Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Champion 7ECA, N2505F: Incident occurred November 23, 2020 in Denver, Colorado

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Denver, Colorado

Aircraft went up on nose during landing. 

Acme Anvil LLC


Date: 23-NOV-20
Time: 21:15:00Z
Regis#: N2505F
Aircraft Make: CHAMPION
Aircraft Model: 7ECA
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: DENVER
State: COLORADO

Piper PA-32R-301T Turbo Saratoga, N4187H: Accident occurred November 19, 2020 at Fremont County Airport (1V6), Canon City, Colorado

Figure 1: Photograph of the Airplane After Recovery to a Hangar. 
(Courtesy of the FAA) 

Figure 2: Photograph of the Damages to the Belly of the Airplane 
(Courtesy of the FAA) 

Figure 3: Broken Alternator Belt 
(Courtesy of the FAA) 

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; Denver, Colorado 


Location: Canon City, CO
Accident Number: CEN21LA065
Date & Time: November 19, 2020, 18:30 Local 
Registration: N4187H
Aircraft: Piper PA32R 
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional

On November 19, 2020, about 1830 mountain standard time, a Piper PA32R airplane, N4187H, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Canon City, Colorado. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight.

According to the pilot receiving instruction, he asked the flight instructor to fly with him on some night takeoffs and landings so he could get recurrent for night flight. They met at Fremont County Airport (1V6), Canon City, Colorado at 1730 and discussed the plan for the flight. The pilot receiving instruction had already completed a preflight inspection; however, another preflight was completed with the flight instructor present using the preflight checklists. They taxied to the run-up area at the end of runway 29 where the student receiving instruction completed the before takeoff checklist, to include an engine run up and magneto check.

They departed 1V6 and climbed to a cruise altitude of 8,500 ft enroute to Pueblo Memorial Airport (PUB) Pueblo, Colorado, to practice night landings. Shortly after leveling off, they noticed the battery warning light illuminated. The amp meter showed the battery was not charging and only had 24 volts. They checked the circuit breakers, the alternator switch, and the master switch; all appeared normal and/or in the “ON” position. The flight instructor took control of the airplane while the pilot receiving instruction continued to assess the problem. The voltage continued to decrease, and they agreed to return to 1V6 since they were still a few miles closer to that airport than PUB. They turned off all unnecessary electrical components and left only the radio and instrument panel lighting on. As they neared 1V6 on final approach, the flight instructor asked the pilot receiving instruction to lower the landing gear. The pilot receiving instruction advised the landing gear was down; then all of the lights flickered, and the instrument panel went dark. The pilot receiving instruction held a flashlight up to the instrument panel so the flight instructor could see the gauges. When they touched down on the runway, the flight instructor stated he noticed the propeller had stopped and heard the sound of grinding. He immediately realized they had landed gear up. The airplane slid about 150 ft before coming to rest. 

The flight instructor stated he did not pull the emergency landing gear knob because he believed the gear was down. They were able to get the airplane moved off the runway and into a hangar (Figure 1). The lower belly skin received substantial damage (Figure 2). Once in the hangar, they opened the engine cowling doors and found the alternator belt had failed ad was lying in the engine compartment (Figure 3).

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Piper
Registration: N4187H
Model/Series: PA32R 301T
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: Night
Observation Facility, Elevation: KFCS,5838 ft msl 
Observation Time: 17:58 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 22.6 Nautical Miles 
Temperature/Dew Point: 17°C /-11°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 7 knots / , 290°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.08 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Canon City, CO 
Destination: Canon City, CO

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 None 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude: 38.42856,-105.10685

Cessna TU206G Turbo Stationair, N756QV: Incident occurred November 23, 2020 at Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (KPDK), Atlanta, Georgia

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Atlanta, Georgia

Aircraft experienced a propeller and wingtip strike on landing. 

Aerial Imaging Inc


Date: 23-NOV-20
Time: 20:10:00Z
Regis#: N756QV
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 206
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: ATLANTA
State: GEORGIA

Beech 58 Baron, N628MD: Incident occurred November 09, 2020 at Malden Regional Airport (KMAW), Dunklin County, Missouri

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; St. Louis, Missouri

Aircraft gear was not extended and a go around was initiated but not before the propellers, flaps, and step hit the runway. 

Clarkton Aviation III LLC


Date: 09-NOV-20
Time: 16:20:00Z
Regis#: N628MD
Aircraft Make: BEECH
Aircraft Model: 58
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: MALDEN
State: MISSOURI

Cessna 560 Citation Ultra, N579BJ: Incidents November 22, 2020 and June 06, 2019

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; San Antonio, Texas

November 22, 2020:  Aircraft aborted departure roll due to a blown tire.

Curly LLC


Date: 22-NOV-20
Time: 14:58:00Z
Regis#: N579BJ
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 560
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: TAKEOFF (TOF)
Aircraft Operator: CLAY LACY AVIATION
City: AUSTIN
State: TEXAS

Incident occurred June 06, 2019 at Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (KOAK), Alameda County, California 

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Oakland, California

June 06, 2019:  Aircraft on taxi for departure was struck by N444SC.

