Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Charleston, West Virginia
Continental Motors Inc; Washington District of Columbia
Cirrus Aircraft; Duluth, Minnesota
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N217CE
Location: Bluefield, WV
Accident Number: ERA17LA063
Date & Time: 11/22/2016, 1142 EST
Registration: N217CE
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control on ground
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On November 22, 2016, about 1142 eastern standard time, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR-22 single-engine airplane, N217CE, sustained substantial damage during an aborted takeoff on runway 5 at the Mercer County Airport (BLF), Bluefield, West Virginia. The commercial pilot, the passenger, and two dogs were not injured. The airplane was registered to a private company and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the airport at the time of the accident which was being conducted as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight that was destined for Hilton Head Airport (HXD), Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
The pilot stated that he and his father departed for a cross country flight. The father sat in the front right seat and held two small dogs on his lap during the takeoff roll. The pilot said that during the takeoff roll, the airplane's engine was not making full power and there were fluctuations with the airspeed, so he elected to abort the takeoff. He reduced power and applied full braking, but the left wing became airborne and the right wing struck the runway. The airplane veered to the right and the propeller struck a grassy area. The airplane impacted the ground and spun 180° before it came to a stop. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the right wing and the engine mounts.
The engine was removed from the airframe and sent to the manufacturer to be test run. During the pre test-run examination, it was noted that the engine's magneto-to-engine timing was set 7° in advance of what was specified for this model engine. The pilot reported that prior to takeoff, he had trouble starting the engine, which resulted in multiple start attempts. The starter-adapter was removed from the engine. When the starter-adapter was manually rotated by hand, irregular friction was noted, which was indicative of damage being present. When the adapter's housing cap was removed, metallic debris was observed along with gear impressions and circumferential scrapes/gouges on the housing walls. Removal of the gear shaft revealed that the drum displayed compression damage from the spring that smeared and deformed the aft ends of the splined areas. Damage to the gear shaft was consistent with needle bearing impingement and the needle bearing rollers were galled. According to the engine manufacturer, this damage was consistent with damage observed on other starters that were involved in engine-start "kick-back" events for which, the FAA released a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin NE-17-11, "Engine damage as a result of kickback" on May 10, 2017, to address the issue. Since advanced engine timing can also contribute to engine kick-back events, the crankshaft gear bolts were removed as per the Continental Motors Service Bulletin 16-6 (issued October 2016), Engine Damage Due to Kickback. The gear bolts were found in place with the safety wire intact. The bolts were examined and no damaged was identified. Even though the starter was found damaged, its primary role is for engine-starting purposes only and would not have affected the engine's ability to operate after it was started.
A new starter adapter was placed on the engine and the engine-to- magneto timing was left "as is" before it was placed in a test cell. The engine started immediately and ran through its full power band without interruption. No preimpact anomalies were identified that would have precluded normal operation of the engine.
The airplane was equipped with a Cirrus Perspective Garmin GPS and a Recoverable Data Module (RDM), both of which were downloaded to obtain flight information. According to the data, the pilot attempted to start the engine 32 times on the morning of the accident, and was able to start the engine twice. The pilot described in a written statement that first time the engine started, he shut it down due to a high cylinder head temperature (CHT) reading. He then tried again to start the engine, and after several more attempts, the engine finally started a second time. The pilot observed good CHT readings following the second engine start, then taxied to the runway and departed.
The data showed that after the airplane entered the 4,743-foot-long runway, engine speed was increased to 2,300 rpm at 11:42:09 as the airplane rolled over the runway numbers (in the displaced threshold area). About 50 ft past the displaced threshold (about 700 ft down the runway surface) the engine speed was recorded as being over 2,600 rpm, where it remained until the aircraft was about 2,100 ft down the runway, when the power was reduced to 1,500 rpm. The airplane had attained an indicated airspeed of 73 knots (safe takeoff speed) when the airplane was about 1,300 ft down the runway and retained a safe takeoff speed until the airplane was about 3,300 ft down the runway. The airplane momentarily became airborne, the stall horn activated, and it departed the right side of the runway (about 3,450 ft) at a groundspeed of about 61 knots before the data ended at 1142:39
The engine data also revealed that associated engine parameters moved in response to rpm increases and decreases, and there was no evidence of a power loss. The airspeed also corresponded to the power changes and no erroneous fluctuations were recorded.
According to the airplane's Pilot Operating Handbook, the procedure for an aborted takeoff is:
1) Power Lever.....Idle
2) Brakes.....As Required
From the time the pilot initiated the power reduction, there was about 2,600 ft of remaining runway.
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine and multiengine land airplane, and instrument airplane. He reported a total of 883 total flight hours, of which, 460 hours were in the same make/model as the accident airplane. The pilot's last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third-class medical was issued on September 15, 2014.
