Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Incident occurred February 24, 2016 at Greenville Spartanburg International Airport (KGSP), Greer, South Carolina

Date: 25-FEB-16
Time: 00:05:00Z
Regis#: DAL1779
Aircraft Make: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS
Aircraft Model: MD88
Event Type: Incident
Damage: Unknown
Activity: Commercial
Flight Phase: TAXI (TXI)
Aircraft Operator: DAL-Delta Air Lines
Flight Number: DAL1779
FAA Flight Standards District Office: FAA Greensboro FSDO-39
City: GREENVILLE
State: North Carolina

DELTA AIRLINES FLIGHT DAL1779, REGISTRATION NOT REPORTED, MCDONNELL DOUGLAS MD 88 AIRCRAFT ON TAXI WINGTIP STRUCK A POLE, NO INJURIES, DAMAGE TO BE DETERMINED, GREENVILLE, NC


GREENVILLE, S.C. —A 140-passenger plane struck a light pole while taxiing Wednesday night at Greenville-Spartanburg Airport, Rosylin Weston, of GSP Airport said. 

Weston said Delta Flight 1779  was scheduled to fly from GSP to Atlanta around 7:30 p.m. 

The pilot was told to hold off on the runway before takeoff because of weather conditions and struck the light pole while taxiing, Weston said. 

The plane made it back to the gate and all passengers deplaned. No injuries were reported, Weston said. 

Original article can be found here:  http://www.wyff4.com

GREER, SC (FOX Carolina) -

A Delta flight struck a light pole at GSP on Wednesday night. 

GSP officials said the incident happened just before 7:30 p.m. on Delta flight 1779, which was scheduled to head to Atlanta from GSP. 

According to FlightAware, the flight landed in Atlanta at 8:03 p.m.

The plane pushed out from the gate, taxied to the north end for a hold due to weather. The plane struck a light pole during the taxiing time. 

140 passengers were on board but no one was injured, according to officials.

Read more: http://www.foxcarolina.com

Redlands Airport Advisory Board still says no to residential development

REDLANDS >> Airport users are holding strong in their opposition to a proposed residential development.

The Airport Advisory Board on Tuesday recommended the City Council reject Rancho Cucamonga-based Diversified Pacific’s plan to build 55 single-family homes on 32.28 acres of land within the airport’s influence area.

“I just wonder why this sudden rush to get all of this at us,” Ingrid Biglow, board chairwoman, said. “I appreciate we had the opportunity, but it still doesn’t sit well with me. This whole package is not studied to its conclusion.”

The City Council in January agreed to postpone consideration of the project indefinitely to allow city staff and the developer to review the project following Coffman Associates’ review of the city’s airport planning documents.

The project’s mitigated negative declaration — a statement that a project will not create a significant impact or that measures will be taken to reduce any impact — was revised based on the Coffman Associate’s study and presented to the board during a special meeting Tuesday. The declaration includes 26 mitigation measures that the developer is required to follow as a condition of approval.

The airport’s helicopter flight training pattern and noise impacts dominated Tuesday’s discussion with board members and pilots in attendance. Pilots questioned the accuracy of the noise study and the feasibility of the traffic pattern.

Pilots are concerned about safety — not having open space for emergency landings — and noise complaints coming from the new residents.

The developer has said that potential buyers will be informed of the development’s close proximity to the airport.

Coffman Associates found inconsistencies among the Redlands Municipal Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan, the state’s Airport Land Use Handbook and the Redlands Airport Master Plan. They also reviewed the helicopter flight pattern and noise impacts.

In November, the council directed city staff to address the inconsistencies among the documents and revise the city’s airport permit issued by the California Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division.

The Redlands Municipal Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan was updated in 2003 to relocate the helicopter flight training pattern 1,000 feet to the north of San Bernardino Avenue.

The airport permit and city code were never updated.

In December, the city submitted an application with the state to revise the permit to include an established helicopter flight pattern south of the runway, said Robert Dalquest, assistant development services director. The permit was revised last week, he said.

The helicopter flight pattern being used now is in conflict with the proposed project, Dalquest said.

“Collectively, the steps the city is taking will provide the means to mitigate this issue to a less than significant impact,” Dalquest said.

Coffman Associates did a 72-hour noise study, finding the average noise levels to be below 60 decibels.

“Now over the three days, the average for fixed wing, the noise levels were well over 60 DBI — over 70 in some cases. That was the same for the helicopters,” said Ted Gablin, president of the Redlands Airport Association.

The project approval would also include removing some of the property from an agricultural preserve, changing the zoning from agricultural to residential estate, a socio-economic cost/benefit study and dividing the property into 55 lots for single-family residences and one for open space.

The property is on the north side of San Bernardino Avenue, between Judson and Dearborn streets.

The majority of the development is within the C zone, which allows for 6 dwelling units per acre, according to the compatibility plan.

The developer is proposing to build 1.7 units per acre.

Part of the property is within the B2 zone, which does not allow for home construction. The developer is proposing to plant citrus trees and build a water detention basin on this part of the property.

In 2003, the City Council voted to move the C zone to accommodate the Redlands Sports Park at San Bernardino and Wabash avenues. The move also opened up more land to housing opportunities.

The threat of residential housing on the airport’s viability arose in 2005, when an 81-home development was proposed for San Bernardino Avenue, south of Pioneer Avenue and west of Judson Street.

The development was narrowly passed by the City Council in 2006 despite concerns from pilots and rejection from the Planning Commission.

