Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II, N9184Y: Incidents occurred February 21, 2020 and August 06, 2016; Fatal accident occurred August 27, 2010 at Beverly Municipal Airport (KBVY), Essex County, Massachusetts

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Boston, Massachusetts

February 21, 2020: Aircraft landed long and veered off end of runway.  


Beverly Flight Center Inc


https://registry.faa.gov/N9184Y

Date: 21-FEB-20
Time: 19:01:00Z
Regis#: N9184Y
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA28
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: INSTRUCTION
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: BEVERLY
State: MASSACHUSETTS


February 21, 2020

BEVERLY — A student pilot performing touch-and-go landings at Beverly Regional Airport was able to safely bring the small aircraft to a stop after experiencing landing gear issues.

The pilot, a male in his 30s, was about to takeoff in a Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II aircraft designed for flight training, when the plane began veering to the left.

Abandoning plans to take off again due to technical issues, the pilot was able to safely bring the plane to a stop in a grass-covered safety area beyond the edge of Runway 9 on the west side of the airport.

Emergency crews from Beverly, Danvers and Wenham responded to the incident, which occurred at approximately 1:40 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21.

The airport closed temporarily following the incident, but reopened about an hour later.

The pilot, a student at the Beverly Flight Center, a flight school which operates out of the airport, declined medical treatment.

In a statement, airport manager Gloria Bouillon thanked all of the first responders who came to the scene.

“Thankfully, no one was seriously injured today, and the plane was able to come to a rest in the safety area,” she said. “We very briefly closed the airport, and I’d also like to thank the businesses and pilots that use our facility for their patience this afternoon.”

The incident remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.

Original article ➤  https://beverly.wickedlocal.com

A student pilot was uninjured after the plane he was flying crash-landed off the runway of the Beverly Regional Airport Friday afternoon.

Airport Manager Gloria Bouillon said in a news release that the Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II landed in a grassy area off the airport’s runway at about 1:40 p.m. after a student pilot executing a “touch and go” landing exercise crash-landed.

According to the pilot’s description, as the plane came down to the runway to “touch” the wheels to the pavement and take off again, the plane began to veer to the left. The pilot said he realized the plane was not able to gain altitude due to a technical issue, and the aircraft went off the side of the paved runway into the grassy area.

The pilot is a student at the Beverly Flight Center at the airport. He was alone in the airplane at the time of the crash and refused medical attention at the scene.

The aircraft sustained damage to the landing gear. There was no fuel leak and no fire.

The incident is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.

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



August 06, 2016

August 06, 2016:  Aircraft landed with right main gear collapsed.

Date: 06-AUG-16
Time: 16:04:00Z
Regis#: N9184Y
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA28
Event Type: Incident
Highest Injury: None
Damage: Unknown
Activity: Instruction
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
City: BEVERLY
State: Massachusetts

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

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

Location: Beverly, MA
Accident Number: ERA10LA446
Date & Time: 08/27/2010, 1226 EDT
Registration: N9184Y
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28-161
Aircraft Damage: Minor
Defining Event: AC/prop/rotor contact w person
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Instructional

Analysis

The flight instructor and the private pilot receiving instrument instruction noticed that the pilots of another airplane ahead of them were having difficulty latching the canopy. The flight instructor opened his door, exited the airplane to try to help them, and either jumped or stumbled off the leading edge of the right wing and came into contact with the airplane’s moving propeller.

The airplane was equipped with a walkway which led aft from the cockpit and was used to enter and exit the airplane. The cabin door was hinged at the front, and was equipped with a door holder which prevented over travel of the door and would hold the door in an open position, blocking an occupant from going forward, instead of aft, down the walkway. Additionally, the door was equipped with a secondary door stop mounted on the upper surface of the right wing almost directly in line with the lower outer edge of the door. Examination of the secondary stop revealed that it exhibited compression buckling and was bent forward and to the right from its usual mounted position, indicating the flight instructor may have tripped on the stop, causing it to buckle.  However, interviews with the operator revealed the flight instructor would often jump off the front of the airplane wing to put on propeller locks when securing them for the night, indicating that he would sometimes not use the walkway for exiting the airplane.

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The flight instructor's decision to exit the airplane on the taxiway with the engine still operating, and his failure to avoid the rotating propeller.

