Monday, December 11, 2017

Loss of Control in Flight: Ted Smith Aerostar 601, N7529S; fatal accident occurred December 10, 2017 near Miami Executive Airport (KTMB), Miami-Dade County, Florida

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Miramar, Florida
Lycoming; 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/N7529S


Location: Miami, FL
Accident Number: CEN18FA050
Date & Time: 12/10/2017, 1450 EST
Registration: N7529S
Aircraft: SMITH AEROSTAR 601
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: Loss of control in flight
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

On December 10, 2017, at 1450 eastern standard time, a Smith Aerostar 601 airplane, N7529S, collided with terrain shortly after takeoff from Miami Executive Airport (TMB), Miami, Florida. The pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The airplane was registered to the pilot who was operating it as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which was originating at the time of the accident.

An employee of the flight school where the airplane was tied down stated that the pilot arrived about 1000 and began to preflight the airplane. About 1030, the pilot fueled the airplane, adding 105.2 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel. How the fuel was distributed between the airplane's three fuel tanks could not be determined. The pilot then taxied the airplane to the ramp in front of the flight school hangar where he kept a toolbox. The witness stated that the pilot was working on the airplane when he noticed a fuel leak and stated that he should have "fixed that" before he fueled the airplane. Both the employee and another witness stated that fuel was leaking from the aft fuselage belly area. They stated that the pilot had two or three 5-gallon orange buckets under the airplane to catch the fuel as he worked to stop the leak. Neither witness saw how much fuel was in the buckets or what the pilot did with the fuel. One witness asked the pilot if he fixed the problem, and the pilot responded that he had.

The pilot was cleared for takeoff from runway 31 at 1426; however, the pilot aborted the takeoff and landed the airplane back on the runway. The controller asked the pilot if he needed assistance, to which the pilot replied, "… not sure what happened just yet but so far so good." The pilot then requested to taxi back to the runway to take off again. The airplane was cleared to take off at 1447, and 32 seconds later, the pilot declared an emergency. The controller cleared the pilot to land on any runway.

Two pilots in an airplane waiting to take off from runway 31 stated that they did not notice anything unusual about the takeoff until they heard the pilot declare an emergency. They reported that the airplane was between 400 ft and 800 ft above the ground and in a left turn toward runway 9R. They stated that they thought the pilot was going to make it back to the runway, but then the left bank increased past 90° and the nose suddenly dropped. One of the pilots likened the maneuver to a stall/spin, Vmc roll, or snap roll-type maneuver. The airplane subsequently impacted a cornfield east of the approach end of runway 9R.

The following day, a 12-ft-by-16-ft stain was observed on the ramp where the airplane had been parked. One of the witnesses stated that the stain was from fuel that leaked out of the airplane.

Pilot Information

Certificate: Private
Age: 62, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: Lap Only
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 1 Without Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 08/04/2015
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 
Flight Time: 1000 hours (Total, all aircraft)

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single- and multi-engine land ratings. His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued on August 4, 2015, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses. On the application for that medical certificate, the pilot reported 1,000 hours total flight experience, with 30 hours in the preceding 6 months. The medical certificate expired for all classes on August 31, 2017. The pilot's logbook was not available during the investigation and his flight time could not be determined. The pilot was not a certificated airframe and powerplant mechanic. 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: SMITH
Registration: N7529S
Model/Series: AEROSTAR 601
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture:
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 61-0161-082
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats:6 
Date/Type of Last Inspection:
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 6001 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 2 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time:
Engine Manufacturer: Lycoming
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series:IO-540-S1A5
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 300 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

The accident airplane was a six-place, turbo-charged twin-engine airplane with retractable landing gear. The airplane was powered by two Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 300-horsepower engines.

The pilot purchased the airplane on March 3, 1998, and had it advertised for sale at the time of the accident.

The last annual inspection recorded in the airframe, engine, and propeller logbooks was dated December 9, 2016. The airframe total time was listed as 3,571.7 hours. The left engine time since major overhaul (SMOH) was listed as 124.7 hours and the time SMOH for the right engine was 56.9 hours. The last entry in the airframe logbook was dated June 3, 2017, at which time the recorded airframe time was 3,576 hours.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Dawn
Observation Facility, Elevation: TMB, 10 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1953 UTC
Direction from Accident Site: 90°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Visibility:   10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 13 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual:
Wind Direction: 340°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: 
Altimeter Setting: 30.21 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 16°C / 2°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Miami, FL (TMB)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Miami, FL (TMB)
Type of Clearance: VFR
Departure Time: 1450 EST
Type of Airspace: Class C

Airport Information

Airport: MIAMI EXECUTIVE (TMB)
Runway Surface Type: N/A
Airport Elevation: 10 ft
Runway Surface Condition:
Runway Used: N/A
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width:
VFR Approach/Landing: Precautionary Landing 

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 25.644444, -80.455833 

The accident site was located in a cornfield about 0.90 mile northwest of the approach end of runway 9R. There was an odor of fuel at the accident site. Aerial photographs taken 2 days after the accident showed an area of blight surrounding the accident site.