“Seeing that the airport has been there a lot longer than houses, my concern is that we’re jumping through hoops to accommodate somebody who’s trying to develop that land for his own benefit,” Airport Advisory Board member John Loy said. “All we’re going to see from it eventually is a lack of space available for our airplanes and complaints for noise.”

Original article can be found here: http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com

Athens, Georgia man, flying for 57 years, earns Master Pilot honor

Michael Mullaney, left, from FAA Aviation Safety shares a laugh with Bill Barry at Athens-Ben Epps Airport on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. Barry was presented with a Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for his 50 years of safe flight.



The Wright brothers took to the sky in the first airplane in 1903 — 113 years ago. Bill Barry has been flying airplanes for half that time.

“I have flown one-half the time mankind has flown,” the retired 78-year-old Athens dermatologist said. “It’s scary to be that old.”

In 1959, Barry piloted for the first time in a Cessna T-37 — 56 years after the Wright brothers. Now, 57 years later, Barry is receiving the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, a Federal Aviation Administration certificate granted to pilots who have safely flown for 50 years. Only 3,508 people have received the award since its creation more than 50 years ago.

“It is a delightful and unsuspected capstone to a long flying career,” he said.

Bill Barry laughs during a ceremony honoring his fifty years of safe flight at Athens-Ben Epps Airport on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016.


This career started after Barry’s 1959 graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point, a school whose alumni include former presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower. In his 20 years with the U.S. Air Force, he maneuvered through various positions: military test pilot, flight surgeon with NASA, flying two tours and 263 missions in Vietnam and ultimately attaining the rank of colonel. He worked on projects such as NASA’s X-15 Mach 6.72 experiment, helped design the ejection seat for the F-16 and worked with future military technology at the Air Force Special Weapons Center.

Barry was also selected to work in aerospace medicine for the majority of his Air Force career. He studied at Harvard University and the National Institute of Health and worked with the surgeon general’s office. He joined the White House Fellows program and was mentored by Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, James Fletcher, the administrator of NASA at the time, and Frank Borman, commander of the Apollo 8 mission. At the end of Barry’s military career, he commanded the Travis Air Force Base’s hospital — the second largest hospital in the Air Force at its time.



Bill Barry shown here during his time with the U.S. Air Force. Contributed



“I’ve been very fortunate to be around some very talented people who have… mentored me,” Barry said.

His feet have touched the soil of all seven continents, he has hit a top speed of nearly Mach 2 at 1,526 miles per hour and he has logged 10,380 hours — or 432 days — of flying while piloting 88 different kinds of aircraft.

Deciding he enjoyed a long military career, he navigated to Athens in 1979 and became a dermatologist at Dermatology of Athens for 22 years before retiring in 2001. He now spends his free time flying his three planes, one self-built and each outfitted with red and black University of Georgia colors, hunting, golfing at the Athens Country Club and traveling with his family and military friends.

Bill Barry shown here during his time with the U.S. Air Force. Contributed


He is indeed my best friend and we’ve hung in there together as good friends for, gosh, 50-something years,” said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Wayne Lambert who graduated from West Point in 1959 with Barry. Barry was Lambert’s best man in his wedding and the two have kept in contact since. “He’s proficient, he’s smart [and] he’s very savvy.” 

Although the Master Pilot award recognizes 50 years of accident-free flying, Barry said he’s had his fair share of near misses. He once blew the tires and breaks off his fighter when landing to prevent going off the end of the runway. He also dropped and exploded a tip tank during pilot training, harming no one.

Still, Barry said he’s “blessed” to receive the Master Pilot award because of its timing in his life.

“You never know what tomorrow will bring — stroke, heart attack,” he said. “That’s why this FAA award is meaningful because a lot of my friends who are more qualified than I am [to receive this award], they’re not around here to accept it.”

Original article can be found here:  http://onlineathens.com

Why does Google Earth show a plane at the bottom of Lake Harriet? There's one in Lake Nokomis too

IMAGERY ©2016 GOOGLE
 This image from Google Earth appears to show an airplane below the surface of Lake Harriet.


The ghostly image of a passenger plane emerges in the depths of Lake Harriet in Minneapolis.

Zoom in closer on the Google satellite map and you can make out the plane’s tail and the passenger windows.

Nearby at Lake Nokomis, another eerie image of a plane appears in the water.

It’s “unmistakably a large, twin-engine aircraft,” wrote a reader who spotted the plane while searching for an island in Lake Harriet.

That would be news to the folks who oversee Minneapolis parks. “As far as I know, there’s no plane in the lake,” said parks spokeswoman Dawn Sommers.

And just when talk about conspiracies and alien encounters rise to the surface as possible explanations, Google technicians use facts to throw water on all the imaginative speculation.


IMAGERY ©2016 GOOGLE
 A second image from Google Earth appears to show an airplane below the surface of Lake Nokomis.


“In short: each satellite image you see on the map is actually a compilation of several images,” said Susan Cadrecha, a spokeswoman for Google maps after consulting with technicians there. “Fast-moving objects like planes often show up in only one of the many images we use for a given area. When this happens, faint remnants of the fast-moving object can sometimes be seen.”

As the crow flies, both lakes are no more than 5 miles from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where more than 400,000 planes take off and land each year. Nokomis and Harriet also are under a flight path, making it more probable that eventually a Google image would capture a plane in flight over the water.

Snelling Lake, just east of the airport, also sports most of a plane in its waters.

Search the Internet and you’ll see other satellite images that appear to be aerial oddities such as a distinct image of a passenger plane sitting on a Brooklyn, N.Y., playground amid trees or another ghostly image of a plane in the Atlantic Ocean near Long Beach, N.Y.

