Saturday, February 23, 2019

STOL UC-1 Twin Bee, N65NE, fatal accident occurred February 23, 2019 near Winter Haven Regional Airport (KGIF), Polk County, Florida -and- Cessna 208 Caravan I, N208SS, accident occurred March 24, 2012 off Abalone Caye, Port Honduras Marine Reserve, Belize

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

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

Location: Winter Haven, FL
Accident Number: ERA19FA106
Date & Time: 02/23/2019, 1243 EST
Registration: N65NE
Aircraft: STOL Aircraft Corp UC-1
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious, 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Instructional 

On February 23, 2019, about 1243 eastern standard time, a STOL Aircraft Corp UC-1 amphibious airplane, N65NE, impacted a residence shortly after takeoff from Winter Haven Regional Airport (GIF), Winter Haven, Florida. The flight instructor was fatally injured, the commercial pilot receiving instruction sustained minor injuries, and there was one serious ground injury. The airplane was owned by ESP Aviation LLC and privately operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight which departed at 1239.

According to the commercial pilot receiving instruction (the pilot), he and a colleague were receiving initial airplane multiengine sea training from the flight instructor in the accident airplane. The accident flight was the third flight of the day.

According to the pilot, the instructor advised him before takeoff that he would introduce a simulated engine failure at some point during takeoff or climbout. Shortly after takeoff from runway 23, about 200-300 ft above ground level (AGL), the instructor reduced the throttle on the left engine and the left engine stopped producing power, and the propeller feathered. They identified the failed engine, the instructor took over the flight controls, and selected a forced landing site.

During the descent, the flight crew's engine restart procedures were unsuccessful and they determined that the airplane would not reach the selected forced landing site. The instructor then chose a lake to the airplane's left as an alternate site. During the left descending turn, the airplane slowed, the left wing dropped, and the airplane impacted a house, seriously injuring one of its occupants.

A witness in a fuel truck at GIF stated she watched the airplane fly overhead. She saw both propellers rotating and watched as the left propeller stopped rotating. The witness said she then watched as the airplane "sank" in a descending left turn until it disappeared from view.

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land, airplane single-engine sea, and instrument airplane He held a flight instructor certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued October 24, 2017. He reported 820 total hours of flight experience on that date.

The flight instructor held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single- and multiengine land, and single- and multiengine sea. He held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single- and multiengine. His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued January 25, 2019. He reported 15,000 total hours of flight experience on that date.

The five-seat, twin-engine, high-wing, amphibious airplane was manufactured in 1986. It was powered by two Lycoming IO-360, 180-horsepower engines, equipped with Hartzell two-blade, constant-speed propellers. A review of the airplane maintenance records revealed that a 100-hr inspection was completed on February 23, 2019.

Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane came to rest inside the house and rested in a near vertical, nose-down attitude. All major components were accounted for at the scene. The cockpit area was destroyed and crushed inward. The top of the fuselage between the engines was crushed inward. The fuselage beyond the fifth seat was intact and undamaged. The throttle quadrant, which ran along the top of the cockpit, was separated during the impact sequence. The wings remained attached and were removed for recovery. After recovery of the airplane, control continuity was traced from the cockpit, through several cable breaks to all flight control surfaces.

The right-wing leading edge inboard of the engine was crushed inward. The front and inboard side of the cowling was crushed. The right-engine propeller blades displayed chordwise scratching and tip curling. The wing outboard of the engine was undamaged. The left-wing leading edge inbound of the engine was crushed. The left propeller blades were feathered and undamaged. There was damage to the outboard portion of the wing, which included wrinkled skin, and upward folding of the wing and skin. The wingtip was crushed inward.

The left and right engine crankshafts were rotated by hand at the propeller hub, and continuity was confirmed through the powertrain to the valve train and accessory section. Compression was confirmed on all cylinders of both engines using the thumb method. All of the ignition harness leads were intact and undamaged. The right engine's magnetos were manually rotated and produced spark at all terminal leads.

A test run of the left engine mounted on the left wing was attempted. An external battery and engine controls were connected, and an external fuel tank was plumbed directly to the fuel pump inlet. The engine started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously at all selected power settings without interruption.

No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction was noted during the examination of the recovered airframe and engines.

At 1153, the weather conditions reported at GIF included, wind from 170° at 12 knots, gusts to 17 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, few clouds at 3,400 ft, temperature 29° C, dew point 20° C, and an altimeter setting of 30.15 inches of mercury.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: STOL Aircraft Corp
Registration: N65NE
Model/Series: UC-1
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: KGIF, 146 ft msl
Observation Time: 1153 EST
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 29°C / 20°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 3400 ft agl
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 12 knots / 17 knots, 170°
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility:  10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.15 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Winter Haven, FL (GIF)
Destination: Winter Haven, FL (GIF)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious, 1 Minor
Latitude, Longitude:  28.056111, -81.753333


Timothy Sheehy, the 33-year-old student pilot who was involved in a plane crash in Florida over the weekend, is also a Purple Heart recipient and the CEO of Ascent Vision and Bridger Aerospace in Belgrade, Montana.
















WINTER HAVEN, Florida (FOX 13) - One person has died after a plane crashed into a Winter Haven home Saturday afternoon.

