The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale, Arizona
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas
Continental Motors Group; Mobile, Alabama
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=94553
Location: Payson, Arizona
Accident Number: WPR17FA045
Date & Time: January 2, 2017, 09:37 Local
Registration: N272EF
Aircraft: Cessna T210K
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: VFR encounter with IMC
Injuries: 4 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis
The non-instrument-rated private pilot departed his home airport with three family members on a cross-country visual flight rules (VFR) flight over mountainous terrain. The forecast weather conditions called for instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and mountain obscuration due to clouds, precipitation, and mist along the route of flight and at the accident site. The co-owner of the airplane, who held an instrument rating, had reviewed the pilot's flight plan and the forecast weather conditions two days before the accident and informed the pilot that he should drive to his destination as the weather would not allow for VFR flight. However, the pilot elected to proceed with the flight contrary to the co-owner's recommendation. The pilot entered the flight route into the Foreflight mobile application but did not receive any weather briefings from flight service or the mobile application before departure.
GPS data recovered from an electronic display device installed in the airplane showed that the airplane departed, entered a climb on a northerly heading, and maintained this direction for the remainder of the flight. After the airplane reached a peak altitude of about 8,000 ft above mean sea level (msl), it descended to 7,000 ft msl and then gradually descended to about 6,000 ft msl, where it remained until near the end of the flight. The airplane subsequently impacted the tops of trees on the rising face of a cliff about 6,600 ft msl. The orientation and length of the wreckage path were consistent with a controlled flight into terrain impact. Track data from the GPS showed that the airplane maintained a straight course after its departure all the way to the mountain rim, which had a published elevation between 6,700 feet msl and 8,000 feet msl. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures.
A medical study revealed that each of the 4 fatally injured occupants sustained severe traumatic injuries that would have been rapidly fatal. Furthermore, the study showed there was no evidence to suggest that faster identification of the accident or earlier medical attention would have changed the outcome.
Although the autopilot switch was found in the "ON" position at the accident site, the autopilot was likely not engaged as the airplane's ground track and altitude varied, consistent with the pilot hand flying the airplane.
A weather study revealed that the airplane departed in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) and likely entered a combination of VMC and IMC after it climbed above 7,000 ft. Minutes later, the airplane encountered IMC and did not return to VMC for the remainder of the flight. The pilot's descent from 8,000 ft to 7,000 ft and then to 6,000 ft, occurred after the airplane entered IMC and indicates that he may have been attempting to return to VMC by descending, but was unsuccessful. Upon encountering IMC, the pilot could have turned around and returned to VMC, but he elected to continue and descend about 750 feet below the lowest peak terrain elevation in the area. The airplane's altitude increased rapidly by about 500 ft just seconds before the airplane impacted terrain suggesting that the pilot may have been alerted by the onboard terrain awareness warning system, which had been successfully tested by the co-owner, or observed the terrain and maneuvered to avoid the impact
Probable Cause and Findings
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The non-instrument-rated pilot's improper decisions to begin and to continue a flight under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Findings
Personnel issues Qualification/certification - Pilot
Personnel issues Decision making/judgment - Pilot
Environmental issues Below VFR minima - Decision related to condition
Environmental issues Mountainous/hilly terrain - Contributed to outcome
Factual Information
History of Flight
Enroute VFR encounter with IMC (Defining event)
Enroute Loss of visual reference
Enroute Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
On January 2, 2017, about 0937 mountain standard time, a Cessna T210K, N272EF, was destroyed when it collided with mountainous terrain near Payson, Arizona. The private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to N9402M Aviation, LLC, of Phoenix, Arizona. The personal flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country flight that departed Scottsdale Airport (SDL), Scottsdale, Arizona, at 0912 and was destined for Telluride, Colorado.
According to the co-owner of the airplane, the pilot planned to fly from SDL, where the airplane was based, to Colorado with his family for their annual vacation.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provided a radar track for an airplane with a 1200 transponder code that corresponded with the airplane's departure time and route. The radar data indicated that the airplane departed SDL at 0912 and proceeded north. The final radar target was at 0937:39, at a Mode C altitude of 6,700 ft mean sea level (msl), and about 0.07 nautical miles (nm) east of the accident site. According to the FAA, the pilot did not receive VFR flight following services or contact any of the low altitude sectors along his route of flight.
An Electronics International MVP-50P electronic display device was recovered from the wreckage and forwarded to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Vehicle Recorders Laboratory for data recovery. The small battery used to power the unit's internal clock had become dislodged, and the unit reverted to an unset time setting. As a result, the flight and engine data time stamps in this report differ by about 20-minutes from the actual time derived from the FAA radar data.
Engine data retrieved from the MVP-50P indicated that the fuel flow, manifold pressure, and rpm increased at 09:33:05, consistent with departure performance. GPS and flight data retrieved from the unit showed the airplane's groundspeed rise from 0 knots and its altitude increase from 1,437 ft, which is about SDL's field elevation, consistent with a departure. The airplane then climbed to the northeast before turning left to a north heading for the remainder of the flight. The engine parameters did not indicate any anomalies during the flight. At 0943:59, the airplane reached a peak altitude of 8,029 ft and subsequently descended to about 7,850 ft. The airplane maintained this altitude within 30 ft for about 2 minutes and then climbed to 7,936 ft briefly before entering a descent and reaching about 6,651 ft at 0947:44. In the next minute, the airplane climbed to about 6,900 ft and then, at 0950:28, descended to and maintained about 6,200 ft, within 100 ft, for about 2 minutes 30 seconds. The last recorded data occurred while the airplane was in a 10-second climb at 0953:06, a GPS altitude of 6,767 ft, and about 0.22 nm from the accident site. In the airplane's final 12 seconds of flight, fuel flow decreased from about 20 to 17.4 gallons per hour, manifold pressure decreased from about 31 to 28 inches of mercury, and rpm remained unchanged.
Track data from the GPS showed that the airplane maintained a straight course after its departure all the way to the accident site located at the mountain rim, which had a published peak elevation that varied between 6,750 feet msl and 8,077 feet msl.
Family members became concerned on the afternoon of January 2 as they had not heard from the flight and were unable to reach the occupants on their cell phones. Around 2100, they notified local law enforcement who traced the flight's location using the pilot's and his wife's cell phones. An alert notice, or ALNOT, was issued at 2252 by Denver Center, and the wreckage was subsequently discovered the following morning at 0427 in a wooded area on the rising face of the Mogollon Rim, a cliff that extends across northern Arizona.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 44, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: Unknown
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 3 None
Last FAA Medical Exam: 04/10/2015
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 05/11/2016
Flight Time: 295 hours (Total, all aircraft)
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. He did not hold an instrument rating. The pilot's most recent third-class medical certificate was issued on April 10, 2015, with no limitations. At the time of the exam, the pilot reported that he had accumulated 295 total flight hours of which 14 hours were in the previous 6 months.
The last recorded flight in the pilot's logbook was dated August 28 with the remark "Flight Review," but the logbook did not indicate the year the flight took place. An entry in the back of the logbook showed that the pilot's most recent flight review was conducted on May 11, 2016. His previous flight review was dated August 27, 2014.
According to FAA records, the pilot purchased the airplane in 2011. In February 2014, the pilot sold 50% of the ownership to an individual who responded to an advertisement that he posted on an internet website. This individual stated that he developed a friendship with the pilot through their co-ownership of the airplane. He stated that the accident pilot sometimes flew with him as a safety pilot when he practiced instrument approaches, but he did not believe that the accident pilot had aspired to become instrument rated. According to the co-owner, the accident pilot made less than five total cross-country flights each year, and his local flying normally took place ahead of his cross-country flights and was for the purpose of maintaining his currency to carry passengers.
