Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Orlando, Florida
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas
Continental Motors; Mobile, Alabama
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N100CP
Accident Number: ERA16LA252
Date & Time: 07/11/2016, 1100 EDT
Registration: N100CP
Aircraft: CESSNA 310
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Fuel starvation
Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Aerial Observation
On July 11, 2016, about 1100 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 310Q, N100CP, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Bartow, Florida. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local aerial photography flight that departed from Bartow Municipal Airport (BOW), Bartow, Florida, at 0845. The flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to the pilot, the preflight inspection of the airplane revealed no anomalies; the fuel tanks were full, and no water or contaminants were visible in the fuel samples taken.
The engine run-up, takeoff, and climb to 13,500 feet mean sea level (msl) were "normal," and the cruise power setting was 27" of manifold pressure at 2,200 rpm for the flight. After 2 hours, the pilot descended for landing at BOW. The airplane entered the traffic pattern, and as the left turn onto the base leg of the traffic pattern was completed, the right engine lost power.
The pilot confirmed there was "available fuel," turned toward the runway threshold, and "recognized" that the left engine was also no longer producing power.
The pilot concluded that the airplane would not reach the airport, selected a forced landing area, and completed the forced landing to swampy terrain.
A Federal Aviation Inspector (FAA) inspector noted that the airplane came to rest in knee-deep water about 1 mile northwest of the airport. The airplane came to rest upright and there was substantial damage to the wings, empennage, and tail section. The inspector further noted that neither propeller appeared to be feathered, the right engine propeller blades appeared to be bent aft, and the left engine propeller blades were straight.
Both fuel selector valve handles were found in the Auxiliary position. Examination of the auxiliary fuel tanks revealed an odor of fuel, but each tank appeared empty. Due to the swampy terrain conditions, the airplane could not be further examined on site, and was moved to a secure storage facility. During recovery of the airplane, it was noted that the fuel tanks on the right side of the airplane were damaged and voided by impact. The main tip tank was separated from the left wing, and several gallons of fuel were drained from the auxiliary left wing and the left wing-locker tank. A Shadin Fuel Flow Indicator was recovered from the instrument panel and retained for examination.
A detailed examination of the airplane revealed control continuity from the flight controls to the flight control surfaces, and from the engine controls to each engine. A detailed examination of each engine revealed there were no anomalies that would have prevented normal operation.
According to FAA records, the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land and instrument airplane. He was issued an FAA second-class medical certificate on July 1, 2016. The pilot reported 5,107 total hours of flight experience, of which 219 hours were in the accident airplane make and model.
The airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed February 1, 2016, at 6637.6 total aircraft hours.
At 1315, the weather reported at BOW included few clouds at 2,500 feet and variable winds at 4 knots. The temperature was 31° C, dewpoint was 21° C, and the altimeter setting was 30.13 inches of mercury.
Interpolation of performance charts in the manufacturer's owner's manual revealed that the fuel consumption rate for the airplane was an estimated 27 gallons per hour at the power settings reported by the pilot.
The Shadin Fuel Flow Indicator was a digital fuel management system designed to provide fuel management information under real-time flight conditions to the flight crew. The unit was connected to engine fuel flow transducers. The unit was capable of transmitting fuel information to certain GPS receivers for additional calculations and display of fuel management data. The unit can display engine fuel flow, fuel used, fuel remaining, and endurance. The unit does not interface with an aircraft's fuel quantity indicating system. The unit required the flight crew to enter the initial fuel on board the airplane. All calculations and data provided by the unit were based on fuel flow. Between power cycles, the unit retained the last fuel used and fuel remaining.
When examined in the NTSB Recorders Laboratory, the unit displayed 62.3 gallons used, and 115 gallons remaining, which was consistent with the duration and profile of the accident flight as reported by the pilot.
According to the Cessna 310 Owner's Manual:
BEFORE LANDING
Fuel Selectors – Left Engine – Left Main (feel for detent)
Right Engine – Right Main (feel for detent)
AUXILIARY FUEL SYSTEM
"Since the auxiliary fuel tanks are designed for cruising flight, they are not equipped with pumps and operation near the ground (below 1000 feet AGL) using auxiliary fuel tanks is not recommended."
Pilot Information
Certificate: Flight Instructor; Commercial
Age: 52, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane Single-engine
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 2 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 07/01/2016
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 5107 hours (Total, all aircraft), 219 hours (Total, this make and model), 13 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 13 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Registration: N100CP
Model/Series: 310 Q
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1971
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 310Q0219
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 02/01/2016, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 5302 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 121 Hours
Engines: 2 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 6637 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: CONT MOTOR
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: IO-470 SERIES
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 280 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: On-demand Air Taxi (135)
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: BOW, 125 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1547 UTC
Direction from Accident Site: 120°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 2500 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: Light and Variable /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: / None
Wind Direction: Variable
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 30.13 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 31°C / 21°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Bartow, FL (BOW)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Bartow, FL (BOW)
Type of Clearance: VFR
Departure Time: 0845 EDT
Type of Airspace: Class D
Airport Information
Airport: Bartow Municipal (BOW)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 124 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Vegetation; Water--calm
Runway Used: 09L
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 5000 ft / 150 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Forced Landing; Traffic Pattern
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Minor
Latitude, Longitude: 27.943333, -81.783333 (est)
NTSB Identification: ERA16LA252
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, July 11, 2016 in Bartow, FL
Aircraft: CESSNA 310, registration: N100CP
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 may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On July 11, 2016, about 1100 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 310Q, N100CP, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Bartow, Florida. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local photographic imaging flight that departed from Bartow Municipal Airport (BOW), Bartow, Florida. The flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to initial Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports, the airplane lost right engine power on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern to runway 9L, then lost left engine power, and subsequently impacted swampy terrain near the near the base leg. The responding FAA inspector noted that the airplane came to rest in knee-deep water about 1 mile northwest of the airport. The inspector further noted that neither propeller appeared to be feathered, the right engine propeller blades appeared to be bent aft, and the left engine propeller blades were straight.