The crash happened around 12:45 p.m. at a home on a Idylridge Way, just south of the Winter Haven Airport.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said 64-year-old instructor pilot James Wagner of Lakeland and 33-year-old student pilot Timothy Scheehy of Bozeman, Montana were on board when the plane took off from the Winter Haven Airport. They were scheduled to perform simulated engine failure training when the plane crashed.

Wagner died in the crash, but Judd said Scheehy was able to climb out of the wreckage on his own. He suffered minor injuries.

According to the sheriff's office, three people were inside the home at the time of the crash, and three children, ages 2, 11 and 15, were playing in the front yard.

Carmelle Ngalamulume, 17, was in one of the bedrooms and became pinned and trapped after the crash.

"We're shocked at how minor her injuries are," Judd said, noting the teen was transported to the hospital.

Judd said Carmelle's brother, 20-year-old Joel, was in an adjoining room and tried to free his sister. Their mother, Emerance, was taking a shower when the plane went down into the home.

"As tragic as this was for Mr. Wagner, it was a blessing today that we didn't have an entire family wiped out," Judd said. "It is an unbelieveable set of circumstances. We certainly expected to find the worst."

Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.fox13news.com

Cessna 208 Caravan I, N208JS: Accident occurred March 24, 2012 off Abalone Caye in Punta Gorda, Belize


 

The wreckage of a float-equipped Cessna 208 Caravan I that crash landed on March 24th, 2012 in the waters offshore southern Belize has been recovered. No one was hurt in the incident. The sole occupant of the aircraft at the time of the incident was pilot James Glen Wagner. An alert viewer of Love Television snapped these photographs of the plane being towed away from the site of the crash-landing . 

Love News understands that the plane was being towed north towards the mouth of the Monkey River.  The float-equipped Cessna 208 Caravan I went down in the Caribbean Sea near Abalone Caye around three thirty on March 24, 2012. According to the pilot, he had just dropped off some guests in Placencia village and was attempting to land the aircraft in the sea when it flipped over.  Investigators from the Civil Aviation Department are conducting an aircraft accident investigation.

Source:  http://www.lovetv.com.bz


March 24th, 2012
Cessna 208 Caravan I, N208SS


On March 24th, 2012, a routine maneuver shook up 57-year old James Glen Wagner, the pilot. 

Wagner of Lakeland Florida said that on March 24th, 2012 after taking guests to Placencia Village in his float-equipped Cessna 208 Caravan I, he took off again and intended to land in the sea near Abalone Caye. But the 

But the Cessna 208 Caravan I, N208SS, flipped on contact.

Wagner did not sustain any injuries and the plane was later moored on Abalone Caye.

15 comments:

  1. Very unfortunate. I believe the pilot instructor has had many past accidents and incidents. Lost control of Seaplane A few years ago.
    Accident waiting to happen. It happened

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  2. I am glad the teen on the ground was not killed.

    Everything else does not matter (to me).

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  3. Appears to be another stall/spin accident with a CFI on-board. What's going on here? Can't believe this guy walked away with minor injuries.

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  4. Left prop is feathered. Vmc roll?

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  5. "Simulated" engine failure training...? "Pay attention son, I'm only going to do this once!"

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  6. Yeah, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

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  7. I really hope it was an actual engine failure rather than a "simulated failure"...with the prop feathered instead of set at zero-thrust...multiengine instructors who feather a prop to "simulate" an engine failure have "simulated" nothing...it is really failed..it ain't running..

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  8. There's a really good video on youtube of a guy in an old Piper Apache who shuts down an engine and feathers the prop at altitude and it flies fine. He does this to demonstrate the procedure and how to restart it and what to do & what not to do.

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  9. This pilot was not paying attention and taxied a Grumman G-44 Widgeon into a Learjet in Florida’s few years ago, damaging both Aircraft.

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  10. My instructor had me feather the left prop on a Duchess during my training.
    During my practical test, to add a multi instrument to my commercial certificate, the DE had me do a full power on stall. I told him I thought it would be dangerous and he said just keep your hand on the throttles and pull them both back if an engine failed during the maneuver. 2.1 hour flight test and I had a blast the whole time.

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  11. 180HP per side in a plane as big and draggy as a Bee? A 150 HP Apache might do better. Either way the second engine is only there to get you to the accident site.

    RIP to the instructor.

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  12. 180HP per side in a plane as big and draggy as a Bee? A 150 HP Apache might do better. Either way the second engine is only there to get you to the accident site.

    RIP to the instructor.

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  13. There's a reason why you don't simulate engine failures in twins at 200 feet AGL. Unbelievable. If it had been me and he told me he was going to simulate an engine-out on climbout I would have said, not with me on board you're not.

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  14. ^^^ I hope you mean actual shutdown.

    Part of me training is a SIMULATED engine failure after takeoff.

    Simulated is setting zero thrust on the pretend failed engine ... It's still running and there if you need it

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  15. This was an accident waiting to happen. Been for years flying in in this small circle of Seaplane pilots. With over 5000 hours of single and multi engine Seaplane training . This particular instructor has had at least three documented incidents/ accidents and as many as four undocumented incidents the FAA should have been on top of his character

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