Sunday, January 22, 2017

Boucher Duo Deuce, N808DD: Accident occurred June 06, 2016 near Stafford Regional Airport (KRMN), Stafford County, Virginia



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

Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Herndon, Virginia
Lycoming Engines; Williamsport, Pennsylvania

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/N808DD 


The Duo Deuce is pictured before the accident, while it was still under construction.


Location: Stafford, VA
Accident Number: ERA16LA204
Date & Time: 06/06/2016, 1759 EDT
Registration: N808DD
Aircraft: BOBBI BOUCHER DUO DEUCE
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Aerodynamic stall/spin
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under:  Part 91: General Aviation - Flight Test 

On June 6, 2016, at 1759 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Duo Deuce, N808DD, was substantially damaged during a collision with terrain after takeoff from Stafford Regional Airport (RMN), Stafford, Virginia. The commercial pilot, who was also the owner/builder was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the initial test flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

In an interview with a police officer just after the accident, the pilot reported that during the initial climb after takeoff, both engines experienced a "sudden" loss of power. She identified an open area for a forced landing, and upon touchdown, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted.

In an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector, the pilot stated that the engine run-up was "normal and everything was fine." During the takeoff roll, the airplane reached "flying speed," the nose lifted from the runway, and she advanced the throttles to 2,700 rpm. As the airplane became airborne, the "left wing came up but the right wing was down." The pilot stated she added left rudder and left aileron, but realized the airplane was "eating up a lot of runway" and there was insufficient runway remaining on which to land. She turned the airplane right to avoid the interstate highway that ran perpendicular to the runway beyond the departure end. According to the pilot, "I stalled I guess, I hit the ground pretty hard."

In a subsequent telephone interview with an NTSB investigator, the pilot stated she did not recall the conversation with the police officer, and stated that the right engine stopped producing power. In a media interview several months later, the pilot reported she remembered "every detail" of the accident flight, and said that when she taxied the airplane onto the runway at RMN, the purpose was to perform a "high speed taxi" and that the subsequent takeoff was "inadvertent." After takeoff, the airplane experienced "engine failure" followed by an aerodynamic stall.

Several witnesses provided written statements. One witness was well-acquainted with the pilot and said that he was there to assist her with the flight. In his statement, he referred to the flight as both a "test flight" as well as the "first flight" for the airplane. The witnesses described the takeoff and climb as "slow," stating that the airplane was "wobbling" and the wings were "rocking." One witness estimated that the airplane climbed to about 300 feet above the runway before it slowly descended.

A review of videos recorded from two airport security cameras, as well as an on-board video recorded with the pilot's cellphone revealed a shallow takeoff and initial climb. Almost immediately after takeoff, the airplane's track diverged from the runway centerline off the right side of the runway and over the grass apron. The climb stopped at what appeared to be treetop height, the wings rocked, and the airplane continued to pitch up as it descended until ground contact. The instrument panel could not be viewed, but the propeller speeds appeared constant and both propellers appeared to be turning at the same speed during the takeoff roll and the entire flight until ground contact.

Examination of photographs revealed the airplane remained largely intact, with the left engine separated. Both wings and the tail section were substantially damaged.

According to FAA records, the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single and multiengine land and sea, and a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single and multiengine. She was issued an FAA second-class medical certificate on October 29, 2015, and reported 6,420 total hours of flight experience on that date.

The two-seat, twin-engine, low-wing airplane, equipped with two Lycoming IO-320-B1A engines was initially registered in 2013, and issued an airworthiness certificate on March 19, 2016. The pilot modified a Van's Aircraft, Inc., RV-8 single engine airplane kit. Instead of the nose-mounted, single-engine configuration for which the kit was designed, the airplane was configured with two wing-mounted engines.

Examination of maintenance records revealed the engines were previously owned, and installed on an airplane that was involved in an accident on February 19, 2008. Each engine experienced a propeller strike event during that accident sequence. The records did not indicate that a mandatory sudden-stoppage inspection had been performed on either engine after the event and prior to their installation on N808DD.

The airplane's instrument panel was equipped with an iPad mount, and a telephone was mounted above and behind the pilot. Both the iPad and the telephone were requested so that the original media could be examined. The pilot refused to provide either device; however, she provided a 33-second-long video file, which was consistent with the vantage point of the cockpit mounted cell phone.