Weather at the airport at 1152 was reported as wind from 280 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 10 miles, and clear skies.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Commercial; Private
Age: 38, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 4-point
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 Without Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 09/15/2014
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 09/01/2016
Flight Time: 883 hours (Total, all aircraft), 460 hours (Total, this make and model), 785 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 8 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 8 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 0 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP
Registration: N217CE
Model/Series: SR22 NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2011
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 3812
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 11/15/2016, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 3400 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 4 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 1420 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: CONT MOTOR
ELT: C126 installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: IO-550-N
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 310 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: BLF, 2856 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1152 EST
Direction from Accident Site: 0°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 8 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: /
Wind Direction: 280°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: /
Altimeter Setting: 30.3 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 9°C / 1°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Bluefield, WV (BLF)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC (HXD)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1142 EST
Type of Airspace: Unknown
Airport Information
Airport: MERCER COUNTY (BLF)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 2856 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 05
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 4743 ft / 100 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: None
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude: 37.295833, -81.207500 (est)
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, November 22, 2016 in Bluefield, WV
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22, registration: N217CE
Injuries: 2 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 November 22, 2016, at 1220 eastern standard time, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR-22 single-engine airplane, N217CE, sustained substantial damage during an aborted takeoff at the Mercer County Airport (BLF), Bluefield, West Virginia. The commercial pilot and the passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to a private company and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the airport at the time of the accident which was being conducted as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight that was destined for Hilton Head Airport (HXD), Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
According to the pilot, the airplane was not making full power on the takeoff roll and there were fluctuations with the airspeed so he elected to abort the takeoff. He reduced power and applied full braking, but the left wing became airborne and the right wing struck the runway. The airplane veered to the right and the propeller struck a grassy area. The airplane impacted the ground and spun 180 degrees before it came to a stop.
The airplane was retained for further examination.
Weather at the airport at 1152 was reported as wind from 290 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 10 miles, and clear skies.
BLUEFIELD — Officials from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) were on the scene Wednesday at Mercer County Airport to investigate the crash of a small plane on Tuesday.
No one was injured in the incident.
Clint Ransom, airport manager, said the identities of the pilot and one passenger have not yet been released and the cause of the crash won’t be officially determined until after the investigation.
Ransom said the single-engine propeller plane that seats four was taking off when the crash occurred.
“It did happen on takeoff,” he said. “There was one passenger and the pilot, but no injuries.”
Ransom said the area around the plane has now been cleared.
“The FFA and NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) did clear us to clean up the site and leave the airplane, which we did Tuesday evening,” he said. “They will be conducting the investigation. They are coming today.”
No timeline is in place for the investigation.
“They may disassemble the plane, or maybe not,” he said. “We won’t have any more information available until the FFA releases it.”
Ransom said response to the incident was fast and well-coordinated.
“The entire response to the incident went very smoothly,” he said. “My employees performed the way they were supposed to and emergency responders were here very quickly.”
Ransom said the airport was reopened about five hours after the crash.
“At least two planes had to be diverted while we were closed,” he said.
The only danger posed was a fuel leak.
Chief Dave Thompson of the Green Valley-Glenwood said some fuel was leaking from the aircraft.
“We had a line that ruptured on the bottom of the tank on the left wing,” Thompson said later. “We were trying to divert an explosion or a fire.”
Firefighters secured the fuel and wreckage without any incidents.
The website FlightAware showed that the plane was a Cirrus SR-22 and the owner a corporation in Naples, Fla.
The aircraft’s latest recorded flight was from Hinton Head, S.C., to Mercer County.
Crashes at the airport are rare, Ransom said, but there have been eight to 10 fatalities over the history of the airport.
The worst was in the 1980s when a Cessna Citation jet crashed on an aborted landing killing six people from Beckley.
“There was some snow and ice on the runway and the pilot could not get stopped,” he said. “It was not going fast enough to take off again and the plane ran into some dirt at the end of the runway and flipped over down the hill.”
A DC-3 (the main propeller passenger plane used by Piedmont Airlines) ran off the runway over the hill in the 1970s, he said, but no one was injured in that crash.
“We’ve seen a few small crashes, like a plane coming in with the landing gear still up,” he said. “A few other fatalities have occurred, involving planes that crashed either coming in or leaving (away from the airport itself).”
Ransom said there can be an increase in the use of the airport during the holidays as planes stop for fuel.
“But our local general aviation stays about the same (including holidays),” he said.
Source: http://www.bdtonline.com
BLUEFIELD — First responders hurried to the scene late Tuesday morning after an single-engine aircraft crashed at the end of a local airport’s runway.
Mercer County 911 was alerted at approximately 11:43 a.m. about a crash at the Mercer County Airport, and units of the Green Valley-Glenwood Volunteer Fire Department, the Princeton Rescue Squad and West Virginia State Police were soon on the scene. Corporal J.M. Ellison of the West Virginia State Police Princeton Detachment said there were no injuries.
“All I can tell you is that a small four-person aircraft was taking off on Runway 5,” Airport Manager Clint Ransom said at the scene.
Only one person, the pilot, was aboard the aircraft, Ransom stated.
“I’ve been here three and a half years, and this is the first type of incident of this type that I’ve dealt with,” he added after being asked about any previous crashes at the airport.
As the airplane attempted to lift off, it left the runway, leaving pieces behind on the ground before coming to rest.
Chief Dave Thompson of the Green Valley-Glenwood department told bystanders to keep back while firefighters secured some fuel leaking from the aircraft.
“We had a line that ruptured on the bottom of the tank on the left wing,” Thompson said later. “We were trying to divert an explosion or a fire.” Firefighters secured the fuel and wreckage without any incidents.
After inputing the plane’s registration number into the website FlightAware, the site showed that the plane was a Cirrus SR-22 aircraft with a single engine and four seats.
The owner was shown as a corporation in Naples, Fla.
The aircraft’s latest recorded flight was from Hinton Head, S.C., to Mercer County.
Source: http://www.bdtonline.com
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