The lesson here: Seeing isn’t always believing.

Original article can be found here:  http://www.startribune.com

Cessna 152, personal flight operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, N6449P: Accident occurred February 24, 2016 near North Perry Airport (KHWO), Hollywood, Broward County, Florida

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Miramar, Florida

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/N6449P


Location: Pembroke Pines, FL
Accident Number: ERA16LA111
Date & Time: 02/24/2016, 1615 EST
Registration: N6449P
Aircraft: CESSNA 152
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (partial)
Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

On February 24, 2016, about 1615 eastern standard time, a privately owned and operated Cessna 152, N6449P, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a road in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The private pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight that originated about 1 hour 5 minutes earlier from North Perry Airport (HWO), Hollywood, Florida. The personal flight was being operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to the pilot, the engine's valves were adjusted 1 week before the accident in an effort to troubleshoot repeated engine performance issues that would manifest as a rough running engine followed by partial loss of power typically between 10 and 45 minutes into a flight. In advance of the flight, he performed a full preflight check and reported, "everything was normal." The pilot departed and orbited the airport for about 45 minutes, noting no engine discrepancies at the typical elapsed time. He elected to continue flying over the airport in an effort to break-in the piston rings. At about 1 hour 5 minutes into the flight while flying over the southwest corner of the airport, the engine began to run rough. He proceeded to the north side of the airport to sequence for landing on runway 19L, and while operating with the mixture control full rich and the engine at 2,250 rpm, the engine, "totally dropped out", but the oil temperature and pressure were indicating normal. He added power but the engine did not respond and was operating, "pretty much at idle." He declared an emergency with HWO air traffic control tower, and, while on final approach realized he was unable to land on the intended runway. While descending for a forced landing to a road, the left wing contacted a utility pole, and the airplane then impacted the ground which sheared off the nose landing gear.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the accident site was located about .3 nautical mile nearly due north of the approach end of runway 19L. The airplane was moved from the road and secured at HWO, but was not examined before being sold about 2 months after the accident.

The individual who purchased the airplane had his mechanic begin troubleshooting to determine the reason for the loss of engine power. His mechanic found an insect nest in the left fuel vent line between the opening and check valve. In a continued effort to troubleshoot the reason for the loss of engine power, the mechanic checked the fuel supply and timing of the magnetos, then removed the engine. The airplane was subsequently relocated to another airport.

Examination of the airplane and engine by several FAA airworthiness inspectors several months after the accident revealed all valves gaps were between 0.007 and 0.009 inch, which was within limits per Lycoming Service Instruction No. 1068A. Because a run-out test of the crankshaft flange had not been performed, and the engine had been previously removed from the airframe, an engine run was not performed. Rotation of the propeller revealed crankshaft, camshaft, and valve train continuity. Thumb suction and compression was noted in each cylinder. The magnetos produced spark at all spark plugs and were timed 25 degrees before top dead center (BTDC), while the engine data plate specifies the timing to be 20 degrees BTDC. No defects were noted to the P-leads and terminals, and no defects of the spark plugs were noted, though the Nos. 3 and 4 lower plugs were wet with oil. No blockage of the fuel vent crossover line, or of the air induction and exhaust systems was noted, and the vented type fuel caps functioned normally. Examination of the propeller revealed the tip of one blade was bent aft about 90 degrees and exhibited coarse spanwise scratches on the cambered side of the blade. The opposite blade was bent forward about 90 degrees and exhibited coarse chordwise scratches on the blade back, or non-cambered side of the blade. Gouges were also noted on the leading edge in the area of the blade that was bent forward. Because the engine had been removed, relocated, and then temporarily installed before being examined, there was no fuel found in the carburetor, but the fuel line to the carburetor did contain fuel.

A special surface observation taken at HWO about 5 minutes after the accident reported the temperature and dew point to be 28 and 20 degrees Celsius, respectively.

According to a FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, based on the reported temperature and dewpoint about the time of the accident, the conditions were favorable for serious icing at glide engine power settings.

Pilot Information

Certificate: Private
Age: 52, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: None 
Last FAA Medical Exam: 03/15/2011
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 261 hours (Total, all aircraft), 250 hours (Total, this make and model), 3 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft) 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Registration: N6449P
Model/Series: 152 NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1981
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Utility
Serial Number: 15285015
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection:
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 1670 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time:  at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT:
Engine Model/Series: O-235-L2C
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 110 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: HWO, 8 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1620 EST
Direction from Accident Site: 10°
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Visibility:  10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 4100 ft agl
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 17 knots / 24 knots
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: / None
Wind Direction: 220°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 29.89 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 28°C / 20°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Hollywood, FL (HWO)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Hollywood, FL (HWO)
Type of Clearance: VFR
Departure Time: 1510 EST
Type of Airspace: Class D

Airport Information

Airport: North Perry (HWO)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 8 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 19L
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 3260 ft / 100 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Forced Landing

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: 26.007222, -80.237222


NTSB Identification: ERA16LA111 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, February 24, 2016 in Pembrook Pines, FL
Aircraft: CESSNA 152, registration: N6449P
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 February 24, 2016, about 1615 eastern standard time, a Cessna 150, N6449P, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a road in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The private pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight which originated at North Perry Airport (HWO), Hollywood, Florida. The post-maintenance personal flight was being operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to the pilot, the "valves were adjusted, and other maintenance" had been performed prior to the flight. After a "full preflight check," the airplane took off and the pilot flew over the airport at 1,300 feet for about 1 hour. "Everything was normal," and the pilot requested a straight-in approach to runway 19L. During the approach, about ½ mile from the runway, the pilot noted a large power reduction. The oil temperature and pressure were "normal' but the engine was "pretty much at idle." The pilot then called HWO Tower and declared an emergency, then completed the forced landing to the road, which had no people or vehicles on it.