Throughout the takeoff roll, flight, and subsequent impact with terrain, the effect of the video camera's rolling shutter effects on the representation of each propeller did not substantially change. Because the distortion of each propeller due to rolling shutter was consistent, the recording suggested each propeller's rpm remained at an unquantified but mostly steady state.

The airplane was subsequently recovered to Shannon Regional Airport, Fredericksburg, Virginia, where it was examined by representatives of the NTSB and Lycoming Engines. In addition, a test run of the right engine, which remained mounted in its nacelle and attached to the airframe was performed.

The constant-speed propeller was damaged during the accident sequence. It was removed, an expansion plug was seated in the front of the crankshaft, and a fixed-pitch propeller was mounted. The airplane was pushed out to the taxiway apron, jumper cables were attached to an airport service vehicle and the airplane's battery, and an engine start was attempted utilizing the airplane's own fuel system.

The engine was started, and it ran smoothly and continuously until engine oil sprayed in the propeller wash. The engine was stopped, the propeller was removed, the crankshaft expansion plug was reseated, the engine was serviced with oil, and another engine start was initiated.

The engine started and idled smoothly, and ran continuously without interruption. The throttle was increased and decreased, and the engine ran smoothly through the power changes. Engine oil pressure and fuel flow indications were consistent with the throttle position as it was changed.

With full throttle application, approximately 2,200 rpm was observed on the aircraft tachometer. The engine ran roughly, consistent with a lean fuel/air mixture setting. Fuel flow as noted on the digital flow meter was approximately 19 gallons per hour (gph). Typical fuel flow requirements for the subject engine operating at this power setting would be 8.5 gph based on a lean limit mixture setting and approximately 10 gph based on a best power mixture setting. The abnormality noted with the digital flow indication system was consistent with air entering the fuel system, resulting in acceleration of the flow scan vein and high fuel flow indications. The fuel flow abnormality as noted was consistent with air entering upstream of the engine on the airframe side of the fuel system. 



Pilot Information

Certificate: Flight Instructor; Commercial
Age: 62, Female
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Multi-engine Sea; Single-engine Land; Single-engine Sea
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Glider
Restraint Used: 4-point
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane Multi-engine; Airplane Single-engine
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 2 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 10/29/2015
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 
Flight Time:  6420 hours (Total, all aircraft), 0.5 hours (Total, this make and model) 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Manufacturer: BOBBI BOUCHER
Registration: N808DD
Model/Series: DUO DEUCE NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2016
Amateur Built: Yes
Airworthiness Certificate: Experimental
Serial Number: 007
Landing Gear Type:Tricycle
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 03/10/2016, Condition
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 
Time Since Last Inspection: 0 Hours
Engines:  Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 0.5 Hours
Engine Manufacturer: Lycoming
ELT: 
Engine Model/Series: IO-320-B!A
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 160 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: KRMN, 211 ft msl
Observation Time: 1753 EDT
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 330°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Temperature/Dew Point: 26°C / 16°C
Lowest Ceiling: Obscured
Visibility:  10 Miles
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots, 190°
Visibility (RVR): 
Altimeter Setting: 29.74 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV): 
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Stafford, VA (RMN)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Stafford, VA (RMN)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time:  EDT
Type of Airspace: Class G

Airport Information

Airport: STAFFORD RGNL (RMN)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 211 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 15
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 5000 ft / 100 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: None

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude:  38.392222, -77.316667 (est)

NTSB Identification: ERA16LA204
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, June 06, 2016 in Stafford, VA
Aircraft: BOBBI BOUCHER DUO DEUCE, registration: N808DD
Injuries: 1 Serious.

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 June 6, 2016, at 1759 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Duo Deuce, N808DD, was substantially damaged during a collision with terrain after takeoff from Stafford Regional Airport (RMN), Stafford, Virginia. The commercial pilot/owner/builder was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the initial test flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. 

In an interview with a police officer just after the accident, the pilot reported that during the initial climb after takeoff, both engines experienced a "sudden" loss of power. She identified an open area for the forced landing, and upon touchdown, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. 

In a subsequent telephone interview, the pilot stated that she did not recall the conversation with the officer, and stated the right engine stopped producing power. 

Several witnesses provided statements, and they described the takeoff and climb as "slow," stating that the airplane was "wobbling" and the wings were "rocking." One witness estimated that the airplane climbed to about 300 feet above the runway, before it slowly descended. 

