Friday, June 19, 2020

Bellanca 7KCAB Citabria, N36339: Accident occurred June 12, 2020 at Renton Municipal Airport (KRNT), King County, Washington

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.

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

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Des Moines, Washington

Boeing Employees Flying Association Inc


Location: Renton, WA
Accident Number: WPR20LA180
Date & Time: June 12, 2020, 10:00 Local 
Registration: N36339
Aircraft: Bellanca 7KCAB
Injuries: 2 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional

On June 12, 2020, about 1000 Pacific daylight time, a Bellanca 7KCAB Citabria, N36339, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Renton Municipal Airport, Renton, Washington. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and pilot undergoing instruction (PUI) sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.

The airplane had recently undergone an annual inspection and the accident flight was the first flight since being out of maintenance. The operator, Boeing Employees Flying Association, required that a test flight be performed following annual inspections and the CFI was authorized to perform those flights. The CFI elected to take the PUI for the test flight since she was working on obtaining her tailwheel endorsement. The test flight protocol provided an extended checklist including an elongated preflight and runup.

The CFI added 10 gallons of fuel in each wing tank and the engine start and runup were all normal. With the PUI positioned in the front seat, she performed the initial takeoff from runway 16 and they remained in the traffic pattern with the intention of performing touch-and-go takeoff practice and landings. After making an uneventful three-point landing, the PUI applied full throttle and the airplane accelerated reaching an altitude of about 400 feet above ground level (agl). At that time, the engine abruptly stopped producing (total) power and although the propeller continued to rotate, the airplane could not maintain level altitude. The CFI opted to return to the airport area and attempted to land on an access road while communicating their situation with an air traffic controller. During the off-airport landing, the airplane collided with a tree and came to rest in a vacant construction company storage area.

The CFI stated that the airplane was too low for him to look at the instruments or perform troubleshooting steps and from the rear seat he did not have good visual access to the engine gauges. The PUI stated that immediately following the power loss, the CFI asked her what was happening. She confirmed that the throttle was fully forward, the mixture was rich, the fuel selector valve was "on", and the boost pump was "on."

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Bellanca 
Registration: N36339
Model/Series: 7KCAB 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VMC 
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KMT,370 ft msl
Observation Time: 14:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 
Temperature/Dew Point: 15°C /9°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 8 knots / , 180°
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 3900 ft AGL
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.98 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Renton, WA (RNT) 
Destination: Renton, WA (RNT)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 2 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Minor 
Latitude, Longitude: 47.488334,-122.212219 
 



A small plane crashed near Renton Memorial Stadium at about 10:45 a.m. Friday, according to Renton police.

Both occupants, who were out of the plane by the time first responders arrived, were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, according to tweets from Renton police and firefighters.

The plane hit some trees before crash landing just north of the stadium, which is near Renton Municipal Airport, Cmdr. David Leibman said.

The National Transportation Safety Board was on the scene by about 11 a.m. to investigate.

https://www.seattletimes.com

1 comment:

  1. Still unknown cause of complete engine failure at 400+'on take off of second touch and go

    ReplyDelete