Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Pilot says Xcel Energy at fault in accident: Aero Vodochody L-39C, N6175C

National Transportation Safety Board

Raymond Davoudi, a San Diego restaurateur, was the passenger flying with pilot Brian W. Evans on May 28, 2015 in the Aero Vodochody L-39C Albatros that sheared through power cables in De Beque Canyon.


Brian W. Evans, seen climbing out of a plane, had his commercial pilot certificate suspended for 180 days.


The jet pilot and passenger who flew up De Beque Canyon at an estimated 300 mph said in court papers that Xcel Energy was at fault for an accident in which the jet snapped seven power cables.

Pilot Brian Evans and his passenger, Raymond Mez Davoudi, each named the energy company in separate responses to a federal suit filed by an Aspen man who claims he suffered damage to his hands and hearing as a result of the incident on May 28, 2015.

An Xcel Energy spokesman said the company isn't a party to the suit and was unable to comment on it.

Steve Centofanti was driving west on Interstate 70 when he saw the jet, a Warsaw Pact-era trainer, approaching — apparently straight at him.

Centofanti suffered lost feelings in his hands from gripping his steering wheel "in a panic fearing for his life and the lives of his passengers."

He also suffered hearing damage from the roar of the jet when Evans turned it skyward after it struck the cables near the Grand Valley Diversion Dam.

Centofanti's vehicle, as well as others, was struck by cables that whipped through the air as they were slashed by the jet.

Responses to the lawsuit filed by Evans and Davoudi said Xcel Energy was a "necessary and indispensable" party that Centofanti had failed to include in the suit.

Xcel should have marked the cables, and should be liable for any damages awarded to Centofanti, lawyers for Evans and Davoudi said.

Evans is a former U.S. Marine Corps pilot and Davoudi is a San Diego restaurateur who, according to postings on his Facebook page, eagerly accepted Evans' invitation to fly with him in the jet, a Vodochody L-39C, from Idaho to Alabama.

The Federal Aviation Administration revoked Evans' pilot's license after the incident, noting that Evans had flown the jet at less than 500 feet and that pilots are not to operate aircraft "in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another."

Colorado State Patrol reports noted that a truck driver on Interstate 70 that day could have been fatally injured by whipping cables. Another driver, Steve Reynolds of Glenwood Springs, suffered extensive damage to his car from the slashed cables.

The jet suffered extensive damage in the incident but Evans was able to circle Grand Junction for some 45 minutes before landing without incident at Grand Junction Regional Airport, from which it had taken off earlier that day.

"Xcel Energy is not a party to these particular proceedings and therefore cannot comment on them," the company said in a statement. "Our transmission system in the area was repaired, and our primary concern today is the continued operation of our system to ensure safe and reliable service to our customers."

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



L-39 N6175C from Matt Cawby on Vimeo.
L-39 N6175C taxi test at Paine Field May 8, 2010.






Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Salt Lake City, Utah 

Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board:  https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms

Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board:  https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Location: Grand Junction, CO
Accident Number: GAA15CA096
Date & Time: 05/28/2015, 1225 MDT
Registration: N6175C
Aircraft: AERO VODOCHODY L39
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Low altitude operation/event
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under:  Part 91: General Aviation - Personal

Analysis

According to the pilot, while flying over a river at an altitude of about 100 feet above water and ground level, at 250 knots, the airplane impacted unmarked power line wires that spanned the river. The power line wires are clearly identified on the Visual Flight Rules Sectional Aeronautical Chart. The pilot immediately established a climb and returned to the airport without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the nose, left wing, and vertical stabilizer.

The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and subsequent failure to remain clear of power line wires while maneuvering at low altitude.

Findings

Aircraft
Altitude - Not attained/maintained (Cause)

Personnel issues
Flight planning/navigation - Pilot (Cause)

Environmental issues
Wire - Awareness of condition (Cause)

Factual Information

History of Flight

Enroute
Low altitude operation/event (Defining event)

Maneuvering-low-alt flying
Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
  
Pilot Information

Certificate: Commercial
Age: 45
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Front
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 2 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 04/17/2015
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 10/05/2014
Flight Time: (Estimated) 2944.8 hours (Total, all aircraft), 458.6 hours (Total, this make and model), 2902.5 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 135.6 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 94.6 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 37 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)
  