A review of videos recorded from two airport security cameras, as well as an on-board video recorded with the pilot's cellphone revealed a shallow takeoff and initial climb. Almost immediately after takeoff, the airplane's track diverged from the runway centerline off the right side of the runway and over the grass apron. The climb stopped at what appeared to be treetop height, the wings rocked, and the airplane continued to pitch up as it descended until ground contact. The instrument panel could not be viewed, but the propeller speeds appeared constant and both propellers appeared to be turning at the same speed during the takeoff roll and the entire flight until ground contact. 

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single and multiengine land and sea, and instructor ratings for airplane single and multiengine. She was issued an FAA second-class medical certificate on October 29, 2015, and reported 6,420 total hours of flight experience on that date. 

The two-seat, twin-engine, low-wing airplane was manufactured in 2013, and was equipped with two Lycoming IO-320-B1A engines. The pilot/owner/builder modified a Van's Aircraft, Inc., RV-8 single engine airplane kit. Instead of the nose-mounted, single-engine configuration for which the kit was designed, the airplane was equipped with two wing-mounted engines. 

Examination of photographs revealed the airplane remained largely intact, with the left engine separated. Both wings and the tail section were substantially damaged. The airplane was retained for a detailed examination at a later date.
============

“Oh my God, I’m alive—but please don’t let me burn,” Roberta “Bobbi” Boucher implored as she hung upside down from the wreckage of her plane, which crashed June 6 in Stafford County.

Boucher, 63, of Fredericksburg, said she remembers every single moment of the day of the crash.

She recalled being giddy with excitement as she climbed into the single-seat aircraft she had designed in her shop, The Plane Doctor, at Shannon Airport in Spotsylvania County.

And she felt comfortable behind the controls of the Duo Deuce. In addition to decades of experience as a certified airframes and power-plants mechanic, she is also a certified aircraft inspector and flight instructor. For Boucher, flying never gets old.

The experimental aircraft had been approved by an engineer and Boucher had done all her usual checks prior to boarding, so she felt confident as she steered it onto the runway of Stafford Regional Airport to perform a high-speed taxi.

But things quickly started going downhill. She inadvertently lifted off and experienced engine failure. As she approached Interstate 95, her stomach felt like it was in knots.

She feared that she would hit the cars and trucks she could see beneath her, driving along the highway.

All of a sudden, the plane stalled and began to plummet.

“I just closed my eyes,” she said. “I didn’t want to see it coming. I think maybe subconsciously I knew that if I could see what was coming, I would tense up.”

The plane ended up nose-diving into a field of mulch between Centreport Parkway and Interstate 95. She remembers hitting the ground hard, and the plane sliding before coming to an abrupt stop.

Then, in what seemed like slow motion, the tail came up until the plane stood straight on its nose.

Boucher remembers praying the plane would not tip over, but, within moments, it started to fall. The glass canopy surrounding the cockpit smashed, upside down, into deep mulch. It covered her.

“My adrenaline was going so fast that time just kind of stopped, and seconds turned into hours,” she said.

COMPASSION, HEROISM

Shortly after the crash, a man jumped over the fence from I–95 and ran toward her yelling “Are you OK?” over and over again. She managed to call out “Yes,” as she watched fuel gush from the plane and soak the ground around her.

Once the man reached the plane, he began trying to dig Boucher out of the mulch. He managed to grab her hand, and give it a squeeze. He kept trying to reassure her by saying, “I’m here, I’m here.”

Boucher still chokes up when she thinks about the moment when the man—whose identity is still a mystery to her—took her hand in his.

She knew, as she dangled upside down, drenched in fuel with coarse mulch matted against her face, that death was imminent if the plane exploded. She needed the touch of another human being to remind her she was not alone.

“At that point, human contact was a wonderful thing,” she said. “I wish I knew his name.”

When fire and rescue personnel arrived, they saw the man, joined by someone from Stafford Airport, furiously pulling at the dirt to free Boucher. The rescue crew told them to stop because the plane was leaking fuel, but the men kept digging.

Boucher heard one respond, “I’m already drenched, it doesn’t matter.”

She describes the moment as the greatest display of human compassion and heroism she has ever witnessed.

As emergency personnel worked to free her, they began cutting the plane’s canopy. Her arm was trapped in the wreckage of it, and she screeched as they inadvertently began sawing into her arm. The noise from the generators made it difficult for them to hear her pleas at first.

As fire and rescue workers stood ready with hoses to spray the plane if it caught fire, the rescuers managed to pull Boucher out of the wreckage. She remembers squeezing her eyes against the glare of the sun. She recalls hugging one of the fire and rescue workers and thanking him for saving her.

