilot landed next to a house, but there is no damage to the house. Wilder said the plane did take down some electrical wires, knocking out power to several homes. Crews are on the scene right now, trying to restore power.
Wilder said the only person inside of the single engine plane was the pilot. The pilot was taken to UK Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The wreckage will remain on the scene throughout the weekend until the NTSB and FAA come to inspect the situation.
Investigators are not sure if the pilot was taking off or landing, but they say there is an airport about a half mile down the road.
Source: http://www.wkyt.com
Officials on the scene say the small, single engine plane also hit electrical lines when it crashed into the house.
No one was home at the time.
Power is out for many of the residents nearby.
The pilot was the only person in the plane. He was flown to UK Hospital with serious injuries. His name has not been released.
Officials believe the plane possibly crashed due to engine failure.
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration are headed to the scene.
Story, comments and photos: http://www.lex18.com
What save the day,"the plane did take down some electrical wires,". they acted like arresting wires to absorb energy, slow the plane thus minimize the effects of blunt force trauma.
ReplyDeleteI knew a previous owner of that plane. Flew it a lot. Notoriuosly difficult to land, and no surprise it ballooned. We usually landed hot to keep aerodynamic control, especially in wind. We NEVER intended to land off field. Always wore current inspected parachutes.
ReplyDelete