Findings

Personnel issues
Decision making/judgment - Instructor/check pilot (Cause)
Attention - Instructor/check pilot (Cause)
Monitoring environment - Instructor/check pilot (Cause)


Propeller Damage 
August 27, 2010

Piper Sport (In Foreground) in Relationship to Accident Airplane (In Background).
August 27, 2010


Factual Information

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On August 27, 2010, about 1226 eastern daylight time, a flight instructor giving instrument instruction in a Piper PA-28-161, N9184Y, operated by Beverly Flight Center Incorporated, was fatally injured at Beverly Municipal Airport (BVY), Beverly Massachusetts, when he exited the airplane with the engine operating, and made contact with the rotating propeller. The airplane received minor damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 local instructional flight.

According to the pilot and flight instructor in a PiperSport (N602PS) who witnessed the accident, they were in the run-up area adjacent to the departure end of runway 34 at BVY. They were trying to close and lock the canopy on their airplane prior to takeoff but were unable to get the canopy to lock correctly. The accident airplane with the flight instructor and private pilot receiving instrument instruction was holding short of the active runway behind and to the right of them.  They then observed the flight instructor in the accident airplane open the door of the accident airplane, exit, and then either jump, or stumble off, the leading edge of the right wing and come in contact with the moving propeller.

According to the private pilot who was receiving instruction from the flight instructor in the accident airplane. He and the instructor had started out with a prebrief in the classroom of what they were going to do on the lesson that day. The private pilot stated that he and the instructor would socialize with each other and that on the day of the accident the flight instructor seemed to be distracted. The private pilot knew that the instructor was interested in a female student at the flight center but could not date her but; she was going for her commercial check ride that day which meant that he would then be able to date her as he would no longer be her instructor.

The instructor told the private pilot that he felt terrible since the female student was leaving the following Tuesday to join the military. The private pilot also stated that the flight instructor was also a dive instructor, and he had a couple of lessons that afternoon and then he was going to go out with her.

The flight center had recently purchased the PiperSport and they were having problems with the canopy latching all of the time. The flight instructor had flown it from New York one time and he was frustrated with it.

When they pulled up parallel to the Piper Sport in the runway 34 run-up area, the flight instructor in the PiperSport was making motions that the canopy would not latch. The private pilot's flight instructor then exclaimed "I can't believe this stupid plane" and "Go around these guys". The flight instructor then stated "My flight controls", and maneuvered so that they were behind and to the right of the PiperSport.

A little while later, the flight instructor stated "I am going to help these clowns out", and got out of the airplane. The private pilot at this point had just glanced down at his checklist when he heard a "thud". He looked out of the windscreen and saw the flight instructor's sunglasses lying on the ground and knew something had happened. He then shutdown the airplane and called the tower.

The private pilot advised the NTSB that he had never seen the flight instructor jump off the front of the wing before. During interviews with company personnel it was discovered however, that the flight instructor had been observed to jump off the front of the flight center's airplanes when he would secure them for the night by getting the propeller lock out of the baggage compartment, and climbing up and over the right wing instead of walking around it to put the prop lock on.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and pilot records, the flight instructor held an airline transport pilot certificate with multiple ratings including airplane single and multi-engine land. His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued on March 17, 2010. He reported 3,400 total hours of flight experience on that date.

According to FAA and pilot records, the private pilot held a rating for airplane single-engine land. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on October 23, 2007. He reported 130 hours of flight experience.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident airplane was a low wing, unpressurized, four seat, single engine monoplane of conventional stressed skin construction. It was equipped tricycle landing gear. It had one cabin entrance door which was located next to the right side of the flight instructor's seat. It was powered by a 160 horsepower Lycoming O-320-D3G engine which was equipped with a Sensenich 74DM6-0-60, fixed pitch, 74 inch diameter, two bladed propeller.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airplane maintenance records, the accident airplane was manufactured in 1985. The airplane’s most recent 100 hour inspection was completed on August 25, 2010. At the time of the inspection, the airplane had accrued 16,466 total hours of operation.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The reported weather at BVY, at 1253, approximately 27 minutes after the accident included: wind, 310 at 12 knots, gusting to 16 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet, temperature 24 degrees Celsius, dew point 11 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 30.03 inches of mercury.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that one blade of the propeller was bent forward, approximately 10 degrees at the 3/4 span position. No other visible damage was observed.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