The pilot's business partner flew with the pilot on three occasions and observed him watching a moving map on an iPad during one of the flights.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Manufacturer: CESSNA
Registration: N272EF
Model/Series: T210K K
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1970
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 21059302
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 5
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 10/21/2016, 100 Hour
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 3800 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 16 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 4307 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: Continental Motors Group
ELT: C91 installed, activated, aided in locating accident
Engine Model/Series: TSIO-520-CCR
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 310 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1970 and registered to N9402M Aviation, LLC on July 22, 2011. The airplane was powered by a turbocharged, direct-drive, air-cooled, 310-horsepower Continental TSIO-520R engine. A review of the airplane's logbooks revealed that the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on October 21, 2016, at a tachometer time and total time of 4,307 hours. The engine logbook indicated that a 100-hour inspection was completed on October 21, 2016, at which time the engine had accrued 311 flight hours since major overhaul. At the time of the accident, the tachometer time was 4,323 hours.
A fuel receipt obtained from Signature Flight Support at SDL showed that the pilot purchased 42 gallons of 100 LL aviation grade gasoline at 0845 on the day of the accident. The co-owner reported that he was the last person to fly the airplane before the accident flight. He returned the airplane with about 44 gallons of fuel onboard about 4 days before the accident.
The owners installed a Garmin 750 GPS that was equipped with a Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS) and an engine analyzer in April 2016. The co-owner routinely updated the GPS databases and tested the TAWS system.
An estimate of the airplane's weight and balance was computed using the occupants' weights reported by the medical examiner. The baggage weight was determined by adding the weight of the baggage recovered by the medical examiner to the weight of the baggage that remained with the wreckage. The center row left seat had been removed from the airplane, and two weight and balance scenarios were computed. The first scenario (labeled "Graph no. 1" in the "Weight & Balance Computation" document in the NTSB public docket) assumed that the 218 pounds of baggage was split between the center and aft rows, and the second scenario (labeled "Graph no. 2" in the in the "Weight & Balance Computation" document in the NTSB public docket) split the same baggage weight between the center row and the baggage compartment. Computations showed the airplane's center of gravity within the moment envelope for both scenarios.
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Instrument Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: PAN, 5156 ft msl
Observation Time: 0935 MST
Distance from Accident Site: 11 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 180°
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Temperature/Dew Point: 2°C / 1°C
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 300 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots, Variable
Visibility (RVR):
Altimeter Setting: 30.11 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV):
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Precipitation; Unknown Obscuration
Departure Point: SCOTTSDALE, AZ (SDL)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: TELLURIDE, CO (TEX)
Type of Clearance: VFR
Departure Time: 0912 MST
Type of Airspace:
Weather Conditions at Time of Accident
At 0935, the weather conditions recorded at Payson Airport (PAN), Payson, Arizona, elevation 5,157 feet, located about 11 nm south of the accident site, included wind variable at 4 knots with gusts to 10 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, overcast ceiling at 300 ft above ground level (agl), temperature 2°C, dew point 1°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.11 inches of mercury.
Visible satellite imagery showed extensive cloud cover over the accident site with the clouds moving from west to east. Sounding data and infrared satellite imagery were used to determine the likely cloud cover that the airplane encountered along the route of flight. Figure 1, which depicts the cloud cover and the airplane's flight track, shows that the airplane departed in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) and entered a combination of IMC/VMC when it climbed above 7,000 ft. The airplane then entered IMC when it crossed over the Mazatzal Mountains, about 20 nm south of the accident site, and remained in IMC for the rest of the flight.
Figure 1 – Cloud Cover with height (Color Fill) and Accident Flight Track (Line)
A pilot weather report made near the time of the accident reported cloud tops at 11,000 ft about 40 nm west of the accident site. Another report made about 1 hour after the accident reported cloud bases between 5,900 ft and 6,400 ft and cloud tops about 8,000 ft about 50 nm northwest of the accident site. Pilot reports of light rime icing were made about 90 minutes after the accident took place and 45 nm northwest of the accident site.
Weather Forecasts
Airmen's meteorological information (AIRMET) advisories SIERRA and TANGO were issued at 0745 and were valid for the accident site at the time of the accident. AIRMET SIERRA forecasted IMC and mountain obscuration conditions due to clouds, precipitation, and mist, and AIRMET TANGO forecasted moderate turbulence below FL180.
An area forecast issued at 0445 and valid at the time of the accident called for a broken to overcast ceiling at 9,000 ft with cloud tops at 10,000 ft and a south wind gusting to 25 knots.
Sedona Airport, located 35 nm west-northwest of the accident site at an elevation of 4,830 ft, issued a terminal aerodrome forecast (TAF) at 0433 that was valid at the time of the accident. The TAF called for wind from 180° at 11 knots with wind gusts to 20 knots, greater than 6 miles visibility, light rain showers, scattered clouds at 200 ft agl, a broken ceiling at 400 ft agl, and overcast skies at 1,200 ft agl.
The National Weather Service office in Flagstaff, Arizona, issued an area forecast discussion (AFD) at 0343 that discussed the likelihood of IFR conditions along south- and west-facing higher terrain. The AFD specifically mentioned that the Mogollon Rim was likely to have scattered light snow, rain, and rain shower conditions.
Weather Briefing
There was no record of the pilot receiving a weather briefing from Lockheed Martin Flight Service (LMFS), the Direct User Access Terminal Service (DUATS), or ForeFlight Mobile before departure. The pilot did not file a flight plan with ForeFlight Mobile but did enter route information at 0826 for a trip from SDL to Telluride Regional Airport. The pilot did not look at any weather imagery before or during the flight using ForeFlight, LMFS, or DUATS. It is unknown whether the pilot retrieved weather graphics or text weather information from other internet sources.
Two days before the accident, the pilot asked the co-owner to research the weather forecast and cross-check it against the pilot's flight plan to Telluride. After reviewing his flight plan and researching weather, the co-owner informed the pilot that Sunday and Monday, the day before and the day of the accident, were not options and suggested that the pilot drive to Telluride. The co-owner, who was an instrument-rated pilot, stated that he would not have personally flown this route because of the weather forecast.
For further meteorological information, see the weather study in the public docket for this investigation.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 3 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 4 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 34.429722, -111.277778
The airplane came to rest on the south face of the Mogollon Rim about 11 nm north of PAN at an elevation of about 6,601 ft. The initial impact point (IIP) was identified by an aluminum fragment embedded about midway in a 50-foot-tall tree and several broken tree branches that came to rest a few feet beyond the IIP. An initial ground scar was marked by airplane fragments and loose dirt about 40 ft forward of the IIP. Portions of the wings and elevators were found along the debris path from the IIP to the main wreckage, about 80 ft from the IIP.
The main wreckage was comprised of the engine, fuselage, and tail section, which was displaced about 30° upward from the ground. The rudder, aileron, and elevator cables were traced from the cockpit to their respective control surfaces. The flap jackscrew measured about 4.4 inches, consistent with a flaps retracted position. The elevator trim actuator screw was separated from the actuator body.
The airplane was equipped with a 2-point restraint system for each occupant and no shoulder harnesses. The passengers' lap belts were each found in the clasped position. Only a portion of the pilot's lap belt was recovered and two of the passengers' belts had separated at their airframe attachment points. The third passengers' lap belt had been cut by recovery personnel.
