Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Cincinnati, Ohio
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/N6550L
Location: Hamilton, OH
Accident Number: CEN18LA173
Date & Time: 05/15/2018, 0945 EDT
Registration: N6550L
Aircraft: GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA 1B
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (total)
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Flight Test
On May 15, 2018, about 0945 eastern daylight time, a Grumman American Aviation Corporation AA 1B airplane, N6550L, impacted terrain during a forced landing at the Butler County Regional Airport-Hogan Field (HAO), near Hamilton, Ohio, following a loss of engine power. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The airplane received substantial wing and fuselage damage. The airplane was registered to an individual and was operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 test flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area about the time of the accident, and the flight was not operated on a flight plan. The local flight was originating from HAO at the time of the accident.
According to the current owner of the accident airplane, the airplane was at HAO for a pre-purchase inspection and for an overhauled engine swap.
According to the prior owner of the accident airplane, he flew the accident airplane on April 12, 2018, about 1000. A maintenance test flight was going to be conducted because of an engine swap. After completing a preflight, 2 blocks of wood were found behind the rudder pedals that prevented them from moving. After removing them, the airplane failed a run up because of engine roughness.
The prior owner thought the flying was concluded as there was something wrong with the engine. The mechanic felt that the roughness was caused by oil getting by the new piston rings and fouling the sparkplugs. The mechanic removed the cowling and the fouled plugs. After cleaning them and reinstalling the plugs, the engine appeared to run "ok." Since the mechanic had an expired flight review, the prior owner ended up taking the right seat with him in the left seat for the maintenance test flight. He mentioned that he would have to run the engine at high power while taxiing to prevent fouling again. On taxi out, the mechanic was the pilot flying and the prior owner was the pilot monitoring. The prior owner was surprised when the mechanic took the active runway without doing an engine runup.
The takeoff power appeared normal until about 100 ft above ground level (AGL) where the engine abruptly lost power without warning. The airplane nosed over immediately, and they put the airplane down on the remaining runway, stopping about 30 ft from the end of the runway. The prior owner was upset that the engine lost power after the mechanic was so certain that it was the fouling of the plugs, and that the mechanic did not conduct a proper engine run up, especially in light of the engine roughness encountered on the previous taxi out.
The current owner reported that the mechanic then removed the carburetor and subsequently sent it out for overhaul and reinstallation.
The mechanic reinstalled the overhauled carburetor and conducted maintenance test flight. A witness at HAO heard the sound of the airplane's engine stop while the mechanic was conducting this takeoff. The witness then saw the airplane return to the airport for a landing. The airplane impacted terrain left wing low during the forced landing where it sustained the substantial damage. A video from a local parking lot camera shows the accident sequence and is appended to the docket material associated with this investigation.
The accident pilot held a commercial pilot certificate and an airframe and powerplant mechanic certificate. The pilot completed an accident report that did not contain a narrative of the accident flight and he advised that he did not recall the accident. However, the pilot reported that he had accumulated more than 6,000 hours of total flight time, more than 50 hours of flight time in AA 1B airplanes, and more than 300 hours of flight time in 2-seat Grumman airplanes. Additionally, he forwarded a statement from another airframe and powerplant mechanic, which is appended to the docket material associated with this investigation.
N6550L was a 1974-model Grumman American Aviation Corporation AA 1B airplane, with serial number AA1B-0350. It was a low-wing airplane, with a fixed tricycle landing gear, and was configured for two occupants. The airplane was powered by a direct drive, carbureted, air-cooled, four-cylinder engine. The engine was a Lycoming O-320-C2C, with serial number L-11445-15, which drove a two-bladed, fixed pitch, McCauley 1A105 SCM 7154 propeller. The airplane's logbooks showed that this engine was installed on the airplane and an annual inspection completed on April 3, 2018, at a tachometer time of 1,427.3 hours, total airframe time of 4,126 hours, total engine time of 6,758.4 hours, and 1.4 hours since the engine's last major overhaul. The airplane had a fuel capacity of 24 gallons. The forwarded statement from a mechanic, in part, advised that logbook documents showed that the engine was installed on N9971L from June 9, 2001, until March 5, 2007, when it was removed from N9971L and overhauled. This engine then sat on a shelf until it was installed on an airplane, N1447R, that was sold at auction.