The airplane was subsequently moved from the road and will be examined at a future date.
 
FAA Flight Standards District Office: FAA Miami FSDO-19






HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - A small plane crashed into the driveway of a Hollywood home Wednesday afternoon.

The crash occurred in a neighborhood on Northwest 76th Avenue near Polk Street.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the Cessna 152 was en route to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport when it made an emergency landing.

The plane had taken off from North Perry Airport at 4:15 p.m., authorities said in a news conference. The pilot, identified as Randall Todd Shur, 52, of Pompano Beach, reported engine trouble during the maintenance flight.

Hollywood authorities said Shur reported the issue to the airport tower but couldn't make it back to the airport in time, so he attempted to land in the street of a neighborhood.

Sky 10 was above the scene as the tail of the plane was resting against a fence outside a home. Authorities said the plane might have struck a light pole before hitting the fence.

"I think he clipped the pole, because it might have pushed him down or something. Thank God he's alive," one witness said.

Shur was seen with a bandage wrapped around his head while speaking to police. Authorities said he was examined at the scene and treated for minor lacerations.

"He told our investigators that he did make an earnest attempt to try to land the aircraft at the airport," Jaime Hernandez with Hollywood Emergency Management said. "Unfortunately, due to engine trouble he couldn't make it. He did make a valiant attempt to try to make sure that nobody on the ground was injured. Obviously by all accounts he actually did a pretty decent job it looks like in making sure he landed the aircraft as best he could without injuring anybody on the ground."

Authorities said one person was inside the home at the time, but no injuries were reported.

Original article can be found here:  http://www.local10.com




A small plane made an unexpected landing in a Hollywood driveway Wednesday afternoon, just blocks from North Perry Airport, authorities said.

The plane made the emergency landing along the 300 block of North 76th Avenue at about 4:15 p.m., according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Salac.

The pilot of the Cessna 152 single-engine plane had just done maintenance work on the aircraft and left North Perry Airport on a test run before the emergency happened, according to Broward County Aviation Department spokesman Greg Meyer.

Pilot Randall Shur had been in the air for about an hour when the plane's engine appeared to be losing power a few blocks short of the runway, where he was to have landed. He communicated his emergency to the tower at North Perry Airport and sought a safe place to land.

"He had been given clearance from the tower at North Perry to come in for a landing," Meyer said. "He was No. 2 in line, but just couldn't quite make it to the airport."

Shur told reporters at the scene that from the skies, North 76th Avenue appeared to be all clear.

"I saw the road here and there was nobody on it — no traffic, no children around," said Randall, who had a bandage wrapped around his head and a little blood on his shirt. "That was my first priority, to make sure that I didn't hurt anybody's home or take anyone's life."

While trying to make the emergency landing, the plane struck a pole or tree and spun around, ultimately landing in the driveway of a home, Meyer said.

The pilot narrowly missed the home. The craft's tail sat propped atop a fence along the perimeter of the property, just feet from a pool. The impact damaged a wing and caused one of the plane's wheels to detach and bounce, wedging itself beneath the bumper of a car in a driveway on Polk Street, Meyer said.

No one at the home where the plane made the emergency landing was available for comment Wednesday evening.

Shur, the sole occupant of the plane, said he had a cut on his head that required stitches but declined to go to the hospital. He has been flying for 25 years, he said.

"I did what I could to get it down and walk away from it," he said. "Any landing that you walk away from is a good landing."

The plane was put on a flatbed and hauled to the airport.

The FAA is investigating the incident.

Original article can be found here:  http://www.sun-sentinel.com

Nearly one year later, cleanup for Yeager Airport (KCRW) landslide continues



CHARLESTON, WV - It's been almost a year since the massive landslide at Yeager Airport. But it wasn't something most travelers on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 were worried about.

"No not really, didn't concern me," said Steve White, who was waiting to be picked up at Yeager Airport. 

"No didn't think much about it, airport's pretty much known for a tight airport so I figured they're ready when they get here," said Terry White, Steve's wife. 

But it is an issue the airport has been dealing with every day since it happened. 200 thousand cubic yards of land and material remain to be cleaned up. Due to the season and challenges with the weather, that work is on hold until the Spring. 

"We're not going to start until mid April or May then you're going to be mid summer before you get it all finished I would say unfortunately," said Terry Sayre, Yeager Airport Director who estimates there is about two months of cleanup work left. 

He said coordinating with other agencies and financial challenges have impacted the process. There are several ongoing lawsuits that in part will determine how all of this is paid for. 

Mike Plante, Public Information Officer for the airport says initially when the slide first happened here at Yeager a fair number of passengers were worried about it but that since has not been the case. 



"Not really, we had no flight cancellations because of this incident, no delays because of this incident," said Plante. "The airport has been operational, fully operational throughout all of this."

But the airport is still looking forward to when the area past the runway known as the Engineered Materials Arrestor System (EMAS)  is back because of how important it can be. 

"Having that extra margin can be the difference between life and death sometimes," said Plante. 

A final plan for a rebuild has not yet been chosen. It could cost tens of millions of dollars and its estimated construction could take between a year and half and two from start to finish. 

Although some slides have been happening in the area, Plante said that is not a concern at Yeager. 

"It seems to have stabilized, we’ve had no more movement for some time so we still need to get out of there but we think its stable at this point," he said. 