Both wing fuel tanks were breached and exhibited an odor that resembled 100 low lead aviation grade gasoline. The fuel strainer bowl was removed, and it contained several ounces of uncontaminated liquid of a color and odor that resembled aviation grade gasoline. The fuel selector valve, which was positioned on the left fuel tank detent, was subsequently rotated to each of the three fuel tank ports, and no obstructions were observed.
The vacuum pump functioned normally when manipulated by hand; both vanes and the carbon rotor were intact and unremarkable. The autopilot switch was found in the "ON" position.
The engine displayed a dent and several cracks on the rear left side of the crankcase consistent with impact damage. All six cylinders remained attached to their cylinder bays. The throttle and metering assembly was partially separated from its mount. Multiple ignition leads from the ignition harness were severed from their respective spark plugs. The exhaust system remained attached to the engine and displayed crush damage. The cabin heat exhaust heat exchanger did not display any leaks.
Rotational continuity was established throughout the engine and valve train when the engine crankshaft was manually rotated using a hand tool. Thumb compression and suction were obtained for all six cylinders. The cylinder combustion chambers and barrels were examined with a lighted borescope, and the cylinder bores, valve heads, and piston faces displayed normal operation and combustion signatures. The cylinder overhead components, comprised of the valves, springs, push rods, and rocker arms, exhibited normal operation and lubrication signatures.
An examination of the top and bottom spark plugs revealed varying degrees of impact damage, but signatures consistent with normal wear. The oil filter exhibited impact damage; however, the filter pleats were not contaminated with metallic debris. The oil sump pickup screen did not display any blockage, and the oil pump did not display any anomalies.
Disassembly of the fuel manifold revealed a fluid consistent with aviation grade gasoline inside the valve body. While the fuel screen did not display any obstructions, the unfiltered side of the valve displayed some contaminates. The fuel nozzles were not obstructed except for nozzle Nos. 3 and 5, which were impacted with mud and dirt. Fuel nozzle No. 2 was not recovered.
The throttle body metering unit was removed from its engine accessory housing, and the fuel metering portion of the unit was disassembled. The internal components appeared normal, and the inlet fuel screen was free of debris with the exception of a trace amount of fibrous material.
The left magneto had separated from its mounting flange, and the magneto housing was cracked open exposing its internal components. A small amount of movement was achieved through the magneto drive, and the magneto did not produce a spark. The right magneto remained attached to the accessory case and was capable of normal rotation through the magneto drive. The impulse coupling operated normally and produced spark on all six posts in the correct order.
The three-blade, variable-pitch propeller was attached to the propeller flange. Two propeller blades were attached to the propeller hub, and the third blade was found in the debris path. One blade exhibited "S" bending at the blade tip and aft bending about mid-span. Another propeller blade displayed aft bending deformation, and the remaining propeller blade exhibited forward bending, leading edge polishing, and a gouge towards the blade root.
Medical And Pathological Information
The Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, Tucson, Arizona, performed an autopsy on the pilot. The autopsy report indicated that the pilot's cause of death was "multiple blunt force injuries."
The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological tests on specimens recovered from the pilot. A carboxyhemoglobin saturation test revealed no evidence of carbon monoxide in the pilot's cavity blood. The pilot's toxicology results were negative for ethanol and positive for tadalafil in his cavity blood.
Tadalafil, marketed under the trade name Cialis, is used to treat erectile dysfunction and symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy. Another brand of Tadalafil, marketed under the brand name Adcirca, is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Additional carboxyhemoglobin tests for two of the three passengers did not indicate a presence of carbon monoxide in the heart blood of either occupant. A medical study showed that each of the four occupants suffered severe traumatic injuries.
Tests And Research
Emergency Locator Transmitter
The airplane was equipped with a Pointer, model 3000, FAA technical standing order type C91 emergency locator transmitter (ELT), which broadcasts radio signals on the emergency radio channel 121.5 MHz. Aircraft receivers monitoring the emergency channel that intercept an ELT signal can announce the signal along with their position to Air Traffic Control. According to a representative of the FAA, the Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) received four ELT reports from aircraft that intercepted ELT signals near PAN between 0938 and 0942 on the day of the accident. The FAA representative further reported that the four ELT reports were immediately forwarded to the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC). The reporting of ELT signals is governed by FAA Job Order Chapter 5-2-8, which requires ARTCC to send the signal reports directly to AFRCC.
AFRCC receives Cospas-Sarsat distress alerts sent by the United States Mission Control Center and is responsible for coordinating the rescue response to the distress. According to the United States Government Federal Register, the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system only processes signals from 406 MHz ELTs as they ceased processing signals from 121.5 MHz ELTs beginning February 2009. This decision was the result of problems with the frequency band, which inundated search and rescue authorities with inaccurate and false alerts, which impacted the effectiveness of lifesaving services.
NTSB Identification: WPR17FA045
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, January 02, 2017 in Payson, AZ
Aircraft: CESSNA T210K, registration: N272EF
Injuries: 4 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators 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 January 2, 2017, about 0937 Mountain standard time, a Cessna T210K, N272EF, was destroyed after it collided with mountainous terrain near Payson, Arizona. The private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight that departed Scottsdale Airport (SDL), Scottsdale, Arizona at 0912 and was destined for Telluride, Colorado.
According to the pilot's friend, he planned a flight to Colorado with his family for their annual vacation. Preliminary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Control (ATC) radar data showed an airplane that had departed SDL with a VFR transponder code on a direct course for the pilot's destination airport. After approximately 12 minutes of flight, the airplane reached a final cruising altitude of about 7,950 feet mean sea level. The airplane subsequently descended about 1,300 feet in one minute before it entered a momentary climb, followed by a shallow descent. In the remaining two and a half minutes, the airplane maintained a 300 foot per minute descent rate with some intermittent climbs. The final two radar targets showed the airplane ascend about 425 feet in 12 seconds. The airplane maintained a straight track from SDL to the last radar target, which was within a tenth of a nautical mile of the accident site and indicated a field elevation of 6,670 feet.
The last radar target was recorded at 0937:39. Between 0938 and 0942, an ATC facility received reports from three separate aircraft that had received ELT signals near the accident site.
The airplane came to rest on the south face of a mountain rim approximately 11 nautical miles north of Payson Airport at an elevation of about 6,601 feet. The initial impact point (IIP) was identified by an aluminum fragment embedded in a 50 foot tall tree about mid-span and several broken tree branches beyond the IIP. An initial ground scar was marked by airplane fragments, tree branches, and loose dirt approximately 40 feet forward of the IIP. Portions of the wings and elevators were found along the wreckage path. The main wreckage was found approximately 80 feet from the IIP and was comprised of the engine, fuselage, and tail section, which had been displaced approximately 30 degrees upward from the ground. The vertical stabilizer and rudder had separated from the fuselage and were hanging by the airplane's rudder cables. An odor of fuel was detected near each wing fuel tank, which were both separated and breached.
Family and friends are mourning the death of a Valley family who died Monday when their plane crashed into the base of the Mogollon Rim north of Payson.
Attorney Eric Falbe, 44, was flying his Cessna 210 with his wife Carrie, 31, and his 12- and 14-year-old daughters from Scottsdale to Telluride for what appears to be a skiing trip.
Radar information showed that the plane ascended in Scottsdale and then descended quickly in the Payson area and crashed into the face of the Rim near where the phone was pinged above Washington Park, according to a story in the Arizona Republic.
Family members called authorities at around 9:30 p.m. on Monday when the family never arrived in Colorado.
