Monday, May 24, 2021

Loss of Control on Ground: Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP, N999MA; accident occurred May 22, 2021 at McAllen International Airport (KMFE), Hidalgo County, Texas






Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board

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

Additional Participating Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; San Antonio, Texas

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:

McCreery Aviation Co Inc


Location: McAllen, Texas
Accident Number: CEN21LA235
Date & Time: May 22, 2021, 13:40 Local 
Registration: N999MA
Aircraft: Cessna 172 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control on ground Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional

Analysis

The solo student pilot reported he was making his third landing when the airplane bounced, exited the runway, and collided with a runway sign. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left horizontal stabilizer. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with a runway sign.

Findings

Aircraft Directional control - Not attained/maintained
Personnel issues Aircraft control - Student/instructed pilot

Factual Information

History of Flight

Landing Abnormal runway contact
Landing-landing roll Loss of control on ground (Defining event)
Landing-landing roll Runway excursion
Landing-landing roll Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)

Pilot Information

Certificate: Student 
Age: 40, Male
Airplane Rating(s): None 
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None 
Restraint Used: 3-point
Instrument Rating(s): None 
Second Pilot Present:
Instructor Rating(s): None 
Toxicology Performed:
Medical Certification: Class 1 With waivers/limitations 
Last FAA Medical Exam: January 5, 2021
Occupational Pilot: No 
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 38 hours (Total, all aircraft), 38 hours (Total, this make and model), 4 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cessna 
Registration: N999MA
Model/Series: 172 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2004 
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal 
Serial Number: 172S9812
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: Unknown
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2550 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 
Engine Manufacturer: Lycoming
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: IO360
Registered Owner: 
Rated Power: 180
Operator: 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual (VMC)
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KMFE,100 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Observation Time:
Direction from Accident Site:
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Visibility
Lowest Ceiling: 
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 5 knots / 
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual:  /
Wind Direction: 150°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual:  /
Altimeter Setting: 30.04 inches Hg 
Temperature/Dew Point: 30°C / 20°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: McAllen, TX
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: McAllen, TX
Type of Clearance: VFR
Departure Time: 
Type of Airspace: Class D

Airport Information

Airport: MC ALLEN MILLER INTL MFE 
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 107 ft msl
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 14/32
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 7120 ft / 150 ft 
VFR Approach/Landing: Touch and go

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Minor 
Latitude, Longitude: 26.175541,-98.237432 (est)

Cessna TR182, N2225T: Incident occurred May 21, 2021 at Kestrel Airpark (1T7), Spring Branch, Comal County, Texas

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

Aircraft on landing the left wheel locked and went into a ditch.


Date: 21-MAY-21
Time: 21:58:00Z
Regis#: N2225T
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: TR182
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: INSTRUCTION
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: SAN ANTONIO
State: TEXAS

Mooney M20K, N1150U: Accident occurred May 23, 2021 at Virginia Highlands Airport (KVJI), Abingdon, Virginia

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Charleston

Aircraft attempted to abort takeoff and went off the end of the runway down an embankment. 


Date: 23-MAY-21
Time: 16:40:00Z
Regis#: N1150U
Aircraft Make: MOONEY
Aircraft Model: M20K
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: SUBSTANTIAL
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: TAKEOFF (TOF)
Operation: 91
City: ABINGDON
State: VIRGINIA



ABINGDON, Virginia   (WCYB) — There are no injuries after a small plane went off the runway at Virginia Highlands Airport in Abingdon Sunday afternoon.

Emergency crews were alerted shortly after noon that a small plane went off the runway.

News 5 spoke to a family member of the pilot who told us the Mooney M20K was attempting to take off but never got enough lift to take off safely. The pilot then proceeded to slow down, and went off the runway in the process.

The plane was able to be towed back to the taxiway.

Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP, N2122M: Incident occurred May 21, 2021 near West Bend Municipal Airport (KETB), Washington County, Wisconsin

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Aircraft made an emergency landing in a field. 