A post mortem examination of the flight instructor was performed on the pilot by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Toxicological testing of the flight instructor was conducted at the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The specimens were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, basic, acidic, and neutral drugs.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

Review of the Piper Cherokee Warrior II Information Manual, and Piper PA-28-151/161 Warrior Airplane Parts Catalog revealed that in order to enter the airplane, occupants would first grab a handhold on the right upper side of the fuselage and place a foot on a step that was mounted on the right side of the airplane aft of the wing. They would then step up onto a non-skid walkway that started on the aft inboard portion of the wing, and proceed forward on the walkway. The occupant would then unlatch both the lower and upper latches of the cabin entrance door which was hinged at the front and enter the cabin. In order to exit the cabin the sequence of events would be reversed.

Further review also revealed that no provision was made for occupants to either enter or exit the airplane from the front of the right wing.  In addition to the door being hinged at the front, it also was equipped with a door holder which prevented over travel of the door and would hold the door in an open position, blocking an occupant from going forward instead of aft down the walkway. 

Review of Photographic Evidence revealed that the accident airplane conformed to the manufacturer's description with one exception, which was the inclusion of an aftermarket secondary door stop which was added to the airplane under an FAA approved supplemental type certificate, and was mounted on the upper leading edge surface of the right wing at wing station 57.00 on the inboard side of the fuel cell.

Further review revealed that the secondary stop exhibited signs of compression buckling, and was bent forward and to the right from its usual mounted position.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

In order to increase safety Beverly Flight Center took the following actions:

1. Conducted a safety briefing for flight instructors, students, and rental pilots regarding the factual information and circumstances surrounding the accident stressing propeller safety.

2. Issued a memorandum to their personnel titled "Reducing the Dangers of Propellers" which states:

- When maneuvering the aircraft into a parking position without the aid of the engine, tow bars should be used in lieu of pulling/pushing on the propellers.

- When entering or exiting the aircraft, always enter from behind the aircraft.

- When the engine is running, no person is permitted to enter, exit or approach the aircraft under any circumstances. If exiting, entering or approaching the aircraft required, proper procedures will be taken for shutting down the aircraft prior to any such actions.

- Hand-propping will not be permitted regardless of the situation.

- When walking with students within the vicinity of the ramp, one will make sure to keep the student close by and forewarn them of the dangers associated with the ramp area.

- One will ensure that no other personnel are within the vicinity of the propeller when starting the engine and will always announce clearing the area before starting. 

History of Flight

Standing-engine(s) operating
AC/prop/rotor contact w person (Defining event) 

Flight Instructor Information

Certificate: Airline Transport; Flight Instructor; Commercial
Age: 30, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land; Single-engine Sea
Seat Occupied: Right
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:  
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane Multi-engine; Airplane Single-engine; Instrument Airplane
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 1 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 03/17/2010
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 11/28/2008
Flight Time:  (Estimated) 4000 hours (Total, all aircraft), 3000 hours (Total, this make and model), 3900 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 150 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 50 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 3 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)

Pilot Information

Certificate: Private
Age: 40, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: Seatbelt, Shoulder harness
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 Without Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 10/23/2007
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 07/16/2009
Flight Time: (Estimated) 152 hours (Total, all aircraft) 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: PIPER
Registration: N9184Y
Model/Series: PA-28-161
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture:
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 28-8616017
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 08/25/2010, 100 Hour
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2440 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 16466 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: O-320-D3G
Registered Owner: BEVERLY FLIGHT CENTER INC
Rated Power: 180 hp
Operator: BEVERLY FLIGHT CENTER INC
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: BVY, 107 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site:
Observation Time: 1253 EDT
Direction from Accident Site:
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 5000 ft agl
Visibility:  10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 12 knots / 16 knots
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual:
Wind Direction: 310°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual:
Altimeter Setting: 30.03 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 24°C / 11°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Beverly, MA (BVY)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: Unknown
Destination:
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time:  EDT
Type of Airspace:

Airport Information

Airport: Beverly Municipal Airport (BVY)
Runway Surface Type:
Airport Elevation:
Runway Surface Condition:
Runway Used: N/A
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width:
VFR Approach/Landing: None 

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Minor
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 None
Latitude, Longitude: 42.583889, -70.916111 (est)

1 comment:

  1. Wow. If ever there were a Christine of an aircraft, this one is it.

    ReplyDelete