Around 10 p.m., the Scottsdale Police Department contacted the Gila County Sheriff’s Office about a possible plane down in the area.
At 2:30 a.m., Jon Barber, a pilot with the Civil Air Patrol, was called on to help the Department of Public Safety Ranger helicopter locate the plane.
Barber, who learned to fly in Rim Country, said he is very familiar with the area and had flown to locate several other plane wrecks, including one in 2012 when a plane crashed into the Rim near Strawberry, killing three men on board. That same year, a 28-year-old Mesa man died south of Payson when his plane crashed into the Mazatzal Mountains during a storm.
Barber said when they went up early Tuesday morning, it was mostly clear with a patch of clouds on the Rim.
Since it is difficult to spot a downed plane at night, they normally wait for daylight to search, Barber said. But because they were receiving a signal from the plane, rescuers wanted to search for possible survivors.
With two others on board, Barber went up and used onboard equipment to pinpoint the signal from the plane. Circling the area at 9,000 feet, Barber told the DPS helicopter crew hundreds of feet above the ground where to direct their spotlights. DPS spotted the plane between 4:30 and 5 a.m.
On the moonless night Barber couldn’t see the plane on the ground until the DPS crew shone its spotlights on the wreckage.
Barber said earlier in the day rescuers had noted clouds hanging over the Rim, making it impossible to see the edge of the Rim.
The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
On Tuesday, half a dozen Tonto Rim Search and Rescue volunteers went up with the GCSO to collect the bodies.
TRSAR Commander Bill Pitterle said they found the wreckage some 800 feet below the Rim, about an hour’s hike through the snow and mud from the nearest road.
Pitterle said it was a difficult recovery. “We brought them home and that is what we do,” he said. “We brought them home.”
Carrie had posted photos of the family at Telluride last year on a ski trip on her Facebook page.
The sheriff’s office, FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Source: http://www.paysonroundup.com
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - Court documents show that the two teenage sisters killed in a small plane crash this week should not have been on the flight in the first place.
Victoria and Skyler Falbe were flying to Telluride, Colorado, with their stepmother and dad, Eric Falbe. Falbe was at the controls of a Cessna 210 as it departed from Scottsdale around 9:30 Monday morning. The plane later slammed into the Mogollon Rim around 7,000 feet just north of Payson, killing all four people.
Divorce records show the girls’ biological mother tried to keep them out of the plane altogether.
In the childcare agreement section of the divorce, there was a requirement that if Victoria and Skyler flew on a private plane, the pilot had to have a commercial license and file a flight plan.
According to the FAA, Falbe did not file a flight plan for the trip to Telluride. Pilot registration records on the FAA website also show Falbe is only certified as a private pilot — one level below commercial.
What’s not clear is whether the mother signed off on the flight, despite the written agreement.
Victoria, 14, and Skyler, 12, both went to Cicero Preparatory Academy in Scottsdale.
“They were just really happy girls,” said Jake Thomas, the Cicero athletic director.
“Victoria just had a servant's heart. She just wanted to help,” Thomas said. “Skyler was a little competitive. She was passionate. She expected the best of herself.”
Thomas said the sisters were both heavily involved in the school community and were both on the volleyball and softball teams. The school and its students are determined to keep their memory alive and considering options for doing just that in the upcoming semester.
Story and video: http://www.abc15.com
Skylar and Victoria FalbeSCOTTSDALE, AZ - Smart and talented is how the Cicero Preparatory Academy athletic director remembers the two girls who lost their lives when their father's plane went down near Payson this week.
"They were always smiling, that's what I was thinking about the other day," said Cicero Prep Athletic Director Jake Thomas. "Whenever I say Tori it was just always smiles."
Victoria Falbe was 14 and in the eighth grade. Her 12-year-old sister, Skylar, was in sixth grade.
"And Skylar was the more competitive fire. She always wanted the best out of her and her teammates," Thomas said.
Both girls played together on the school's softball team, currently halfway through its season.
"They loved sports a lot," Thomas said. "They were both very active and very interested in being scholar athletes."
They were preparing for the playoffs next month.
Still enjoying their winter break, the girls were going with their father, Eric Falbe, and his wife, Carrie, on their annual ski trip to Colorado on Monday. But their small private plane never made it. It was found crashed just north of Payson.
All four lives were lost.
Thomas knows their loss will change the rest of the school year.
"I spoke with the coach today and I'm hoping that the softball team can kind of come together and continue the season in honor of them, and we've thought of some ideas to memorialize them a little as we play the rest of the season," Thomas said.
The school is still working out the details, but it hopes to hold a vigil for the girls sometime Thursday evening.
Story and video: http://www.azfamily.com
PAYSON, AZ - The Gila County Sheriff's Office says a family of four has been found dead after a plane crash near Payson.
According to officials, a small plane headed from Scottsdale to Telluride, Colo. was reported overdue by Scottsdale Police before 10 p.m. on Monday.
Crews went to the area where a cell phone last pinged, an area north of Payson called Washington Park. The crash site was located with aerial help from the Air Force Civil Air Patrol and Arizona Department of Public Safety.
The Scottsdale Police Department said a 44-year-old man and his 31-year-old wife were found dead, along with the man's 12-year-old and 14-year-old daughters from a previous marriage. Nobody else was believed to be on board.
Friends confirmed Eric Falbe, his wife Carrie, and daughters Victoria, 14, and Skylar, 12, were killed in the crash.
The brother of the girls' biological mother, Cynthia Larmore, released a statement on her behalf Tuesday evening, saying, "Cynthia Larmore is extremely devastated by the loss of her two beautiful daughters, Victoria and Skylar. Both were loved dearly and will be remembered forever."
The two teens were students at Cicero Preparatory Academy in Scottsdale, ABC15 has learned.
The school released a statement Tuesday, saying:
Our sincerest condolences go out to the Falbe family for their tragic loss, and to our grieving Cicero Prep students and teachers. Great Hearts will make grief counselors available for both employees and students when school resumes on Monday.
Attorney Michael Maledon, who worked with Falbe at a Scottsdale law firm, told ABC15, "Eric and Carrie will be remembered for their passion for life and warmth toward others."
A family member told police that the four were on a yearly trip they always take around the holidays to Colorado.
ABC15 learned the girl's biological mother became anxious when the girls, who are very active on social media with her, stopped responding. She then contacted Scottsdale police after getting a gut feeling that something was wrong.
Sources tell ABC15 the girl's mother did not want her children in the plane as she didn't think her ex had enough flight experience; the woman did take the man to court over the issue in fear that something like a crash would happen.
A family friend told ABC15 the man had recently picked up flying within the last few years.
The FAA says the Cessna 210 crashed under unknown circumstances.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating.
Story and video: http://www.abc15.com
PAYSON, Ariz. - Crews searching the wreckage of a small plane crash north of Payson Tuesday morning discovered four bodies inside.
The Cessna 210 was reported overdue on its flight from Scottsdale to Telluride, Colorado.
A Scottsdale police report said the plane carried a woman, man and two teenage girls, 12 and 14 years old.
Scottsdale lawyer Michael Maledon confirmed Tuesday afternoon that his law partner Eric Falbe and Falbe's family were the four people killed in a small plane crash near Payson Tuesday morning.
Falbe was 44 and his wife, Carrie, was 31 years old.
The Great Hearts Academies, a charter school network which includes the daughters' school, released the following statement:
"Our sincerest condolences go out to the Falbe family for their tragic loss, and to our grieving Cicero Prep students and teachers. Great Hearts will make grief counselors available for both employees and students when school resumes on Monday."