A similar situation with a landslide at an extended runway area happened in Branson, Missouri and it took that airport about two years to take care of everything. 

Original article can be found here:   http://www.wowktv.com



As the one-year anniversary of the collapse of Yeager Airport’s safety overrun area approaches, officials at the Charleston airport are pursuing a variety of financing possibilities to rebuild the collapsed slope and replace the engineered materials arresting system (EMAS) the hillside supported.

“Our focus continues to be the rebuilding of the slope failure area,” Ed Hill, chairman of the airport’s board of directors, said during a board meeting on Wednesday.

“Ideally, we’ll be able to start rebuilding in the spring,” Hill said. “We’re continuing to look at alternative means of funding to get things started” while waiting for lawsuits and insurance claims to be settled, he said.

Recent legal action that moved Yeager’s lawsuit against Triad Engineering and other firms involved in the design and construction of the safety overrun area from U.S. District Court back to Kanawha Circuit Court, where a hearing or status conference is expected to take place next month, “should speed things along,” Hill said.

But the upcoming construction season will likely be well underway, if not completed, before lawsuits or insurance claims produce the $20 million needed restore the collapsed slope to its elevation before the landslide on March 12 of last year. An additional $8 million will be needed to replace the EMAS system atop the restored overrun area, but the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to pick up 90 percent of that tab.

Yeager officials have approached Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s office with a request for a loan large enough to get design and preliminary construction underway in advance of insurance settlements and judgments from legal action. They have also appealed the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s initial denial of a weather-related disaster claim that would cover reconstruction costs.

“We’ve also been in contact with Sen. [Joe] Manchin,” Hill said, to see what the senator can do in reaching out to the FAA and FEMA to jump-start the rebuilding process.

Meanwhile, weather conditions have brought slide removal work at the safety overrun area to a halt, with more than 200,000 cubic feet of material still to be removed, after 300,000 cubic yards of slide debris and unstable slope were removed last summer and fall.

“Before we can do any rebuilding, we need to get the collapsed area taken care of,” said Terry Sayre, the airport’s executive director. “We need to wait for the weather to break” before that project resumes, Sayre said.

Also at Wednesday’s board meeting, Yeager spokesman Mike Plante said that the Charleston airport has begun a partnership with National Travel and its CEO, Ted Lawson, to promote Yeager fares and destinations in Gazette-Mail ads and weekly features, as well as with local television spots.

Airport officials are discussing the possible addition of a new Florida route with two unidentified carriers, according to the marketing report reviewed at Wednesday’s meeting. Yeager has $700,000 remaining from a Small Communities Air Service Grant it received in 2013 to promote a new route and provide incentives to the airline that operates it. If no agreement for opening a new Florida route is made with a carrier by Jan. 1, 2017, the $700,000 must be returned to the grant program.

According to a review of video from airport security cameras by Yeager Assistant Director Nick Keller, the pilot of a Cessna 421 twin-engine turboprop that got stuck along the berm of Taxiway A on Feb. 3 had been taxiing at a high rate of speed, rolled past a runway hold line without authorization, and then made a right turn, instead of a correct left turn, in attempting to approach the takeoff holding position, becoming mired in wet sod off the taxiway berm.

The aircraft was undamaged and its passengers uninjured in incident, which remains under investigation by the FAA.

- Original article can be found here: http://www.wvgazettemail.com

Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, Hageland Aviation Services, N126AR: Fatal accident occurred April 08, 2014 in Kwethluk, Alaska

Deadly 2014 plane crash may have occurred during training maneuver



A crash that killed two Hageland Aviation pilots during a training flight near Kwethluk in 2014 may have begun as a training maneuver, according to a new report.

Wednesday’s National Transportation Safety Board factual report and docket of documents on the April 8, 2014, crash that killed Derrick Cedars, 42, and Greggory McGee, 46, said they were the Cessna 208 Caravan’s instructor and training pilot respectively. Cedars had more than 14,000 hours of flight time, including nearly 6,000 in Caravans, while McGee had 593 hours of flight time with none in Caravans.

The report was the board’s second on the same day involving a fatal Hageland Aviation flight, following the release of a factual report on the Nov. 29, 2013, crash that killed four people near St. Mary’s.

In the 2014 crash, investigators said, Cedars and McGee took off from Bethel at about 3:35 p.m. About 21 minutes later, data being transmitted by the plane’s ADS-B telemetry system tracked it crashing roughly 22 miles southwest of Kwethluk. Alaska State Troopers found both pilots dead at the site that evening.

No communications were received from the plane during the crash.

The Bethel airport, 27 miles northeast of the crash, reported winds from the north at 8 knots and clear skies three minutes before the Cessna's crash.

Johnathan Kapsner, a training pilot checked by Cedars who later became an instructor pilot at Hageland himself, told the NTSB that he and Cedars would typically start a training pilot’s stall maneuvers at an altitude of about 3,500 feet, with turns left and right before the plane entered a descent.

“The accident flight followed a typical routine and flight pattern from previous training flights,” investigators wrote. “The accident sequence initiated during the time when a simulated emergency and descent was typically initiated.”

Another Hageland training pilot, Jaime Burns, told investigators that after an emergency descent to 500 feet, Cedars had him descend further to an altitude of 200 feet and follow a waterway -- a maneuver he called “running the river.”

“He said that although he hadn’t done a low-flying maneuver like running the river before, he at no time felt unsafe,” investigators wrote.

A preliminary 2014 report on the Kwethluk crash said that the plane had experienced “altitude deviations” leading to a “rapid, steep descent” from an altitude of about 3,400 feet -- a pattern replicated by an NTSB computer simulation based on telemetry data from the crash and a physics model of the plane, which indicated instabilities beginning at 3:56 p.m.