Date: 06-JUN-19
Time: 04:00:00Z
Regis#: N579BJ
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 560
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: UNKNOWN
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: TAXI (TXI)
Operation: 91
City: OAKLAND
State: CALIFORNIA

Red Hook, New York: Special request for weekly helicopter flights has locals upset about the effect on country life



This kind of thing doesn’t happen here. That’s what locals are saying.

The town of Red Hook is quiet, family-oriented, agricultural. Farms sit a stone’s throw in every direction, and you can count the number of traffic lights on one hand in this Dutchess County town of fewer than 10,000 residents. So when a small black helicopter starts taking weekly flights to and from a solar-powered barn and private landing pad without town permission, local opinions run hot.

Jeff Bennett, a resident of nearby Rhinebeck and owner of Rokeby Farm located at the corner of Rokeby Road and Route 9 in Red Hook, has flown his Robinson R44 helicopter to and from his property weekly, and last year was cited by the town for operating a helipad without a permit. His property also doesn’t meet the minimum town standards to operate a helipad: the town permits aircraft landing sites on properties larger than 50 acres at a prescribed distance—300 feet—from the nearest road. However, Bennett’s property is just more than 17 acres, and he’s closer to the nearest road than the minimum distance required.

It’s this perceived flouting of local regulations for personal gain and the downstream effect on quiet country life that has many Red Hook residents peeved. That Bennett’s proposed variance is being reviewed by the town at a time when an increasing number of people from New York City are buying Hudson Valley real estate for greener pastures during the pandemic is a quality-of-life equation not lost on longtime Red Hook residents who are wary of the intentions of wealthy urbanites and the potential Hamptons-ization of their town.

Helicopter flights unto themselves are not entirely unusual here. A few miles north, the 300-acre Greig Farm was granted an airstrip in 2012 for use by the farm’s owners. But a decade ago, Jann Wenner, the publisher of Rolling Stone magazine who once owned a 63-acre property in nearby Tivoli, was denied a helipad by the town of Red Hook due, in part, to the possible disturbance of nearby American bald eagle nests. Today, locals are focused on Bennett and whether the town will grant special approval for him to continue flying—and potentially pave the way for others to do the same.

In an appearance before the Town of Red Hook Planning Board via Zoom on October 5 this year, Bennett said he was unaware that approvals were needed with the town before building his helipad, citing a New York State law that permits this activity on private properties of 10 acres or more—not the 50-acre minimum Red Hook requires.

At the hearing, Red Hook residents raised concerns about helicopter sound, light, flight patterns and aircraft size. Bennett said his Robinson R44 helicopter makes less noise than a motorcycle, lawnmower or leaf blower, and his attorney, Warren Replansky, said Bennett isn’t using the aircraft to commute and create a daily disturbance.

On November 19, Bennett performed a series of helicopter takeoff and landings at his property to publicly measure the decibel levels. These findings will be taken into consideration by the town planning board as it weighs Bennett’s request for a zoning variance and special permit to be able to continue flying weekly.

Johanna Moore lives right across Rokeby Road from Bennett’s helipad. Her biggest concern with Bennett’s weekly flights is safety, and she has good reason. Bennett’s helicopter is the Robinson R44, the best-selling civilian helicopter that also reportedly has a dangerous safety record, according to a 2018 analysis by the Los Angeles Times of National Transportation Safety Board accident reports.

Moore, a member of the town’s Board of Education, worries about a blade hitting the barn and slinging shrapnel onto neighboring homes, and about the effect the helicopter will have on home values in the immediate vicinity of Bennett’s property. But what she seems most offended by is that Bennett—who isn’t a resident of Red Hook—didn’t ask the town before proceeding with his aerial transportation plans there. “It’s backhanded,” said Moore, who said she has seen Bennett continuing to fly after being cited by the town. “This guy knows how to circumvent the system.”

Like any real estate issue, perspective can depend on which side of the road you live on. What one resident fears is an effort to spoil bucolic country life, another sees as opportunity for growth.

Zach Lewis, a real estate developer who transplanted from downstate six years ago with his wife, has much warmer feelings towards Bennett’s helipad, and believes this is a positive sign of things to come.

Lewis thinks the town can immediately make hay by reaping the tax benefits from permitting Bennett to fly in and out of Red Hook. He also sees a longer game afoot. The convenience of flying and the comparative cost of rail commuting will surely inspire Bennett or others to push the envelope to fly privately more frequently, Lewis speculates. And given Hudson Valley’s central location to places like New York City, Boston and Maine, and airlines cutting back operations at local airports like Stewart International, more helicopters are bound to spin their way over the horizon.

All of this, says Lewis, means Bennett’s Robinson R44 is just the first of a coming wave of wealth and all that comes with it—and is precisely what residents like Johanna Moore would point to as the danger.