Falbe's children -- who were from an earlier marriage -- were students at Cicero Preparatory Academy.
According to the police report, it was a trip the family made every year and Scottsdale police were called to the Scottsdale Airport where a man was looking for his son-in-law, daughter and two grandchildren.
Their private plane had not arrive at their destination.
The man told police it was not unlikely for them to decide to drive at the last minute, but a photo sent through Snapchat from one of the girl's cellphones to her mother confirmed to police they decided to fly.
According to the police report, information later obtained by the investigators showed the plane ascended from Scottsdale and quickly descended off the radar near Payson.
Pings on the family cellphones placed them approximately 14 miles east of Strawberry, Arizona where a DPS ranger located a possible crash site.
Three bodies were initially found during a search of the wreckage.
The Gila County Sheriff's Office located the fourth body later in the day.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
Story and video: http://www.12news.com
Victoria, Eric, Carrie and Skylar FalbeTwo adults and two girls killed when their small plane bound for Telluride, Colorado, crashed on Monday near Payson have been identified as a Scottsdale-based attorney and his family, multiple sources say.
The Cessna 210 crashed with four people on board: a 31-year-old woman; her 44-year-old husband; and the husband's 12- and 14-year-old daughters from a previous marriage, according to a Scottsdale police report.
The Gila County Sheriff's Office verified that the plane's tail number matched FAA records identifying the owner as Eric Falbe of Scottsdale. Falbe's law partner, Michael Maledon, confirmed that Falbe was aboard the downed plane, as was wife Carrie Falbe and his two daughters.
"For those that worked with Eric, he will be remembered as a truly exceptional businessman and lawyer," Maledon said in an email. "He was the best kind of lawyer; highly capable and exceptionally practical. But beyond Eric’s professional accomplishments, Eric and Carrie will be remembered for their passion for life and warmth toward others. We mourn their loss and extend our deepest sympathies to their families."
Maledon said an investigator reached out to him Tuesday morning for information about the downed plane.
"I knew his tail number and I knew where he was heading, and I knew it must have been Eric," he said.
Maledon said he had taken several trips with Falbe in his plane, including several flights to Mexico last year. Falbe was a good pilot, Maledon said, adding that his friend "was always very safe and cautious every time I flew with him."
"The community lost a really exceptional family," Maledon said.
Falbe's daughters attended Cicero Preparatory Academy, a member of the Great Hearts Academies charter-school network, according to a statement that Great Hearts posted online Tuesday afternoon.
"Our sincerest condolences go out to the Falbe family for their tragic loss," the statement said. "Grief counselors will be available when school returns Monday."
The Gila County Sheriff's Office received a call about 9:48 p.m. Monday from the Scottsdale Police Department saying a plane flying from Scottsdale to Telluride was reported overdue and never made it to Colorado, according to Sarah White, chief administrative officer for the Sheriff's Office.
Carrie Falbe's father, who called Scottsdale police at about 9:30 p.m., said he was deeply concerned because the family had taken the trip in years past and always texted or called him when they got in safe, the police report said. He said he texted and called all the family members and heard nothing, police reported.
Carrie's father said he was unsure whether they flew the plane or took a car. But the daughters' mother later confirmed they took the plane, saying that she received a Snapchat from one of her daughters when they were taking off, according to the police report.
Police reached out to a variety of airports and learned that the plane had not landed at those places, the police report said.
Deputies, with help from the Arizona Department of Public Safety's Ranger helicopter and the Air Force Civil Air Patrol, pinged a cellphone and located the plane northwest of Washington Park, an area about 14 miles north of Payson, White said.
A helicopter search began about 2 a.m., and the plane was found about 4:50 a.m. in an area with dense trees and hills, police reported. Initially, three members of the family were found dead, and deputies later located the fourth body, White said.
The plane crashed under unknown circumstances, according to Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.
A review of radar information later showed that the plane ascended in Scottsdale and then descended quickly in the Payson area near where the phone was pinged, police reported.
Gregor said it didn't appear that Falbe had submitted a flight plan to the FAA before taking off Monday.
The crash is being investigated by the Sheriff's Office, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Story and video: http://www.azcentral.com
Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Docket And Docket Items - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
NTSB Identification: WPR13LA319
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, July 03, 2013 in Phoenix, AZ
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/11/2014
Aircraft: CESSNA T210K, registration: N272EF
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that, when he put the landing gear handle down, the left main landing gear did not indicate that it was locked. He cycled the landing gear several times in an attempt to get it down and locked before landing. During the landing, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left horizontal stabilizer and elevator were substantially damaged. Disassembly of the left main landing gear actuator revealed that a gear tooth from the piston assembly had broken off, which prevented the left main landing gear from locking in the down position. The reason for the gear tooth failure could not be determined.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The collapse of the left main landing gear due to a broken gear tooth in the landing gear actuator.
On July 3, 2013, about 2000 mountain standard time, a Cessna T210K, N272EF, sustained substantial damage when the left main landing gear collapsed while on landing roll at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Phoenix, Arizona. The private pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight, which had originated at 1825 from Falcon Field Airport, Mesa, Arizona. A flight plan had not been filed.
The pilot reported that he had put the landing gear down, but the left main landing gear down-and-locked light did not indicate that it was safely locked. After several attempts to get the left main landing gear safely down and locked, the pilot landed the airplane, and the left main landing gear collapsed. The left horizontal stabilizer and elevator were bent and wrinkled.
In the presence of a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, on August 22, 2013, the left main landing gear actuator assembly was disassembled. A broken gear tooth from the end to the piston assembly was found. This tooth was responsible for the final "down lock" of the left main gear. The assembly operated properly in the "up and locked" position, which the pilot verified occurred with each cycling of the landing gear. The failed tooth was not made available for further examination and the failure mode was not determined.
The mother of the children had concerns about her daughters flying with the ex-husband, does anyone know what type of rating he had or how much flight experience he had accumulated?
ReplyDeleteThoughts and prayers for the families
One aviation database indicates the pilot held a Private Pilot - Airplane Single Engine Land. Who knows how much actual experience he had in that model of aircraft and in that type of terrain. Very, very sad!
ReplyDeleteI knew Carrie personally. Eric, her husband and the pilot, had a lot of experience flying that plane. He flew them to Mexico for their wedding, along with many other places.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a tragic accident. Those who personally knew the Falbe family are so very saddened by this loss. -JF
Bullshit, that idiot had very limited flying experience no instrument rating, only visual flight rules. Stop with the inflated story and accept wht he really was, an amateur jockey who dismembered him and his family using stupidity and ego for motivation.
DeleteMy thoughts and prayers to the mother of these beautiful girls and also to the families of Eric and Carrie Falbe.
ReplyDeleteMay they all RIP...
Devestated to hear this news yesterday. I don't know them really, but have met them while camping a night at Payson Airport just this past September. My boyfriend and I had flown in as well, on our way to Texas. I remember it was Skylar's birthday weekend, and she loved camping. The four of them were beautiful together. Full of life, love, and laughter.
ReplyDeleteThoughts and prayers for their family.
"I knew Carrie personally. Eric, her husband and the pilot, had a lot of experience flying that plane. He flew them to Mexico for their wedding, along with many other places."
ReplyDeleteThat's what literally everyone who knew the pilot says about him when he crashes. Ten bucks says the reality is otherwise.