“At this point, the airplane began a steep descent, which continued until impact,” investigators wrote. “The simulation descent rate from (3:56 p.m.) to the time of impact steadily increased to a maximum of about 16,000 feet per minute. The elapsed time from the initial upset to the point of impact was about 22 seconds.”

The NTSB gave heightened scrutiny in the report to the plane’s trim system, which was controlled automatically in normal operations by the plane’s autopilot. Investigators noted a warning in the manual for the Cessna’s trim system that “up to 45 pounds of force on the control wheel may be necessary to hold the aircraft level” in the event of an autopilot failure.

The board’s simulations of two possible scenarios for the crash indicated that moving the plane’s elevators would've required applying up to 130 pounds of pushing force by the time of impact to its central column in a “normal” scenario -- or 800 pounds of pulling force in a “runaway pitch trim” scenario.

When investigators visited the crash site, on land at a bend in the Kwethluk River, they found a 200-foot debris path from the plane as well as initial impact sites which suggested the plane hit the ground at a roughly 30-degree angle.

“Numerous sections of the severely fragmented airplane were located throughout the wreckage path,” investigators wrote.

None of the plane’s instruments were recoverable, in part due to a fire after the crash that consumed much of the cockpit and fuselage.

“The accident was not survivable,” investigators wrote.

Original article can be found here:  https://www.adn.com




http://dms.ntsb.gov

NTSB Identification: ANC14FA022
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, April 08, 2014 in Kwethluk, AK
Aircraft: CESSNA 208B, registration: N126AR
Injuries: 2 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.

On April 8, 2014, about 1557 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 208B Caravan airplane, N126AR, was destroyed after impacting terrain about 22 miles southeast of Kwethluk, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by Hageland Aviation Services, Inc., dba Ravn Connect, Anchorage, Alaska, as a visual flight rules training flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The two crewmembers on board were fatally injured. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and company flight-following procedures were in effect. The local training flight departed from Bethel Airport, Bethel, Alaska at 1535.

The flight was intended to be the first training flight of the newly hired second-in-command (SIC) pilot. The SIC was operating from the airplane's right seat during the training.

About 1745, personnel from Hageland Aviation in Bethel notified the Hageland Operational Control Center (OCC) in Palmer, Alaska, that the airplane was overdue. At 1754, the OCC called the Kenai Flight Service Station to initiate search and rescue operations. A company airplane was dispatched from Bethel to assist in the search, and, at 1839, the pilot of that airplane visually confirmed that the accident airplane had crashed. The Alaska State Troopers in Bethel, assisted by the Alaska Army National Guard, arrived at the accident scene at 2105 and confirmed that both pilots had died.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge, an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Anchorage Flight Standards District Office, an investigator from Textron Aviation, and a representative of the operator traveled to the accident scene on the morning of April 10, 2014.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The check airman, age 42, held an airline transport pilot certificate with a multiengine land rating and commercial privileges for airplane single-engine land. His most recent FAA first-class airman medical certificate was issued on February 25, 2014, without limitations. His most recent FAA 14 CFR 135.293 and 135.297 proficiency checks were dated March 15, 2014, with approvals for single pilot, instrument flight rules, and lower-than-standard takeoff minimums. His last reported flight time to the company indicated that he had a total flight time of 14,417 hours, with 5,895 hours in the accident airplane type. The check airman's personal logbooks were not located.

The SIC, age 46, held a commercial pilot certificate, with single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument ratings. He also held a single-engine airplane flight instructor certificate and an advanced ground instructor certificate. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was dated May 30, 2013, with a limitation that the pilot must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. He reported on his pilot qualification form that he had a total flight time of 593 hours, with no flight time in the accident airplane type. The SIC's personal logbooks were not located.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident airplane was a Cessna 208B Caravan, registration number N126AR, serial number 208B1004, manufactured in 2002. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated 11,206 total flight hours and was maintained under an approved aircraft inspection program. The most recent inspection of the airframe and engine was completed on March 13, 2014.

The airplane was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A turbine engine that was rated at 675-shaft horsepower. The engine was overhauled 4,286 hours before the accident.

Electric Trim System

The airplane was equipped with a Bendix/King KFC-150 Autopilot System that incorporated a three-axis autopilot and an electric pitch trim system, which provided autotrim during autopilot operation and electric trim to the pilot. According to the Bendix/King supplement to the Cessna 208 Operating Handbook, the trim system is designed to withstand any single in-flight malfunction. Trim faults are visually and aurally annunciated.

In Section 3 of the flight manual supplement, the emergency procedures for an electric trim malfunction (either manual electric or autotrim) were as follows:

1. A/P DISC/TRIM INTER Switch – PRESS and HOLD throughout recovery. 2. ELEV TRIM Circuit Breaker – PULL OFF. 3. Aircraft – RETRIM manually. WARNING – When disconnecting the autopilot after a trim malfunction, hold the control wheel firmly; up to 45 pounds of force on the control wheel may be necessary to hold the aircraft level.

The supplement also provided the following information:

MAXIMUM ALTITUDE LOSS DUE TO AUTOPILOT MALFUNCATION

• Cruise, Climb, and Descent - 500 ft • Maneuvering - 100 ft • Approach - 100 ft METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The nearest official reporting station was Bethel Airport, located about 27 miles northeast of the accident site. At 1553, about 3 minutes before the accident, a meteorological aerodrome report was reporting wind from 020 degrees (true) at 8 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, sky condition clear, temperature 19 degrees F, dew point 3 degrees F, and altimeter 28.87 inches of Mercury.

