Wednesday, July 03, 2019

Reckless Flying: Estate administrator files lawsuit against Air Cargo Carrier, others

Short SD-330, N334AC, Air Cargo Carrier - ACC Integrated Services Inc: Fatal accident occurred May 05, 2017 at Yeager Airport (KCRW), Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia

Captain Jonathan Pablo Alvarado

Anh Kim Ho, First Officer

CHARLESTON – The estate administrator of a Cross Lanes man killed in an airplane crash is seeking damages from his cargo airline employer.

Virginia Chau, administratrix of the estate of Anh Kim Ho, filed a complaint in Kanawha Circuit Court against Air Cargo Carrier LLC, United Parcel Service Co., UPS Airlines Inc., Sheriff of Kanawha County, as the administrator of the estate of Jonathan Pablo Alvarado, alleging negligence and other counts.

The suit states Ho was employed by Air Cargo Carriers, a cargo airline that operates contract cargo services for UPS out of Charleston. The suit states on May 5, 2017, Ho and Alvarado were killed in a crash at a Charleston airport in a plane operated by Alvarado.

The plaintiff alleges Air Cargo failed to adequately train Alvarado and failed to investigate his known events of reckless flying.

The plaintiff is seeking all reasonable sums due and court costs. The plaintiff is represented by William M. Tiano of Tiano O'Dell PLLC in Charleston.

The case has been assigned to Judge Louis Bloom.

Original article can be found here ➤ https://wvrecord.com


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

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Charleston 

Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

ACC Integrated Services Inc

http://registry.faa.gov/N334AC 



NTSB Identification: DCA17FA109 
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Friday, May 05, 2017 in Charleston, WV
Aircraft: SHORT BROS. & HARLAND SD3 30, registration: N334AC
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

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 either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On May 5, 2017 at 6:51 a.m. eastern daylight time (EDT), Air Cargo Carriers flight 1260, a Shorts SD3-30, N334AC, crashed during landing on runway 5 at the Charleston Yeager International Airport (CRW), Charleston, West Virginia. The airplane was destroyed and the two pilots suffered fatal injuries. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 135 as a cargo flight from Louisville International Airport (SDF), Louisville, Kentucky. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

7 comments:

  1. 121 doesn't really leave any room for cowboys although it seems every airline has a few that still try to work the rodeo circuit.

    Professional Standards committee or a Chief Pilots office are the methods to pull in the reigns but some outfits pull harder than others.

    Not saying that this guy was a cowboy but it will be interesting to see what comes out on this.

    RIP to those lost.

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  2. HE's the problem!! He had a Sleep Disorder!
    Fell asleep on short final,FO didn't catch it in time!!

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  3. Wow. Source inside info or public docket somewhere?

    I do all back side of the clock international. Any backside of the clock you suffer. I have suffered from it but never fell asleep.

    Engaged one doctor and several AME's on the situation and all pretty much blew it off. Finally my new doctor insisted on a sleep study and I was diagnosed with severe apnea. I am not over weight. The CPAP has changed my life. Wish I had been diagnosed 20 years earlier.

    RIP to those lost and Peace to the families.

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  4. Now having read the docket there is no question that the captain had sleep issues. No evidence that he fell asleep on short final. A CVR would be required to document that. Plenty of evidence that the captain had a history of marginal instrument performance. Also indications of using creative technique to to get the plane out of the self induced creative situations.

    CVR and FDR on these aircraft would give the operator the means to monitor the operation remotely and to know that they had an issue before an accident happens.

    RIP

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  5. Shorts 330 Does NOT have CVR or FDR !
    Did you watch the videos? You tube if you missed that!

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  6. "Shorts 330 Does NOT have CVR or FDR"

    Yes I am aware of that ... It is stated several times in the docket ... Sadly not required for this operation... I was suggesting that if they were installed it could be useful for remote monitoring.

    In the docket they used Flightaware ( or one of those ) to review previous incidents. Having someone in the HQ or CPO routinely monitor flights might have uncovered a potential problem ( no 'potential' now that it happened).

    "Did you watch the videos? You tube if you missed that!"

    Oh yes, I watched the videos several times. Sad.

    What I saw from the docket and the videos is a pilot with very marginal/poor instrument skills. And he knew it. He took measures (questionable measures at best) to compensate for his lack of skills .

    The Captain chose a vor approach for a reason ... The VOR course is 4 times wider from an angular perspective ... Easier a to bracket and wider from a 'real estate' perspective the further you get from the VOR on this approach. Easier for him to fly with his marginal skills. The downside is that the minimums were higher ( he had his own technique to make up for that) and required some maneuvering at the end to align with the runway. In this accident it appears that the Captain put the plane in a position on a poorly flown approach that required maneuvering beyond the capabilities of the Captain ro the plane.

    Choosing the LOC approach would have you lined up with the runway and breaking with lower minimums and little/no maneuvering for runway alignment. Much safer ... If he had the skills to fly it without struggling. Plenty of evidence that he didn't and that he avoided the approach. LOC is much narrower from the angular perspective and becomes tighter the closer you get to the runway

    What is unfortunate is that this operator, and most small operators, do not have a Proffesional Standards person a pilot can call when they are having a problem or someone they are working with has a problem. An FSAP (Flight Safety Awareness Program) to report safety issues would be helpful ... The POI would see the reports as well.

    If I read the docket correctly there is no IOE required after initial training. Amazing. This should be mandatory and might have uncovered the issue with the captain from the git go.

    I am truly sorry if you lost someone you are close to in this accident. I do hope something positive comes from whatever is learned during the investigation that will benefit all small carriers.

    May the pilots RIP and may all of the relatives, loved ones, and friends find peace.

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