My condolences to all who knew this family, and especially to the young children's mother. I cannot imagine what her pain must be like. I am embarking on earning my private pilot's license and if there is one thing I am schooling myself on is the number 1 reason private pilots lose their lives on: flying into MVFR/IMC weather when you are not IFR trained. Based on what a previous person posted on 01/02/2017, the weather in the Payson area at the time of the accident was not ideal VFR conditions. My gut feeling is that the pilot of this aircraft was not IFR trained, although I do not know this for sure.
ReplyDeleteHaving "a lot of flying experience" does not mean you are capable of flying an aircraft into MVFR/IMC/IFR conditions unless you have considerable training in those conditions. In addition, the pilot did not file a flight plan for this flight, even though the distance between SDL and TEX was 480 nm. The FAA recommends that if your destination airport is >50 nm, you should always file a flight plan.
Bottom line is that this was a highly preventable crash that cost the lives of 4 people.
It's hard to say at this point whether or not it was "highly preventable". It could have been a mechanical issue. We don't know enough yet. Also, filing a flight plan doesn't help much. It's the *flight planning* that needs to happen not necessarily the filing of a flight plan. This is a common laughing point among pilots because the press often cites the lack of a flight plan as if this would have somehow magically saved the day. Proper flight planning includes much more information than goes into the filed flight plan which is essentially just routing with estimated times and altitude.
ReplyDeleteI've been a pilot and aircraft owner for over 20 years.
Ice?
ReplyDelete"That's what literally everyone who knew the pilot says about him when he crashes. Ten bucks says the reality is otherwise."
ReplyDelete$10 is yours
This pilot had owned the plane only since 2011, and was new to flying at that time. Since then, it had to make at least two emergency landings (first in La Paz, Mexico in 2012 because of engine failure then again in 2013 locally, because of a faulty landing gear. Primary instruments were largely non-functional on this plane and alternates were jimmy-rigged.
This was the worst nightmare of the sisters' biological mother, who fought valliantly to keep them off this death trap. She had no confidence in the mechanical integrity of the aircraft or the capability of the pilot, and her intuition was correct. Unfortunately, because of Eric Falbe being an attorney, and specializing in making her life as miserable as possible, she was unsuccessful. She knew this tragedy would eventually happen, and could do nothing about it!
No doubt his two daughters and new wife had been convinced that flying with him was safe and as a pilot he would boast how he could handle any situation that might arise. Twice before flyiing solo he cheated death, sadly this time around he did not and he took the innocent lives of two beautiful young girls and his lovely young wife with him... three people who didn't know or couldn't understand the risks. My heart breaks for them and the lives unnecessarily lost.
Pilot ego and arrogance killed them all. He may not have burned in the crash, but possibly in hell for being an asshole.
DeleteAMEN
DeleteGreetings to: I've been a pilot and aircraft owner for over 20 years.
ReplyDeleteThis accident is and was "highly preventable". Yes, it could have been a mechanical issue. Actually, filing a flight plan DOES help - in the fact that search and rescue is guaranteed. That is really the only thing it does though - a very misunderstood fact. I agree, flight planning is extremely important. A skill that almost no one ever performs after their checkride - very depressing!
BTW- if you desire to operate small GA airplanes in high terrain, you are flirting with disaster (e.g. the Nevada Triangle; Sparky Imeson - Mountain Flying author). It is like being in the ocean on a surfboard. You could be putting yourself in a situation where you are 100% helpless. The aircraft just doesn’t have enough performance.
ATP, CFI, Air Carrier - Pilot for over 40 years. CFI for over 20 years.
Greetings to: ATP, CFI, Air Carrier - Pilot for over 40 years. CFI for over 20 years.
ReplyDeleteThank you for validating my comments on Friday, January 6, 2017 at 6:45:00 PM EST. I am just embarking on my GA flying career and truly appreciate your professional insights to this tragic event. I have loved aviation since I was a young boy, listening to my dad tell me about his time spent in WWII as a B-17 ball turret gunner from April through June 1944. 25 missions in the ball turret and he survived, thanks to the P-51 Mustang escorting his bomber from England to France & Germany and back to England.
I suppose the one thing I have learned from my readings over the past several months is that flying into MVFR or IFR weather conditions, and only being trained as a VFR pilot, is almost certain death (been studying spatial disorientation and it is scary how many GA pilots kill themselves and the ones they fly with when this phenomenon occurs). As I previously stated, I have no idea what aviation competency this pilot possessed (whether he was IFR trained or not), and whether if the cause of the crash was mechanical or pilot error. But it sounds eerily similar to many of the NTSB accident reports I have read about pilots who fly into MVFR or IFR conditions and not having any or very little IFR skills.
Just out of curiosity: you wouldn't happen to live in Chandler, AZ, area? I am looking for a CFI who would be willing to train me in flying a Cessna 152 or 172.
**From: Thank you for validating my comments on Friday, January 6, 2017 at 6:45:00 PM EST.
ReplyDeleteAnd one other comment: my wife and I just got back from Payson, AZ, and we had a great meal at a local sports bar. I asked the bartender if he was in town on Monday, 02 January 2017 (the date of this fatal accident) and if he remembered what the weather conditions were like.
He stated that the weather was "low clouds and raining in the afternoon".
Sure doesn't sound like ideal VFR conditions....
AIRCRAFT IMPACTED MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Date: 02-JAN-17
Time: 16:36:00Z
Regis#: N272EF
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 210
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: FATAL
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: DESTROYED
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: EN ROUTE (ENR)
Operation: 91
City: PAYSON
State: ARIZONA
I didnt notice any fire marks from the photos
ReplyDeleteTo: Anonymous: "I didn't notice any fire marks from the photos"
ReplyDeleteAre you saying fuel exhaustion? My God, I hope not.
This guy took off from SDL and KPAN is only 47.14 nm from SDL.
I suppose we can speculate what possible causes of this crash are till the cows come home, however, I will let the NTSB do their job.
Still, it's an awful tragedy that cost 4 people their lives.
So sorry, I live much further west in central CA.
ReplyDeleteYour desire to fly the 152 is a very good choice if your stature is small. I have trained many primary students in that aircraft. If your stature is larger, then the 172 is your choice. It has to do with weight as it relates to performance; until you fly solo.
Good luck!
The ATP, CFI, Air Carrier - Pilot for over 40 years. CFI for over 20 years.
This says it all right here folks:
ReplyDelete1/2/2017 meteorological conditions at Payson, AZ was "Visibility 7.3 miles Fog and Rain.”
Date of Issue: 7/1/2010
Certificate: PRIVATE PILOT
Ratings: PRIVATE PILOT- AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
Though this man had a good amount of flight time, nothing prepares you to enter fog / clouds / rain more than an Instrument rating. This man killed his family for something that he could have taken care of long ago. And if it was maintenance related, shame on him for not going the extra mile to ensure this aircraft with a spotty MX history was not checked over by multiple people.
How is this "Primary instruments were largely non-functional on this plane and alternates were jimmy-rigged" (from a post above) known?
ReplyDeleteCan someone advise me how to find a pilot on the FAA website?
ReplyDeleteThanks....
On January 2, 2017, about 0937 Mountain standard time, a Cessna T210K, N272EF, was
ReplyDeletedestroyed after it collided with mountainous terrain near Payson, Arizona. The private pilot
and three passengers were fatally injured. The personal flight was operated under the
provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological
conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight that departed
Scottsdale Airport (SDL), Scottsdale, Arizona at 0912 and was destined for Telluride, Colorado.
I wasn't sure if IMC/IFR conditions were present at the time of the crash, however, the above paragraph was taken from the NTSB Preliminary Report dated 01/02/2017, Accident Number: WPR17FA045, and the NTSB concluded that IMC conditions were indeed present.