COMMUNICATIONS

There were no communications with the accident airplane at the time of the accident.

FLIGHT RECORDERS

The accident airplane was not equipped, nor was it required to be equipped, with a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Tracking and Recording

The airplane was equipped with ADS-B technology. In typical applications, an airplane equipped with ADS-B uses an ordinary GPS receiver to derive its precise position from the Global Navigation Satellite System constellation and then combines that position with any number of aircraft parameters, such as speed, heading, altitude, and flight number. This information is then simultaneously broadcast to other aircraft equipped with ADS-B and to ADS-B ground or satellite communications transceivers, which then relay the aircraft's position and additional information to air route traffic control centers (ARTCC) in real time.

A review of ADS-B data received by the Anchorage ARTCC showed that, after departure, the airplane flew northeast and began a series of maneuvers with track, altitude, and speed variations consistent with a training flight. About 21 minutes into the flight, when the airplane was about 3,400 ft mean sea level (msl), a slight fluctuation in altitude, followed by an initial upset, occurred. The airplane continued a rapid and steep descent until ground impact.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The accident site was situated on a land thumb in a bend of the Kwethluk River at an elevation of about 75 ft msl. Ground scars extended from an area of frozen tundra and through an area of heavy willows, among which the airplane was found resting upright supported by a number of toppled willow trees. An extensive postcrash fire consumed the majority of the airplane's fuselage; the worst fire damage was situated near the forward fuselage and cockpit area.

The initial impact crater and wreckage path were oriented on a heading of about 128 degrees magnetic. Fragments of the belly pod structure and belly pod contents were sprayed forward from the initial impact point and scattered along the wreckage path. One of the main landing gear tires was the farthest piece of wreckage, located about 330 ft ahead of the main wreckage. Initial ground impact scars were about 200 ft west of the main wreckage. The fuselage was oriented on a heading of about 250 degrees magnetic.

An area of topped willow trees just behind and adjacent to the initial ground impact was determined to be the initial point of impact with an object. Initial strikes suggest an approximate 33-degree nose-down attitude at impact. A mark in the tundra that was about the same distance from the airplane centerline as the left main landing gear was also noted at the main impact area. A slight discoloration that resembled the shape and size of the left wing was also present at the initial impact area.

The propeller was separated from the airplane and located between the airplane and initial impact crater. Two of the three blades were loose in the hub, and one blade was fractured inside the hub and separated. Two blades exhibited torsional and aft bending. The separated blade was missing about 12 inches of its outboard section and had several large gouges in its leading edge.

Numerous sections of the severely fragmented airplane were located throughout the wreckage path. (See the wreckage plot and GPS coordinates for documented major portions of the wreckage in the public docket for this accident).

The main wreckage area consisted of the empennage, main fuselage, and cabin. The empennage was severely damaged during the impact but was relatively free of fire damage. The main fuselage, cabin, and cockpit area were mostly consumed by the postcrash fire. No identifiable instruments, gauges, or other equipment were recovered in the main fire-damaged area. Several pieces of instruments and the instrument panel were located throughout the wreckage path, but their condition at the time of impact could not be determined.

Both wings were separated from the fuselage and were located just west of the main wreckage area. Both wings had severe impact and thermal damage. The landing gear and wheel assemblies were separated from the fuselage and were fragmented.

The engine was separated from the fuselage and was located about 67 ft east of the main wreckage. The engine case was crushed, and several portions of the case and accessories were fragmented or separated.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

Check Airman

A postmortem examination was conducted on the check airman under the authority of the Alaska State Medical Examiner, Anchorage, Alaska, on April 11, 2014. The cause of death for the pilot was attributed to multiple blunt force injuries.

The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) performed toxicological testing of the check airman on May 12, 2014, which was negative for carbon monoxide, drugs, and ethanol.

SIC

A postmortem examination was conducted on the SIC under the authority of the Alaska State Medical Examiner on April 10, 2014. The cause of death for the pilot was attributed to multiple blunt force injuries.

The FAA CAMI performed toxicological testing of the SIC on April 20, 2014, which was negative for carbon monoxide and drugs. The testing detected 14 mg/dL, mg/hg ethanol in the SIC's muscle and 10 mg/dL, mg/hg ethanol in his liver. CAMI's review of the toxicology results was unable to determine if the ethanol was from ingestion or from postmortem sources.

SURVIVAL ASPECTS

The accident was not survivable.

TEST AND RESEARCH

Postaccident Airframe Examination

The NTSB Airworthiness Group convened to examine the airplane wreckage at the facilities of Alaska Claims Services on April 22 and 23, 2014. The wreckage was highly fragmented, and a substantial portion of the fuselage was consumed by the postcrash fire. The remaining major portions of the airplane were laid out in a hangar to facilitate examination.

The flap jackscrew was recovered in two pieces, and the screw was fractured at the ball nut. The jackscrew extension measured 6.5 inches, which indicated the flaps were in the "up" position at the time of impact.

The empennage was recovered in two major pieces that were significantly damaged. The largest piece consisted of the empennage structure from the canted bulkhead at fuselage station (FS) 436.68 aft to the end of the airplane at FS 509.50, the vertical stabilizer and rudder, the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator, and the left horizontal stabilizer to stabilizer station (SS) 80. The smaller piece consisted of the left horizontal stabilizer from SS 80 to SS 123 and the entire left elevator.