The airplane was equipped with an J.P. Instruments Engine Data Management (EDM) 350 system which is a 3.5-inch square engine-monitoring instrument. Per J.P. Instruments, the EDM 350 unit works in the background, can monitor engine parameters three times a second, and will warn you instantly if any parameter exceeds the programmed limit.
The EDM 350 unit was removed and shipped to the National Transportation Safety Board Vehicle Recorder Laboratory. A Senior Recorder Laboratory Specialist examined the unit and noted that it had a damaged screen. However, it was otherwise in good condition and the data was extracted normally from the 350 unit. The download of the unit produced a manufacturer proprietary file. The proprietary file contained recordings for six flights, however, the data was marked as "BADFLT" and no engine data was recorded within each file. The unit stored the amount of fuel available and the amount of fuel used. The amount of fuel used displayed as 1.5 gallons. The amount of fuel available displayed 14.5 gallons.
On May 15, 2018, at 0953, the recorded weather at HAO was: Wind variable at 5 kts; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition clear; temperature 26° C; dew point 17° C; altimeter 29.93 inches of mercury.
On April 12, 2018, at 0953, the recorded weather at HAO was: Wind 250° at 13 kts, gusting to 22 kts; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition clear; temperature 28° C; dew point 17° C; altimeter 30.05 inches of mercury.
The temperature and dew point data for these days were plotted on a carburetor icing chart. The weather present on the accident day was conducive to moderate carburetor icing at cruise power and serious icing at descent power. The weather present on April 12, 2018, was conducive to serious carburetor icing at descent power. The plotted charts are appended to the docket material associated with this investigation.
On May 16 and 17, 2018, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector and an air safety investigator from Lycoming Engines examined the wreckage. The engine produced a thumb compression at all cylinders when the crankshaft was rotated and the engine was not subsequently disassembled. All bottom sparkplugs were coated with oil which is consistent with gravity settling oil on them. During the wreckage examination, a B-nut fitting on the left fuel tank exhibited discoloration consistent with fuel staining. There were no other preimpact anomalies found that would have kept the accident engine from operating normally.
The prior owner reported a similar engine power loss accident that occured about 35 years ago, in a Cessna 150, when he had an engine failure with a student pilot at approximately 400 ft AGL while taking off at night. It was an abrupt engine failure (without warning) after 30 minutes of doing night touch and go landings. The airplane was force landed straight ahead off the airport. The cause turned out to be a small piece of ice in the fuel selector on the floor that became loose after heating up or vibration, and subsequently lodged in the fuel line shutting off the fuel. The investigators were able to determine this after pulling out the fuel selector and allowing it to warm up in a can in a car.
The prior owner stated, "Both cases, the only option was a straight ahead landing. I was able to attempt a restart twice in the Cessna, but because of the lower altitude of the Grumman, we did not have time to attempt a restart. In that case it was more critical to get it on the remaining runway. I have no idea as to the cause of the failure in the Grumman, other that everything appeared normal in the initial Takeoff roll and Climb Out (before it failed completely and with very little warning (seconds at most)."
The emergency procedures section in the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook, in part, stated:
The altitude available is, in many ways, the controlling factor in the successful accomplishment of an emergency landing. If an actual engine failure should occur immediately after takeoff and before a safe maneuvering altitude is attained, it is usually inadvisable to attempt to turn back to the field from where the takeoff was made. Instead, it is safer to immediately establish the proper glide attitude, and select a field directly ahead or slightly too either side of the takeoff path. ...
To get back to the takeoff field, a downwind turn must be made. This increases the groundspeed and rushes the pilot even more in the performance of procedures and in planning the landing approach. Secondly, the airplane is losing considerable altitude during the turn and might still be in a bank when the ground is contacted, resulting in the airplane cartwheeling (which would be a catastrophe for the occupants, as well as the airplane). After turning downwind, the apparent increase in groundspeed could mislead the pilot into attempting to prematurely slow down the airplane and cause it to stall.