Again, another tragic entry into the accident database regarding a VFR pilot entering IMC conditions and paying the ultimate price for a bad decision and resulting in 3 additional lost lives.
Respectfully, I would never;
ReplyDelete1) Fly over any mountain area in that type of plane, (too small, no power).
2) Even think of trying to land that type of plane in a mountain valley like Telluride.
3) IMHO you need a plane with massive power to take-off from a mountain valley airport like Telluride, there is a long list of crashes from underpowered planes trying to take-off from mountain airports like Telluride. Flying in, let alone trying to fly out of Telluride with a plane like this is crazy.
T210 has more than enough performance for travel in and out of telluride, they fly in and out daily.
ReplyDeleteAnyone with flight experience have a sense on what might have happened to cause this tragedy, based on the altitude/radar information revealed in the preliminary NTSB report? Specifically was the likely culprit catastrophic mechanical failure and/or pilot error ?
ReplyDeleteTo me it seems that engine failure or other catastrophic power loss might have occurred, based on the unexplained descents when approaching an area of rugged mountainous terrain. Perhaps the pilot ultimately got power restored at the very end - with the resulting final rapid ascent in an attempt to clear the escarpment of the Mogollon Rim - alas either too late or resulting in an accelerated stall.
The report mentions both wing tanks being breached with fuel odor, so fuel starvation can presumably be eliminated. This seemed exceedingly unlikely being so close to SLD but I did wonder given the absence of fire damage. I assume there was no spark to ignite the fuel.
I also wonder if anyone might have survived the impact, but succumbed subsequently to their injuries or even exposure... nearly a full day elapsed between the actual crash and arrival of a rescue team. How much sooner might help have arrived if a proper flight plan had been filed, or if the EFT signals picked up by other aircraft were investigated ? To me it seems that pilot negligence - if not in-flight error - might have played a role; clearly he violated the agreement terms with the former wife.
There are two aerial photos in this story showing the aircraft from above. One shows a grey seat on its own, a second photo taken earlier with morning snow along with a possible body having red color close to the same seat. Seems obvious it is one of the family members having massive trauma, most likely died on impact.
DeleteHello, I noticed that as well. In your honest assessment, was the seat ejected from the plane from the blunt force impact? Would this have been the passenger side? Hard to imagine it having been the back seat passengers or pilot. Rest their souls. Any input is welcomed.
Deletemy main comment is: the "final cruising altitude" of 7,950' seems less than the 8,000' the Mogollon Rim is shown. Even the search unit was operating at 9,000' am I missing a basic concept in aircraft travel? higher than what one is flying over. I know this crash has other circumstances (mechanical/pilot) but having a cruising altitude of less than the terrain seems vital. Do private planes have a "black box"? we may never know for sure the actual reason for the erratic altitude loss.
ReplyDeleteMissed his last back door when he flew right past Payson Airport, 11 nm south of accident site.
ReplyDeleteIt never ceases to amaze me why some always prefer to believe that a mechanical issue occurred with a fatal flight even when there is more compelling evidence of poor flight planning and basically error in judgement or pilot overconfidence. It almost feels like these people are in denial. On the one hand we have known unfavorable weather. On the other hand one could speculate about mechanical failure. More than 99% of these GA accidents tend to resolve at the end of the investigation as weather related contributing factor and not mechanical failure. I am sorry to say but I am getting sick to the stomach reading about pilots who kill their families because of overconfidence in their aviation skills. I am recently certificated pilot and even though I have taken different members of my family flying, I have hesitated to take the whole family yet because I feel my kids are not old and mature enough to sit through a flight and not be a distraction. And I would only fly in weather in which the safety of the flight was never in question barring a mechanical failure.
ReplyDeleteMy condolences to the surviving relatives of the family especially the mother of those two innocent teenage girls.
Quote from the NTSB:
ReplyDelete"After approximately 12 minutes of flight, the airplane reached a final cruising altitude of about 7,950 feet mean sea level. The airplane subsequently descended about 1,300 feet in one minute before it entered a momentary climb, followed by a shallow descent. In the remaining two and a half minutes, the airplane maintained a 300 foot per minute descent rate with some intermittent climbs. The final two radar targets showed the airplane ascend about 425 feet in 12 seconds. The airplane maintained a straight track from SDL to the last radar target, which was within a tenth of a nautical mile of the accident site and indicated a field elevation of 6,670 feet."
The above is a perfect description of "scud running"...trying to fly under the clouds and stay VFR in IMC. The course is "straight" so perhaps the plane was on autopilot or the pilot flew it that way (and the normal "loss of control by continued VFR into IMC") does not appear likely. That said...scud running is Stupid/risky/foolhardy for a VFR pilot or someone who is instrument rated but too lazy or unwilling to file a flight plan....suicidal in mountainous terrain. Whether this pilot had an instrument rating or not...this accident was 100% preventable. If he did have an instrument rating and did not call for a pop up clearance in flight, he killed his family by not doing so. If he was not instrument rated and undertook this flight and did not immediately turn around or declare and emergency when he got into trouble, he killed his family by not doing so. The NTSB will issue a report, but whatever that report ends up saying, the facts revealed so far sound very much like a stupid and/or arrogant/overconfident pilot who very tragically undertook a flight that ended his life and those of his family.
The pilot was not instrument rated. As far as not filing a flight plan, some pilots who don't want to be followed on flight aware will not file a flight plan (which is poor judgement). Since the mother of the girls killed didn't want them flying, I hope this wasn't the reason for not filing a flight plan on a cross county flight into mountainous terraine
ReplyDeleteThe pilot was not instrument rated. Some pilots (the foolish ones) don't file flight plans because they don't want their ex wires to track them on flight aware. The mother of the girls who were killed didn't want them flying with their father in that plane.
ReplyDeleteStrange / Odd -- he filed other flight plans, but not the fatal flight. Not filing a flight plan aligns with secretly flying the daughters when the pilot (lawyer) was instructed by the courts not to have them as his passengers.
ReplyDeleteFlightAware will block the ability to track any aircraft after a verified request from the plane's owner; and you will get this message -- "this aircraft not available for public tracking per request from owner/operator". But that wasn't the case with this aircraft.
Common Sense ~ something, unfortunately the pilot sorely lacked.
ReplyDeleteThe noninstrument-rated pilot’s continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a subsequent loss of airplane control.
ReplyDeleteStraight path from SDL to crash site
ReplyDeletePassed PJB without landing or requesting in-flight pop-up clearance
No evidence of mechanical failure
What we have here is an overconfident and under-experienced VFR pilot with no IFR training or flight plan, encountering IMC over mountainous terrain. Considering how quickly into the flight IMC were encountered, flight planning was negligent as well. Usually this happens near the destination, when there is more time for unexpected weather to develop.
Rim area of Arizona is amongst the most dangerous and foolish places for scud-running, which is the obvious cause of this accident. From the NTSB report he descended rapidly after reaching 8000 ft in an attempt to stay below the weather then would attempt to climb but lose visibility, forcing him to keep descending. Given the highly constraining terrain, ranging up to 5500 ft, he probably was flying at the cloud base where visibility would be impaired, another error. The crash site was into a 2,000 scarp, reaching 7500 ft, which he probably only saw immediately before flying into it - the rapid climb in the last seconds of the flight was too little, too late.
Year after year, continued VFR flight into adverse weather ranks among the most common causes of GA crashes. And they are usually fatal, just as in this case.