Halsted Aviation LLC


Date: 21-MAY-21
Time: 14:15:00Z
Regis#: N2122M
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 172
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: EN ROUTE (ENR)
Operation: 91
City: WEST BEND
State: WISCONSIN

Van's RV-8, N284RM: Fatal accident occurred May 24, 2021 in Vancleve, Breathitt County, Kentucky

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.

Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Louisville, Kentucky
Lycoming Engines; Williamsport, Pennsylvania 


Location: Van Cleve, KY
Accident Number: ERA21FA229
Date & Time: May 24, 2021, 13:30 Local 
Registration: N284RM
Aircraft: MUNSON ROGER J RV-8
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On May 24, 2021, about 1330 central daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built, Rans RV-8, N284RM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Van Cleve, Kentucky. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The flight originated from Green Cove springs, Florida (7FL4), with a fuel stop at Pickens County Airport (LQK), Pickens, South Carolina. According to air traffic control) data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration, after departure from LQK, the airplane made a climbing left turn and a series of turns gradually climbing en route until reaching about 9,000 ft mean sea level. When the airplane reached the vicinity of Van Cleve, Kentucky, the pilot declared an emergency, stating that “he had lost oil pressure and the engine failed.” Air traffic control advised the pilot of an airport at his “2 o’clock and 3 miles;” the pilot stated he did not have the airport in sight and opted to perform a forced landing to a field. The airplane was observed on radar in a 270° turn while descending with decreasing ground speed until flight track data was lost.

According to a witness, the airplane flew over the top of a mountain and was “smoking” prior to ground impact. The airplane was in a left bank and the nose of the airplane hit the ground with the engine area on fire. Shortly after the airplane came to rest, the witness started to walk toward the airplane. He then heard an explosion and observed the airplane on fire.

The airplane came to rest on a heading 353°. All four corners of the airplane and all flight control surfaces were accounted for at the accident site. The fuselage from the firewall to about 2 ft forward of the empennage was destroyed by the post impact fire. Flight control continuity was observed from the flight control surfaces to the fire damaged area within the cockpit. The flight instruments and flight controls within the cockpit were destroyed by fire. Initial examination of the engine revealed that the accessory section was fire damaged. The airplane was recovered for further examination. 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: MUNSON ROGER J
Registration: N284RM
Model/Series: RV-8
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: Yes
Operator: On file
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: JKL,1380 ft msl 
Observation Time: 12:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 10 Nautical Miles 
Temperature/Dew Point: 28°C /16°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: None 
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.24 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Pickens, SC (LQK)
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal 
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A 
Aircraft Fire: On-ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal 
Latitude, Longitude: 37.617145,-83.388906 (est)

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov.



GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Florida – A pilot killed Monday in a Kentucky plane crash has been identified as a Clay County man.

Authorities on Tuesday identified Timothy Michael Pankiewicz, 62, of Green Cove Springs, as the man whose remains were recovered from the wreckage of the crash site in eastern Kentucky.

The single-engine aircraft went down in a field near Hazard about 1:30 p.m. Monday and caught fire, police said. Firefighters put out the flames and federal investigators were notified of the incident.

Pankiewicz was pronounced dead at the scene. His remains were sent to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.

Based on preliminary details, investigators determined the pilot’s identity and concluded that his plane had taken off out of Florida and was heading to Ohio before the aircraft went down.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board continue to investigate the cause of the crash, which remains unknown at this time.

According to the FAA’s registry, Pankiewicz is listed as the owner of a Van's RV-8.

An aircraft with a matching registration number took off from Haller Airpark before 10 a.m. Monday and was last seen about 1:30 p.m. near Jackson, Kentucky, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

A News4Jax crew was not allowed onto airpark property Wednesday. No one at the facility could be reached for comment.