On the way to Mary Washington Hospital in the ambulance, the emergency personnel asked Boucher for the names of her doctors. When she arrived at the hospital, her doctors and friends were gathered just outside the Emergency Room.

The surgeon discovered that Boucher’s third thoracic vertebrae had been crushed in the accident. After determining that the spinal injury was beyond his expertise, he sent Boucher to a hospital in Richmond.

Boucher cannot remember how long she was at MWH, but she does remember being transported to the helicopter that would fly her to Richmond. The crew asked who the patient was and the hospital staff said “Bobbi Boucher.”

“Bobbi Boucher of Shannon Airport?” they asked. “We know Bobbi—we will take good care of her.”

LONG, SLOW RECOVERY

Boucher spent 10 days in the intensive care unit. She had multiple IVs, a feeding tube and several broken bones. Nurses would come in to flip her over every 45 minutes, making it difficult to rest. She also had to undergo many X–rays, which she recalled being ice cold and painful due to her back injury.

Despite her age and the severity of her symptoms, Boucher began to heal quickly. At first, she could barely move her left arm and she had severe pain between her shoulder blades when pulling or pushing. She also couldn’t walk because of muscle atrophy.

“I had a feeling my doctors were surprised I was healing so quickly,” Boucher said. “My body knew what it had to do. But, recovery has been long and slow—too slow.”

Full recovery will take a year—and she will probably never completely return to normal, but Boucher can now walk, although she often uses a wheelchair or walker. She can also drive, although it can be difficult.

Pushing and pulling continues to be strenuous, which makes her responsibilities at her aircraft repair shop challenging.

She gets by with the help of her friend, Linda Knowles, who she met several years ago in Florida at the Air Race Classic, an annual cross-county air race for female pilots.

Her injuries have not kept her away from planes. Boucher continues to spend her days in the hangar at the airport where her shop is located. Knowles serves as her hands, and Boucher instructs her on what to do.

She has also flown again—an experience she described as both unnerving and exhilarating. She went out briefly in a low-wing plane with a copilot.

While it was difficult to board the plane, she said it was easier to fly than drive, since air controls don’t require the pushing and pulling motions that aggravate her back injury.

EAGER TO SOLO AGAIN

Boucher has always been independent, so it has been difficult learning to rely on others for help. While she feels grateful she is not paralyzed, she said everything feels different and she is worried about her business.

“I feel like I’m going to lose my shop because of this accident,” she said. “I have always wanted to go on my terms. But, I wouldn’t have this shop without Linda right now, and I still have so many business expenses to pay. I’m worried keeping this shop has just become a pipe dream.”

She says she is grateful to everyone who has supported her. She recalls being blown away by the number of people who came to visit her at the hospital in Richmond. She even heard the hospital had to turn away visitors.

Her friend, Andrew Ellison, started a GoFundMe page to assist with her medical expenses. She appreciates the generosity of friends, acquaintances and total strangers who contributed.

“I spend my days in this little shop working on planes,” she said. “I didn’t realize I had an effect on so many people.”

But if anyone knows planes, it is Boucher, and her impact on the world of aviation has been far-reaching.

Her love of planes began during the early days of her service in the Navy as a jet engine mechanic. She spent several years working on the jet engines of the P2V Neptune, an aircraft designed to hunt submarines, and later, on P-3s. She was able to get her A&P certificate and flight engineer rating while in the Navy.

After her military service ended, she worked for Shannon Airport for five years before opening The Plane Doctor in 1983.

Her career highlights include a trip to Africa in 1998, at the request of the World Wildlife Foundation to build and fly a Beaver RX 550 ultralight aircraft for the foundation. She arrived in Central Africa just days after a coup, so her host carried a machine gun on the 13-hour journey by truck to the remote destination.

She spent 15 days putting together and testing an airplane that would be used to detect elephant hunters who were killing the animals for ivory.

The trip had an unfortunate ending. Shortly before Boucher was scheduled to return home, the patched-roof building where the airplane was being stored collapsed, and crushed the airplane. Without new parts, which could take months to get there, the plane was irreparable.

“After working on something so long, it was hard to lose it,” Boucher said.

Boucher has also participated in five Air Race Classics, something she hopes to repeat. However, the race is expensive and money is tight, so keeping her shop going will continue to be her main priority.

“I’m looking forward to getting back into an airplane by myself again,” she said.

Source:  http://www.dailyprogress.com

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