As I read through all these posts, it becomes painfully apparent this pilot flew into weather conditions he was not trained for. Next month I start my ground school training and shortly thereafter, commence my private pilot training. I've read countless NTSB reports on GA accidents and as the person mentioned on January 17, 2017, "year after year, continued VFR flight into adverse weather ranks among the most common causes of GA crashes. And they are usually fatal, just as in this case."
ReplyDeleteI am fortunate to live in Chandler, AZ, where the flying weather is some of the best weather in the country, year round. Having said that, my non-negotiable boundaries will be to always fly safe as my #1 priority:
1) No scud running
2) Always file a flight plan
3) If there is even a slight chance my destination airport will be in IMC conditions, the trip will be cancelled
4) Have Plan B, C, D, etc., in place to deal with any emergency that may arise
5) NEVER underestimate the power of Mother Nature
In closing, I am truly heartbroken for the mother who lost her two precious daughters as a result of their father's poor flying judgement.
**Need to clarify my 2nd non-negotiable boundary:
ReplyDelete2) Always file a flight plan **when the distance to my destination airport is >50 nm from my home airport
DON'T SCUD RUN!
ReplyDeleteI am an commercial airline pilot and get upset every time I hear of flights that end up in the mountains. Like Dirty Harry said...ya have ya know your limitations.
ReplyDeleteMost SEL airplanes cannot handle high altitude flight in mountainous terrain unless there turbocharged and pressurized.
It's sounds like the pilot made grave errors in judgement when he left VFR on that cold cloudy day. He probably would of been fine if he waited for better weather conditions a day later. If the weather is bad....just say NO...we can wait it out.
I fly a jet most of the time and we can pop right thru the worst of weather conditions....only because we have the right equipment.
When I fly the C-172....I would never dream of flying this plane in mountainous terrain or even IFR.
Remember alway be safe....and wait for better weather conditions before you takeoff.
I agree- DON'T SCUD RUN! Period!!
ReplyDeleteAlso, please let us reexamine – ALL SEL airplanes cannot handle high altitude flight in mountainous terrain even though they are turbocharged. Turbocharging ONLY maintains a constant MP at altitude. The wings and propeller(s) are not turbocharged thus act the same as a non-turbocharged aircraft. Turbocharging is a very misunderstood concept and leads some to believe that the turbocharged airplane has much better capabilities and performance than it actually does. “A man has got to know his – and his aircrafts limitations”. SMALL AIRPLANES IN THE MOUNTAINS ARE A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN e.g. Sparky Imeson! Very poor judgment! I am so so sorry for the Mother’s loss.
Pilots who die in bad weather are usually buried in the sunshine!
ATP, CFI, Airline, 39 years of safe operational experience
I am an FAA AGI and ex-squadron commander for Civil Air Patrol and a trained Mission Observer. I am very sad that this sort of thing has to happen. I can't even begin to imagine the pain that the mother of those two girls is feeling. It may diminish a little, but it will never go away.
ReplyDelete.
It is for this reason that all pilots (from student to ATP) obey the cardinal rule: "Flying like the sailing, is inherently safe; however, it is TERRIBLY UNFORGIVING (WITH ABSOLUTE ZERO TOLERANCE) OF ANY MISTAKES, CARELESSNESS OR NEGLECT.
.
It has been said that “SOME PILOTS DEVELOP A “SIXTH SENSE” FOR SPOTTING THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG AND EITHER AVOID OR FIX THE PROBLEM BEFORE IT HAPPENS. This is true, as a pilot you must develop this sixth sense, or you will eventually get hurt or killed.
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Also remember, FLYING IS A RICH MAN’S SPORT (OR HOBBY). If you lack THE APPROPRIATE funds, stay out of this hobby. This means PLENTY OF MONEY funds for: CONSTANT TRAINING ! REGARDLESS IF YOU HAVE 100 HOURS OR 10,000 HOURS !! A GOOD PILOT NEVER STOPS GOING TO SCHOOL. NEVER !! IF YOU OWN A PLANE, THE FUNDS TO PROPERLY MAINTAIN IT IN LIKE NEW CONDITION !! THIS MEANS REPLACING PARTS (TIMED OUT PARTS) EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE STILL FUNCTIONING OK, AND PREFORMING MAINTENANCE RELIGIOUSLY LIKE IT WAS A SACRED RITUAL !! HAVING PERSONAL MINIMUMS FOR FLIGHT AND MAINTENANCE THAT ARE DOUBLE OR TRIPLE WHAT THE FAA OR THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER SAYS !! Remember, safety is never an accident…it must be carefully planned. A risk assessment must be taken before each flight using stringent personal minimums that far exceed ESTABLISHED minimums.
This turbo charged plane loves to fly in the high teens and low flight levels. It has plenty of power and range to fly to any location in the US. Most are equipped with six place oxygen. This looks like a pilot who was scud running (trying to remain flying visual in full cloud cover conditions)! You just keep dropping lower until you hit something like a mountain, tower, building and ground.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't familiar with Sparky Imeson, but based on some of his comments, or at least quotes attributed to him, I decided to look him up. Saying single engine planes shouldn't be flying over mountains is way too broad of a generalization. I was especially amused, all due respect, by the ATP above saying he would never ever fly a Cessna 172 over mountains or in instrument conditions. Both are done both safely and routinely on a daily basis. By knowing both the pilot's and the airplane's limitations.
ReplyDeleteSo I found some articles on Sparky. Turns out he died in early 2009 trying to photograph the site he had crashed on 2yrs earlier, the NTSB report found the cause to be flying too low and failure to maintain control.
Fly safe folks.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/ntsb-plane-in-fatal-crash-was-flying-too-low/article_793d3742-d498-11de-8dd5-001cc4c002e0.html
Just as the old saying goes, never let a doctor,lawyer or businessman fly me in IMC conditions due to their extreme impatience,carelessness and poor skills to reach a destination.
ReplyDeleteLooks as if EF was a bare minimum pilot and barely kept his passenger rating by doing 3 landings and take offs the day he flew so he could fly his family and ultimately slaughter them. I would like to know the moron that said he was a good pilot come on! the toxicology found Viagra is his system so we all know why he got his pilots license, to get chicks to use the Viagra on! In the report one witness said he was a risk taker and didn't pay much attention to things like WEATHER! This asshole was a VFR pilot ONLY and he knowingly flew into IMC and slaughtered three innocent lives. At least they were highly fragmented and died instantly so I am sure they knew nothing, if you want to call that a good thing. How does it happen these days where a newly minted pilot can take off in an area with mountainous terrain in January with IMC all around and family aboard, not to be questioned by ATC of his intensions?
ReplyDeleteThe biological mom Cynthia L of the two girls killed endures the pain more than anyone else - and she was all too aware of the risks, and extraordinary measures to stave off tragedy was overruled by either recklessness, or hubris... I'm not a religious person; I only have tears for Cynthia L
ReplyDeletePrivate aircraft,Lawyer and doctor killers...using poor judgement due to limited training and inflated egos. A majority of deaths will continue with these aeronautical idiots.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts are with both Cynthia as well as Carrie's parents who are left behind in this tragedy...
ReplyDeleteYears later, after extensive review, it looks to be pilot error. Is that correct?
ReplyDeleteThat is correct. The pilot was not instrument trained.
DeleteSomeone above mentioned the aerial photos show a potential seat ejected from the plane from the blunt force impact? Would this have been the passenger side? Hard to tell in the photos but earlier photos show an Orange and red body and later photos show it having been removed with an empty seat remaining. Difficult to imagine it having been the back seat passengers or pilot. Rest their souls. Any input is welcomed.