Due to the swampy terrain conditions, the airplane could not be further examined on site. The airplane was recovered to a secure storage facility where it will be examined at a future date.
BARTOW, Fla. - Two men went out spraying for mosquito control on Monday, but returned with an extra passenger: An injured airplane pilot.
They rescued a pilot who just crashed his plane in the middle of nowhere in Polk County.
“By the tone of the voice of the ‘May Day, May Day, May Day,’ we knew that the pilot was desperate,” said Pepper Keller, who flies with Nick Harboe for Polk County Natural Resources and Mosquito Control.
The pair has zero search and rescue training, but they weren’t about to turn a blind eye.
“So we had no real clue on how to conduct a proper search. We kind of made that up on our own,” he said.
Maybe it was beginners luck.
Keller and Harboe found the downed plane about a mile from the Bartow Airport in the middle of thick woods and swamp land.
The pilot was bloodied -- but alive.
“It’s a great relief he was standing and was able to navigate on his own,” Keller said. “I think he had said, ‘Yes, I’m hurt,’ and he had bandaged himself.”
It appears the pilot, identified as James Melton from Kentucky, was doing aerial mapping at the time.
Investigators said he was coming in to land the plane when something went wrong.
“From the sound of his voice, we knew something had happened and it happened very quickly,” Harboe said.
Melton spent about three hours getting checked out in the hospital and was then released.
“It’s an old pilot adage... Any landing that you can walk away from is a good landing,” Keller added.
Story and video: http://www.abcactionnews.com
Bartow --
Two Polk County Natural Resources helicopter pilots became rescue heroes Monday.
They were spraying weeds on a lake when they heard another pilot on their radio making a mayday call.
"From the tone of the "mayday, mayday," we knew that pilot was desperate,” Pepper Keller said.
Keller and fellow pilot Nick Harboe quickly started to search an area near Bartow Municipal Airport. They had almost given up finding the downed plane when they spotted something in a marshy area about a mile from the airport.
"I really didn't expect to find a survivable accident,” Harboe said.
But when their chopper got closer to the crash site, they spotted an injured pilot, James Melton, sitting on the wing of his plane. Melton had a head injury, but he was OK.
Keller and Harboe landed near the crash site, got Melton into a back seat and flew him to the airport. Melton was treated and released at a local hospital.
The FAA is investigating the cause of the crash.
"We were definitely, exactly in the right place at the right time,” Keller said.
BARTOW (FOX 13) - One person was injured in a small plane crash just east of Lake Hancock late this morning.
Polk County Fire Rescue says it was around 11 a.m. when the twin-engine Cessna crashed in a field.
A Polk County Government helicopter spray pilot saw the plane going down and was able to get the injured pilot to Bartow Municipal Airport, where he was loaded onto an ambulance to the hospital.
The pilot was the only person on board. The extent of his injuries was not immediately available.
FAA records show the plane is registered to a corporation out of Missouri Mississippi.
Original article can be found here: http://www.fox13news.com
The twin-engine Cessna went down about 11 a.m. in a field east of Lake Hancock in the Highland City area, according to Polk County Fire Rescue.
Another pilot saw the plane crash and took its pilot to Bartow Municipal Airport.
No further details have been released about the crash.
Original article can be found here: http://www.abcactionnews.com
AIRCRAFT: 1971 Cessna 310Q N100CP, s/n: 310Q0219
The last annual inspection was accomplished in February 2016 at AFTT 6637.6
ENGINES: Continental TSIO-520-B, s/n: 145265-6-B & Continental TSIO-520-NB, s/n: 290882R - see attached Engine Log Extracts
PROPELLERS: Both 3AF32C87-NR are significantly damaged.
s/n: 785842 - overhauled January 2016. Installed at annual inspection on February 10, 2016 - Hobbs 830.2 per log
s/n: 728435 - at annual inspection on February 10, 2016 log records PTSOH 1275.2 (tach 830.2 -Hobbs?)
EQUIPMENT: Panel was submerged in and/or exposed to water and mud for an extended. See photos
DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT: N100CP landed in swampy terrain after experiencing engine power issues on approach to the Bartow Airport, Florida.
DESCRIPTION OF DAMAGES: See attached photos. Almost every part of aircraft is damaged and or was exposed to swamp water and mud.
LOCATION OF AIRCRAFT: Florida Aircraft Recovery, Jacksonville, Florida
Read more here: http://www.avclaims.com/N100CP.html
So sorry to see another C310 gone. Thank goodness the pilot survived. Outstanding aircraft. FAA records show the plane is registered in (MS) Mississippi not in (MO) Missouri as mentioned in the article. Easy error. Fly safe everyone. Especially in light twins!
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