The wreckage came to rest on a heading of 210°. The empennage was reportedly folded over the fuselage area and pulled back by first responders. The pilot's seatbelt was cut by first responders during the extraction process. Both engines were buried 1.5 to 2 ft deep at a 45° angle. Portions of two propeller blades were visible on each engine.

The top of the cockpit was separated and the rest of the cockpit was destroyed. The throttle quadrant was separated from the surrounding structure. The fuel mixture and propeller levers were full forward. The throttle levers were broken off and the bases of the levers inside the quadrant were in the full-forward position. The instrument panel was fragmented. All of the fuel tank selector knobs and switches were either broken or missing, and their preimpact positions could not be determined. The left tank fuel quantity gauge indicated 10 gallons; however, the needle was loose. The fuselage tank gauge indicated 0 gallons and the needle was frozen in place. The right tank fuel quantity gauge indicated 12 gallons and the needle was frozen in place. The bladder fuselage fuel tank was ruptured.

The empennage was separated from the rest of the airplane. The vertical stabilizer, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, elevator, and respective trim tabs were intact and all remained attached to the empennage. The push-pull tubes for the elevator and rudder were disconnected and broken within the empennage.

The Janitrol heater was inside the empennage. The fuel line remained attached at the heater and the line was broken forward of the heater.

The fuel sump drain had broken out of the sump and was not located. The right side filter was clean. The left side filter contained a small amount of debris, which appeared to be cloth fibers. Examination of the fuel valves showed that the right main fuel valve was in the open position. The left main fuel valve, the left crossfeed valve, and the right crossfeed valve were in the closed position. The position of the valves was consistent with the fuel being shut off to the left engine and the right engine drawing fuel from the right fuel tank and the fuselage tank.

Examination of both engines did not reveal any mechanical failures or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The left engine fuel injection servo contained about 2 teaspoons of fuel and the right engine fuel injection servo contained about 2 ounces of fuel.

The fuel valves and fuel boost pumps were examined and functionally tested at the Aerostar facility in Hayden, Idaho. The fuel valves, with the exception of the left main valve, functioned normally when power was applied. The left main fuel valve was opened and internally intact. Power was again applied to the valve and the shaft of the motor drive gear was turned by hand. The motor began to operate intermittently; however, the gear housing immediately began to get hot.

The left engine fuel boost pump sustained internal impact damage, which prevented it from functioning when tested. The right engine fuel boost pump functioned when tested.

The airplane was equipped with an Insight GEM-1200 engine data monitor. The unit was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Vehicle Recorder Laboratory for download. The unit records exhaust gas temperatures (EGT) and cylinder head temperatures (CHT). The unit sustained significant impact damage, which rendered it inoperable. The memory chip was removed from the unit and placed in a surrogate unit for download. The unit contained data from 12 flights, including the accident flight. Data was recorded every 6 seconds.

Data for all recorded flights showed that the left engine No. 5 CHT recorded a constant value of 32° Fahrenheit (°F) and the right engine No. 4 CHT recorded erratic values ranging from 32°F to 1382°F. These parameters were considered erroneous. The other data points were relatively consistent between both engines.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Department, Miami, Florida, performed an autopsy of the pilot. The reported listed the cause of death as blunt force trauma.


Toxicology tests performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory were negative for carbon monoxide and cyanide. The testing was negative for drugs in the testing profile. Ethanol was detected in muscle tissue at 46 (mg/dL, mg/hg). Because ethanol was not detected in other tissue, the finding was consistent with postmortem production.

Location: Miami, FL
Accident Number: CEN18FA050
Date & Time: 12/10/2017, 1450 EST
Registration: N7529S
Aircraft: SMITH AEROSTAR 601
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal

On December 10, 2018, at 1450 eastern standard time, a Smith Aerostar 601 airplane, N7529S, collided with the terrain shortly after taking off from the Miami Executive Airport (TMB), Miami, Florida. The pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operating on a flight plan. The flight originated from TMB just prior to the accident.

An employee of the flight school where the airplane was tied-down, stated the pilot arrived at the flight school about 1000 and began to preflight the airplane. About 1030 he stated that he needed fuel and he fueled the airplane himself adding 105.2 gallons of 100LL. It is unknown how much fuel was put in each of the three fuel tanks. Shortly thereafter, the pilot taxied the airplane to the ramp in front of the flight school hangar. The pilot kept a tool box in the hangar, and the employee stated the pilot was working on the airplane when he noticed fuel leaking from under the airplane. The employee stated that the pilot made a comment that he should have fixed that before he fueled the airplane. Both the employee and another witness stated that fuel was leaking from the aft fuselage belly area. They stated the pilot had several 5-gallon orange buckets under the airplane to catch the fuel. Neither witness saw how much fuel was in the buckets or what the pilot did with the fuel. The following day it was noted that there was a 12 ft by 16 ft stain on the asphalt ramp where the airplane had been parking. One of the witnesses stated that the stain was from the fuel that was leaking out of the airplane.

