Saturday, February 02, 2019

Aviat A-1B Husky, N54HY: Accident occurred November 02, 2016 in Geneva, Seminole County, Florida

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

Additional Participating Entity: Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Orlando, Florida


Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf 

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

 
http://registry.faa.gov/N54HY




Location: Geneva, FL
Accident Number: ERA17LA037
Date & Time: 11/02/2016, 1100 EDT
Registration: N54HY
Aircraft: AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A 1B
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Collision during takeoff/land
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Banner Tow 

On November 2, 2016, about 1100 eastern daylight time, an Aviat Aircraft Inc. A-1B, N54HY, was substantially damaged after it impacted a fence during a precautionary landing near Geneva, Florida. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the banner tow flight that was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated from Massey Ranch Airpark (X50), New Smyrna Beach, Florida, around 1050, with an intended destination of Orlando Executive Airport (ORL), Orlando, Florida.

According to the pilot, he performed an engine run up prior to departing X50 with no anomalies noted. About 10 minutes into the flight, the engine began to "run rough." The pilot adjusted the throttle, propeller lever, mixture, and carburetor heat; however, the engine started to backfire and continued to lose power. About that time, he noted a race track below the airplane and elected to perform a precautionary landing. He made a spiraling descent from about 1,000 feet above ground level in order to warn the personnel on the track and maneuvered the airplane to land on a paved area. During the landing roll, the airplane came to rest after it struck a fence. The pilot stated that the engine continued to operate throughout the landing and landing roll until the airplane struck the fence.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the airplane was issued an airworthiness certificate 2001. It was equipped with a Lycoming O-360-A1P, a 180-hp, engine. According to the airframe maintenance logbook, the most recent annual inspection was performed on September 3, 2016, at a total time of 4,571.3 hours. The airframe total time at the time of the accident was 4,650.3 hours.

An examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the left wing. An undetermined amount of fuel was removed from the airplane during the recovery. Engine crankshaft continuity was confirmed from the propeller to the accessory drive section. The spark plugs were removed, and it was noted that the cylinder No. 1 top and bottom spark plug electrodes exhibited mechanical damage. The electrodes had become displaced and shorted to the center electrode. No mechanical damage was noted on the other spark plugs. Furthermore, the No. 1 piston looked like it was "sandblasted" when compared to the other cylinders. The left magneto generated spark on all towers. The right magneto generated spark on only one tower.

Maintenance was performed on the engine on October 31, 2016, to troubleshoot "hard starting, low static RPM, and a rough engine." The maintenance entry indicated that both No. 1 spark plugs were damaged. Subsequently, eight new spark plugs were installed on the engine, then "test runs show smooth mag[neto] drops, leak and op[erational] checks good."

Photographs of the No. 1 spark plugs removed during maintenance on October 31, 2016, revealed that part of the ceramic section around the massive spark plug electrode was absent and mechanical damage was noted on the center and ground electrodes. Furthermore, a comparison of the photographs between the spark plugs removed on October 31, 2016, and the spark plugs removed after the accident flight showed similar mechanical damage between the two sets of spark plugs from the No. 1 cylinder.

Further disassembly of the engine was performed under FAA oversight. The intake system, the carburetor box, the carburetor, the exhaust system, and the No. 1 cylinder were examined with no debris noted inside the components of the engine.



Pilot Information

Certificate: Commercial
Age: 41, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Unknown
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: Unknown
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 2 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 05/01/2016
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time:




Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC
Registration: N54HY
Model/Series: A 1B B
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2001
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 2130
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 09/03/2016, 100 Hour
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 1800 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 79 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 4650.3 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: C91A installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: O-360-A1P
Registered Owner: AERIAL MESSAGES OF DAYTONA & SALES INC
Rated Power: 180 hp
Operator: AERIAL MESSAGES OF DAYTONA & SALES INC
Operating Certificate(s) Held:  Certificate of Authorization or Waiver (COA)




Meteorological Information and Flight Plan


Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: SFB, 55 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 8 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1053 EDT
Direction from Accident Site: 265°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 3200 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 15 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: /
Wind Direction: 80°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: /
Altimeter Setting: 30.23 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 28°C / 19°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL (X50)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: ORLANDO, FL (ORL)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1050 EST
Type of Airspace:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: None
Latitude, Longitude:  28.793333, -81.085556 (est)



NTSB Identification: ERA17LA037
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, November 02, 2016 in Geneva, FL
Aircraft: AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A 1B, registration: N54HY
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.

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 November 2, 2016, about 1100 eastern daylight time, an Aviat Aircraft Inc. A-1B, N54HY, was substantially damaged after it impacted a fence during a precautionary landing near Geneva, Florida. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight that was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated from Massey Ranch Airpark (X50), New Smyrna Beach, Florida, around 1050, with an intended destination of Orlando Executive Airport (ORL), Orlando, Florida.

According to the pilot, he performed an engine run up prior to departing X50 with no anomalies noted. About 10 minutes into the flight, the engine began to "run rough." The pilot adjusted the throttle, propeller lever, mixture, and carburetor heat; however, the engine started to backfire and continued to lose power. About that time, he noted a driving track below the airplane and elected to perform a precautionary landing. He made a spiraling descent from about 1,000 feet above ground level in order to warn the personnel on the track and maneuvered the airplane to land on a paved area. During the landing roll, the airplane came to rest after it struck a fence. The pilot stated that the engine continued to operate throughout the landing and landing roll until the airplane struck the fence.

An examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the left wing. An undetermined amount of fuel was removed from the airplane during the recovery. Engine crankshaft continuity was confirmed from the propeller to the accessory drive section. The spark plugs were removed and it was noted that the cylinder No. 1 top and bottom spark plug electrodes exhibited damage. The left magneto generated spark on all towers. The right magneto generated spark on only one tower.

The engine was retained for further examination.

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