A review of a map of the area around HAO revealed that there was a business and housing present within a quarter mile from the end of the departure runway.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Commercial; Private
Age: 63, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 01/02/2018
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 6000 hours (Total, all aircraft), 50 hours (Total, this make and model)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP.
Registration: N6550L
Model/Series: AA 1B
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1974
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: AA1B-0350
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 04/03/2018, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 1560 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 4126 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: Lycoming
ELT: Installed
Engine Model/Series: O-235-C2C
Registered Owner: Individual
Rated Power: 108 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: KHAO, 634 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 0953 EDT
Direction from Accident Site: 273°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 5 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual:
Wind Direction: Variable
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual:
Altimeter Setting: 29.93 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 26°C / 17°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Hamilton, OH (HAO)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Hamilton, OH (HAO)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 0945 EDT
Type of Airspace:
Airport Information
Airport: BUTLER CO RGNL-HOGAN FIELD (HAO)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 633 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: N/A
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width:
VFR Approach/Landing: Forced Landing
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: 39.363889, -84.521944 (est)
Accident Number: CEN18LA173
Date & Time: 05/15/2018, 0945 EDT
Registration: N6550L
Aircraft: GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA 1B
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 103: Ultralight
On May 15, 2018, about 0945 eastern daylight time, a Grumman American Aviation Corporation AA 1B airplane, N6550L, impacted terrain during a forced landing at the Butler County Regional Airport-Hogan Field (HAO), near Hamilton, Ohio, following a loss of engine power. The commercial pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane received substantial wing and fuselage damage. The airplane was registered to an individual was registered to an individual and was operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 test flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area about the time of the accident, and the flight was not operated on a flight plan. The local flight was originating from HAO at the time of the accident.
According to preliminary information, a witness heard the sound of the airplane's engine stop during the takeoff. The witness then saw the airplane return to the airport for a landing. The airplane impacted terrain during the landing where it sustained the substantial damage.
At 0953, the recorded weather at HAO was: Wind variable at 5 kts; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition clear; temperature 26° C; dew point 17° C; altimeter 29.93 inches of mercury.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Manufacturer: GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP.
Registration: N6550L
Model/Series: AA 1B
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: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KHAO, 634 ft msl
Observation Time: 0953 EDT
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 26°C / 17°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 5 knots, Variable
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.93 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Hamilton, OH (HAO)
Destination: Hamilton, OH (HAO)
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: 39.363889, -84.521944 (est)
HAMILTON — A Loveland man was piloting a single-engine plane Tuesday morning when it crashed about 100 yards from the runway at Butler County Regional Airport.
Henry Rosche III, 63, of Loveland, was injured in the crash when his 1974 Grumman plane experienced engine failure, according to Ohio Highway Patrol Lt. Clint Arnold, commander of the Hamilton Post.
The investigation is ongoing, but preliminary results show the plane was about 500 feet in the air when its engine stopped. The pilot turned to attempt an emergency landing, but failed to return to the runway.
Witnesses said the plane went sideways, then crashed, but never caught fire.
Rosche, who was the only person in the plane, was extricated by Hamilton fire crews and airlifted to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, according to Hamilton Fire Chief Mark Mercer.
Those at the scene said Rosche was breathing but not conscious when they reached him.
“His breathing is labored and slow,” one 911 caller said, adding “there is no smoke or fire at the scene.”
The caller told the 911 dispatcher he was reaching into the plane’s cockpit to get Rosche’s vital signs.
“They’re gonna have to extricate him,” the caller said.
Later in the call as Air Care arrived, Rosche seemed to be “coming to” as emergency responders could be heard telling him repeatedly not to move.
“He hit pretty hard,” a witness at the scene told a 911 dispatcher, describing the plane crash on the west end of the runway.
Brenda Deborde said she witnessed the crash while driving her son to work. She saw the plane flying “sideways” and said that’s when she told her son it was going to crash.
“I seen the plane going sideways and I told my son, ‘He’s getting ready to hit’ and about that time it hit and when it did pieces started flying off and you see a little bit of black dust,” she told the Journal-News. “Well I come on up, right up this way, and I call 911 and I looked to see if I could see anybody and I couldn’t see nobody.”