A video camera at the airport was reviewed by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. The video showed the airplane in front of the hangar at 1135. The pilot was seen walking back and forth from the airplane into the hangar where his toolbox was stored. At 1324 the airplane was pushed back from the hangar. At 1331, the airplane was started, and it was taxied out at 1400.

According to air traffic control, the pilot initiated a takeoff on runway 31 at 1428. The airplane became airborne and for some unknown reason, the pilot aborted the takeoff, landing the airplane back on the runway. The airplane was taxied back to the approach end of runway 31 and a second takeoff was made. Witnesses in an airplane waiting to takeoff on runway 31 stated they were second in line to takeoff behind the accident airplane. They did not notice anything unusual until they heard a pilot declare an emergency. One of the pilots reported the air traffic controller cleared the pilot to land on any runway, then cleared him to land on runway 9R. They reported the airplane was between 400 ft and 800 ft above the ground and in a left bank, appearing to be turning back toward runway 9R. They stated they thought the pilot was going to make it back to the runway, but then the left bank kept increasing past 90° and the nose suddenly dropped. One of the pilots likened the maneuver to a stall spin/Vmc roll/snap roll type maneuver.

The airplane impacted a corn field about 0.9 miles east of the approach end of runway 9R. 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Manufacturer: SMITH
Registration: N7529S
Model/Series: AEROSTAR 601
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Dawn
Observation Facility, Elevation: TMB, 10 ft msl
Observation Time: 1953 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 16°C / 2°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 13 knots, 340°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility:  10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.21 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Miami, FL (TMB)
Destination: Miami, FL (TMB) 

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude:  25.644444, -80.455833

Carman Rollo


SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - The pilot of a small plane was killed after, officials said, the aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Miami Executive Airport, Sunday afternoon.


The Federal Aviation Administration released a statement confirming a Piper PA 60 crashed about a mile and a half west of the airport, just before 3 p.m.


The statement reads, “The pilot departed from Miami Executive and was returning to the airport after declaring an emergency.”


Radio traffic captured audio of the pilot moments before impact.


According to Miami-Dade Police, the aircraft went down near Southwest 157th Avenue and 120th Street, killing the pilot.


“I look back, and it was just — he was gone,” said witness Andy Fuentes.


When paramedics arrived, there was nothing they could do.


Investigators have spent hours at the crash site trying to figure out what happened moments before the Piper hit the ground.


Cellphone video of the aftermath shows the mangled aircraft in the field where it crashed.


Carlos Diaz, who was operating a food truck nearby at the time of the crash, said it looked like something happened to the engine on the right side. In Spanish, he said that, despite the pilot’s best efforts to level the plane, it went straight down fast.


FAA officials said the pilot was the only person on the aircraft. Police said the victim was in his 60s.


“He’s gone, unfortunately,” said Fuentes.  “Rest in peace to that man.”


The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, as is Miami-Dade Police.


Investigators said they have been talking to who they believe is the victim’s family, but they will be waiting on the medical examiner’s office to identify him.


Story and video ➤ http://wsvn.com







MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Authorities have confirmed that the pilot of a small plane that crashed near Miami Executive Airport Sunday did not survive.


The pilot of the Piper PA 60 aircraft had departed from Miami Executive and was returning to the airport after declaring an emergency.


The plane didn’t make it back, however, crashing one and a half miles west of the airport in an empty field, at 2:50 p.m.


The FAA is investigating. The NTSB will determine the cause of the accident.


Story and video ➤  http://miami.cbslocal.com





MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. - One person died after a small plane crashed Sunday afternoon in southwest Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade police said.


The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that a Piper PA 60 aircraft crashed at 2:50 p.m. in a field about a mile-and-a-half west of Miami Executive Airport. 


The FAA said the pilot had just taken off and was returning to the airport after declaring an emergency when the plane crashed.


Police have not identified the pilot.


The FAA said it is investigating. The National Transportation Safety Board will also investigate to determine what caused the crash.


Story and video ➤ https://www.local10.com




One person died in a plane crash Sunday afternoon in Southwest Miami-Dade, Miami-Dade police said.

A Federal Aviation Administration statement said the pilot, who has yet to be identified, was the only person on the plane:

“A Piper PA 60 aircraft crashed approximately one and a half miles west of the Miami Executive Airport today at 2:50pm. The pilot departed from Miami Executive and was returning to the airport after declaring an emergency.”

On the archived air traffic control chatter from LiveATC.net, 75 seconds after the air traffic controller gives clearance to “November 7529” for takeoff, there’s a break-in: “Two-nine’s here declaring an emergency! Two-nine’s here declaring an emergency.”

FAA registry N7529S is a 1974 Aerostar 601, a type of Piper PA 60 aircraft, owned by Kendall resident William Rollo Carman.

Miami Executive Airport was known until 2014 as Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport.

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

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