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Manufacturer: AERO VODOCHODY
Registration: N6175C
Model/Series: L39 C
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Experimental
Serial Number: 432942
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 09/09/2014, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 10362 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 32 Hours
Engines: 1 Turbo Fan
Airframe Total Time:  at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: IVCHENKO
ELT: Not installed
Engine Model/Series: AI-25TL
Registered Owner: XP Services Inc.
Rated Power: 3800 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Does Business As: Tactial Advantage Inc.
Operator Designator Code: 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: GJT, 4858 ft msl
Observation Time: 1753 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 12 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 70°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 7000 ft agl
Temperature/Dew Point: 20°C / 8°C
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 Miles
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: Calm
Visibility (RVR): 
Altimeter Setting: 30.11 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV): 
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: GRAND JUNCTION, CO (GJT)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: VFR
Destination: GARDEN CITY, KS (GCK)
Type of Clearance: VFR
Departure Time: 1220 MDT
Type of Airspace: Class G
  
Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude:  39.122500, -108.526667 (est)

Motorist sues pilot who sliced cables in jet: Aero Vodochody L-39C, N6175C, Momentum Foundation Inc., accident occurred May 28, 2015 in Grand Junction, Colorado


A truck belonging to Monument Transportation was hit by a power line and dragged nearly a quarter mile along Interstate 70 near the exit to Colorado Highway 65 in De Beque Canyon.


Brian W. Evans, seen climbing out of a plane in July of last year, had his commercial pilot certificate suspended for 180 days.


Raymond Meze Davoudi, a San Diego restaurateur, was the passenger riding with pilot Brian W. Evans on May 28 in the Aero Vodochody L-39C Albatros that sheared through power cables in De Beque Canyon.



A Pitkin County man driving west on Interstate 70 through De Beque Canyon two years ago saw a Cold War jet flying directly at him, sparking fear that the aircraft would fly directly into his vehicle, according to a lawsuit filed in Mesa County District Court.

The man, Steve Centofanti, suffered permanent hearing damage when the jet turned sharply away after severing seven power cables, the suit says. Centofanti also suffered injuries to his hands and wrists from gripping the steering wheel after severed cables struck his vehicle, he said in the lawsuit against the jet pilot, Brian W. Evans, and five others, including the passenger in his plane, San Diego restaurateur Raymond Davoudi.

Centofanti is seeking unspecified damages for his injuries, damages to his car and emotional distress in the case, which also lists three corporations that employed Evans or owned the Aero Vodochody L-39C Albatros, a Warsaw Pact fighter trainer he was flying, according to the suit.

Evans’ commercial pilot certificate was suspended on Jan. 18, 2016, for 180 days by the Federal Aviation Administration. He is an F-18 pilot whose experience included two years with the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron in Miramar, California.

Evans said in his report that he saw the cables a “split-second” before he struck them, shearing off about seven feet of a wing. He turned the jet upward after the collision and circled Grand Junction for about 45 minutes, burning off fuel, before landing at Grand Junction Regional Airport, from which he had taken off before the incident.

Two other people have previously been known to have been injured or had their vehicles damaged in the incident near the Grand Valley roller dam.

Glenwood Springs resident Steve Reynolds escaped injury, but his car was damaged and repairs cost $6,000, which he said his insurance covered. The driver of a semi-tractor suffered cuts to the face, but was spared more serious injury by the metal bar in the center of his windshield.

Centofanti, who had two passengers in his car, saw the aircraft approaching and he “panicked and gripped the steering wheel with all of his strength and managed to safely decelerate and pull off” the road, suffering injuries to his hands and wrists, the suit said.

Evans’ jet “passed very close to Centofanti’s vehicle and the noise of the jet was also deafening and unexpected,” the suit said.

As a result of the incident, Centofanti has reduced dexterity in both hands, is required to use hearing aids and suffers from constant ringing in his ears.

Evans’ actions “were intentional, willful and wanton and utterly intolerable in a civilized community,” the suit said.

No hearings were immediately scheduled. 

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



L-39 N6175C from Matt Cawby on Vimeo.
L-39 N6175C taxi test at Paine Field May 8, 2010.





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: GAA15CA096
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, May 28, 2015 in Grand Junction, CO
Probable Cause Approval Date: 08/12/2015
Aircraft: AERO VODOCHODY L39, registration: N6175C
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.

NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.

According to the pilot, while flying over a river at an altitude of about 100 feet above water and ground level, at 250 knots, the airplane impacted unmarked power line wires that spanned the river. The power line wires are clearly identified on the Visual Flight Rules Sectional Aeronautical Chart. The pilot immediately established a climb and returned to the airport without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the nose, left wing, and vertical stabilizer. 

The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and subsequent failure to remain clear of power line wires while maneuvering at low altitude.

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