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.
Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.journal-news.com
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP, OH (FOX19) - A man was injured in a plane crash at the Butler County Regional Airport in Hamilton, fire officials said.
Emergency crews responded after the plane crashed around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday.
City of Hamilton Fire Chief Mark Mercer said the plane's engine stopped just after take off and the pilot attempted to turn around and land the plane.
“Shortly after takeoff the engine for the plane quit, the pilot circled back but was unable to land on the runway. The pilot was removed from the plane by Hamilton fire crews and was treated by Hamilton paramedics and University flight crew, then transported by UC Air Care to University of Cincinnati Hospital.” Mercer said.
A witness to the crash said she saw the plane going sideways before crashing.
“I seen the plane going sideways and I told my son, I said ‘he’s getting ready to hit’ and about that time it hit and when it did pieces started flying off and you see a little bit of black dust. Well I come on up, right up this way, and I call 911 and I looked to see if I could see anybody and I couldn’t see nobody.” the witness said.
She said she was scared for the man inside the plane.
“It’s scary cause I didn’t know. I didn’t know if they was laying in there dead, how many was in there, and I couldn’t get through the fencing to go check on them.” she said.
Mercer said the man had to be cut out of the plane using extrication tools. Crews cut away pieces of the plane so the pilot could be removed without any further injuries.
Officials are unsure of what type of plane it was but said it was a single engine, small plane with one occupant.
Mercer said flight staff saw the plane turning back toward the runway and as far as he knows there was no flight plan filed.
The airport has seen very few crashes and very few engines, Mercer said. He said the Butler County Regional Airport has a great safety record.
There's no word on the extent of the man's injuries or his identity.
Story and video ➤ http://www.fox19.com
BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio — A small plane crashed Tuesday morning at the Butler County Regional Airport, dispatchers confirm.
The single-engine AA-1B plane crashed on the runway during takeoff around 10 a.m., officials said.
The pilot was the only person on-board, and had to be extricated from the wreckage.
The pilot was flown to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where his condition is unknown. His name has not been released.
According to crash investigators, the pilot was taking off when his plane had engine issues. The plane went down as the pilot tried to circle back to land.
The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating.
“(We’ve had) very few crashes, very few instances here at the airport. Great safety record,” said Hamilton Fire Chief Mark Mercer.
The airport’s runways are in the city of Hamilton, therefore Mercer’s teams were the first on scene.
“We had to cut out little pieces of the plane so we could remove the pilot without any more injuries," Mercer said.
The Butler County Regional Airport is a small airport owned by the Butler County Board of Commissioners. Most planes that take off or land at the airport are single-engine planes.
Story and video ➤ http://www.wlwt.com
Hamilton Fire Chief Mark Mercer said the pilot had taken off from the airport just before 10 a.m. when the engine cut out. He said the man attempted to circle back to the runway, but ended up crashing.
The single-engine plane came to rest on a concrete pad surrounded by grass. The port side wing was torn off and one side of the landing gear has collapsed. The propeller had also come off the plane.
Mercer said the pilot, whose identity has not been released, was flown by helicopter to University of Cincinnati Medical Center for treatment. The chief did not know the extent of the man's injuries.
Hamilton emergency crews responded to the airport in about four minutes, Mercer said. He explained that the pilot was trapped in the plane and had to be cut out of it.
Mercer said the pilot was conscious and breathing when he was flown to the hospital.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.
Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.cincinnati.com
BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio (WKRC) - A small plane crashed at the Butler County Regional Airport Tuesday morning. A medical helicopter took the pilot to UC Medical Center.
The plan crashed at about 9:45 a.m. at the airport. It ended up on its top.
Investigators said the engine quit shortly after takeoff. He circled back but was unable to land.
Only the pilot was in the plane. He was trapped inside the plane until firefighters got him out. There is no word on his condition.
Federal investigators are looking into the crash.
Original article can be found here ➤ http://kutv.com
The pilot was a A&P/IA who had been conducting maintanance on the aircraft.
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