The right elevator and trim tab remained attached to the right horizontal stabilizer and had significant crushing damage. The right elevator torque tube separated from the center fitting along the rivet line. The right elevator trim tab actuator extension measured 2.2 inches, which equates to about 8 degrees tab up. The left elevator remained attached to the outboard section of left horizontal stabilizer. The left elevator torque tube separated from the center fitting along the rivet line. The left elevator trim tab actuator extension measured 2.4 inches, which equates to about 14.5 degrees tab up. The right and left elevator trim cables were cut about 4 ft forward of the canted bulkhead during recovery. The right elevator trim cable was continuous from the cut to the right pulley in the horizontal stabilizer and to the chain at the right trim tab actuator. The balance trim cable was attached to the chain at the right trim tab actuator and ran through the center section of the horizontal stabilizer to about left SS 80, where it was cut during recovery. The left trim tab actuator chain remained on the actuator. The left elevator trim tab cable was cut at the chain and forward of the canted bulkhead and was pulled free of the empennage.

The rudder cables remained attached to the bell crank at the lower end of the rudder, and the rudder autopilot cables remained fastened to the rudder cables aft of the canted bulkhead. The rudder and rudder autopilot cables were cut about 4 ft forward of the canted bulkhead during recovery, but all had individual broken strands and were kinked in several places. The elevator cables and one of the elevator autopilot cables remained attached to the control horn. The upper elevator autopilot cable was broken at the aft cable end, and the cable end remained attached to the control horn. The lower elevator autopilot cable was broken about 6 ft forward of the canted bulkhead and had a splayed appearance consistent with overload failure. The two elevator cables were cut about 5 ft forward of the canted bulkhead during recovery, but all had individual broken strands and were kinked in several places. The elevator push-pull tube was fractured at the forward end and forced forward into the control horn. The aft end of the push-pull tube remained attached to the bell crank at the center elevator torque tube fitting. There was no evidence of binding or damage on the elevator push-pull tube.

All of the examined fractures had a dull, grainy appearance consistent with overload failure. No evidence of preexisting corrosion or cracking was found on any of the examined parts. No evidence of preimpact fire or bird impact was observed on any of the examined wreckage. (See the Airworthiness Group Factual report and appendixes in the public docket for additional information.)

Aircraft Performance ADS-B and Simulation Study

The NTSB's Office of Research and Engineering conducted an aircraft performance ADS-B and simulation study using data from the archived ADS-B data transmitted from the airplane, crash site information, and a simulator model of the Cessna 208B. The simulation provided a physics-based estimate of the position and orientation of the airplane throughout the accident flight. The performance observations noted below are based on the results of this simulation.

The simulation indicated normal flight conditions from the beginning of the transmitted ADS-B data until 1556:30. At this point, the airplane began a steep descent, which continued until impact. The simulation descent rate from 1556:30 to the time of impact steadily increased to a maximum of about 16,000 ft per minute. The elapsed time from the initial upset to the point of impact was about 22 seconds.

At the last recorded ADS-B plot, the simulation indicated a calibrated airspeed of about 256 knots and a bank angle of about 2 degrees right; just before impact, the pitch angle changed to -34 degrees from the maximum calculated pitch during the descent of -40 degrees. The simulation indicated that, during the initial upset, the left bank angle momentarily exceeded 60 degrees.

Simulated calculations of required engine power settings throughout the flight were consistent with normal engine operation. The calculations were also consistent with the airplane remaining upright throughout the upset sequence, with maximum simulation roll angles of about 45 degrees left and 47 degrees right.

Calculations of elevator position, elevator trim tab position, and control column force were also made using normal and runaway pitch trim scenarios. Elevator position calculations were consistent in both the normal and runaway pitch trim scenarios. Elevator trim tab position remained constant at near 0 degrees in the normal scenario and steadily increased from near 0 to about 19 degrees trailing-edge-up near the end of the simulation in the runaway pitch trim scenario. Control column force required to change elevator position under normal trim conditions steadily increased from 0 pounds of push force to about 130 pounds of push force at the time of impact. In the runaway pitch trim scenario, the control column force required to change the elevator position quickly increased from near 0 pounds of pull force to about 800 pounds of pull force at the time of impact. (See the NTSB ADS-B simulation study in the public docket for this accident for detailed graphs.)

ORGANIZATIONAL AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION

Hageland Aviation Services is a Part 135 air carrier that holds on-demand and commuter operations specifications and is authorized to conduct business exclusively under the business names "Hageland Aviation Services, Inc." or "Ravn Connect." The company headquarters are located at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Anchorage, Alaska. The president and chief pilot in place at the time of the accident resided in Anchorage. The director of operations and director of maintenance resided in Palmer, Alaska.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Check Airman's Training Routine

Numerous previous training flights performed by the check airman were reviewed using archived ADS-B data and interviews with other pilots. The review of these flights showed that the construct of the flights were all similar in sequence and nature. After departure, the check airman would fly a set of standard maneuvers, including steep turns, slow flight, and aerodynamic stalls. At some point after the maneuvers portion of the flight was completed, a simulated emergency would be initiated, followed by a descent to an altitude that averaged between 100 and 200 ft above ground level. This descent would normally occur over a river bed, after which the pilot-in-training would be instructed to "fly the river." Company personnel were aware that this maneuver was being performed and stated that the maneuver was used to "teach coordination." After this low-level maneuver was completed, the check airman would then direct the airplane to an airport where numerous takeoff and landings would be accomplished before returning to the home base.

The accident flight followed a typical routine and flight pattern from previous training flights. The accident sequence initiated during the time when a simulated emergency and descent was typically initiated.