Over the past few years, there have been at least two deadly crashes involving aircraft flying out Haller Airpark.

In May 2019, two planes were involved in a mid-air collision, which killed one of the pilots.

Six months later, another pilot was killed after taking off from Haller and crashing in Middleburg.

The NSTB has yet to release its final reports from either of those crashes.




FROZEN CREEK, Kentucky (WYMT) - Kentucky State Troopers, KSP, and Breathitt County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) confirmed a single-engine plane crashed in the Frozen Creek community of Breathitt County Monday afternoon.

The crash happened in a field at the junction of KY-1812 and KY-378.

Maco Deaton, Chairman of the Julian Carroll Airport in Jackson City says the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) out of Indianapolis contacted the airport around 2 p.m. to say that a small aircraft went off the radar in Breathitt County.

The FAA was notified of the crash around 1:42 p.m.

Kentucky State Police was then notified and found the scene on Blanton Bridge Branch road near the Frozen Creek area of Vancleve community.’

“Troopers responded out here, along with the fire department, upon getting here it was completely engulfed in flames, said Trooper Matt Gayheart. “The fire department was able to extinguish those flames,” he said.

Trooper Gayheart confirms the accident was fatal, and that at least one person was killed in the crash. The Breathitt County Coroner was called to the scene.

“These types of investigations take some time, so it could be a lengthy period before we know exactly the cause and what had happened here today [Monday],” he said.

KSP is waiting on flight logs to determine where the plane was flying from and to see if more than one person was on board.

“Our primary function, we just want to keep everything the same and once FAA investigators get down here, they can look at what we are seeing,” he said.

He adds there is still no known cause for the plane crash. The FAA is expected to arrive Tuesday to assess the crash.

Robert Taulbee lives near the crash site. He said his nephew told him about the crash.

“It scared me a little bit, quite a bit because I knew whoever was in it had to perish, because they couldn’t have lived,” said Taulbee.

He said he drove by the crash site and only saw the tail end of the plane.

“It was really a scary time cause that was just a little ways up the road from where I live,” he said. “It could happen anywhere and from the looks of it, looks like he might have been trying to land in the bottom of that field.”

The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted Monday evening that the crash was that of a Van’s RV-8 airplane. An investigator from the NTSB is traveling to the scene.




BREATHITT, Kentucky (LEX 18) — Kentucky State Police have confirmed that at least one person is dead after a single engine plane crashed in Breathitt County around 1:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon. The crash took place near the intersection of Highway 1812 and Highway 378 area in a field close to the highway.

According to The Breathitt Advocate, a witness heard sputtering and saw a single-engine plane crash. As the plane crashed, the witness noted the engine looked as if it was on fire. Crews are on the scene now fighting the fire. The coroner has been notified.

KSP believes there was just one occupant inside.

If you're traveling in that area, be aware of emergency vehicles.





FROZEN CREEK, Kentucky (WYMT) - Kentucky State Troopers, KSP, and Breathitt County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) confirmed a single-engine plane crashed in the Frozen Creek community of Breathitt County Monday afternoon.

The crash happened in a field at the junction of KY-1812 and KY-378.

Maco Deaton, Chairman of the Julian Carroll Airport in Jackson City says the FAA out of Indianapolis contacted the airport around 2 p.m. to say that a small aircraft went off the radar in Breathitt County.

The FAA was notified of the crash around 1:42 p.m.

KSP was then notified and found the scene on Blanton Bridge Branch road near the Frozen Creek area of Vancleve community.

At the moment no public roads are impacted by this crash, which occurred on private property.

KSP has the scene closed off as they work to investigate the scene.

Trooper Gayheart says State Police is waiting on the flight log for additional information.

Trooper Matt Gayheart confirms the accident was fatal, and that at least one person was killed in the crash. The Breathitt County Coroner was called to the scene.

He adds there is still no known cause for the plane crash. The FAA is expected to arrive Tuesday to assess the crash.