Sunday, August 15, 2021

Grumman-Schweizer G-164B, N48416: Accident occurred August 18, 2020 in Scottsbluff, Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska

 







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 Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Lincoln, Nebraska

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:

Western Cooperative Co


Location: Scottsbluff, NE 
Accident Number: CEN20CA347
Date & Time: August 18, 2020, 08:44 Local 
Registration: N48416
Aircraft: Grumman G164
Injuries: N/A
Flight Conducted Under: Part 137: Agricultural

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Grumman 
Registration: N48416
Model/Series: G164 B
Aircraft Category:
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file 
Operating Certificate(s) Held:
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site:
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation:
Observation Time:
Distance from Accident Site: 
Temperature/Dew Point:
Lowest Cloud Condition: 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility:
Altimeter Setting:
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire:
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion:
Total Injuries: N/A
Latitude, Longitude: 41.85979,-103.659675 (est)
 














Landing Area Overshoot: Team Rocket F1 Rocket, N88XK; accident occurred August 18, 2020 at Finleyville Airpark (G05), Washington County, Pennsylvania






Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board

Additional Participating Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:

N-88XK Medical Aviation LLC


Location: Finleyville, Pennsylvania
Accident Number: ERA20CA291
Date & Time: August 18, 2020, 13:10 Local
Registration: N88XK
Aircraft: TEAM ROCKET F1 Rocket
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Landing area overshoot
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Analysis

The owner of the airplane had recently purchased it, and a pilot had ferried the tailwheel-equipped, tandem seat airplane across the country and delivered it to him the day before the accident. The purpose of the accident flight was for the ferry pilot to familiarize the owner with the airplane’s avionics. For the accident flight, the owner was seated in the front seat, while the ferry pilot (who did not hold a flight instructor certificate) was seated the rear. The airplane’s rear seat was equipped with a limited set of flight controls that included a control stick, rudder pedals, and throttle. The rear seat was not equipped to control the airplane’s brakes.

The pilots departed and flew to a nearby airport with a 4,000-ft-long runway, where the owner flew an approach to landing that terminated in a go-around. The ferry pilot then demonstrated a touch-and-go landing. On the third approach attempt the owner was unable to extend the airplane’s flaps, so they aborted the approach to troubleshoot the problem. The pilots were ultimately unable to extend the flaps and elected to return to the owner’s home airport and land on the 2,500-ft-long runway there. When the ferry pilot initially attempted to land the airplane, it bounced during both attempts and he aborted the landings. The owner described that during the final landing attempt, the ferry pilot approached the runway at a “slightly faster speed” and that the airplane “landed long.” The airplane continued down the runway with its tail in the air. The ferry pilot, being unable to see the runway due to his vision being obstructed by his position in the rear seat, did not realize that the airplane was approaching the end of the runway until the owner called out to him. The owner stated that he began applying the airplane’s brakes with about 400 feet of the runway remaining. The airplane subsequently overran the departure end of the runway. During the excursion both main landing gear collapsed, and the forward portion of the fuselage and engine mount area were substantially damaged.

Following the accident, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector responded to the accident site and during his examination of the wreckage he turned on the master switch and extended the airplane’s flaps. The flaps extended normally.

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's misjudgment of the airplane’s speed and altitude during the landing approach, and his failure to attain the proper touchdown point during landing, which resulted in a runway overrun. Contributing to the accident were his access to a limited set of flight controls, his obstructed vision due to his seating position, and the pilot’s decision to return to the relatively constrained runway following a perceived anomaly of the airplane’s flaps.

Findings

Aircraft Airspeed - Not attained/maintained
Aircraft Altitude - Not attained/maintained
Aircraft Landing flare - Not attained/maintained
Personnel issues Decision making/judgment - Pilot
Aircraft Brake - Not installed/available
Personnel issues Visual function - Pilot
Aircraft TE flap control system - Not used/operated

Factual Information

History of Flight

Landing-landing roll Landing area overshoot (Defining event)
Landing-landing roll Runway excursion

Pilot-rated passenger Information

Certificate: Commercial
Age: 50,Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine land
Seat Occupied: Front
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None Restraint Used: 5-point
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): None 
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 Without waivers/limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: August 5, 2019
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: October 15, 2019
Flight Time: 639 hours (Total, all aircraft), 9 hours (Total, this make and model), 205 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft)

Pilot Information

Certificate: Airline transport; Commercial 
Age: 59,Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine land; Multi-engine land
Seat Occupied: Rear
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None 
Restraint Used: 5-point
Instrument Rating(s): None 
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): None 
Toxicology Performed:
Medical Certification: Class 2 With waivers/limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: August 15, 2020
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: August 15, 2020
Flight Time: 3420 hours (Total, all aircraft), 11.5 hours (Total, this make and model), 20.3 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 1.5 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: TEAM ROCKET
Registration: N88XK
Model/Series: F1 Rocket
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2018 
Amateur Built: Yes
Airworthiness Certificate: Experimental (Special)
Serial Number: 128
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: December 9, 2019 Annual 
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2000 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 60 Hrs at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: Lycoming
ELT: C91 installed, activated, did not aid in locating accident
Engine Model/Series: D4A5
Registered Owner: 
Rated Power: 285 Horsepower
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual (VMC)
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KAGC,1273 ft msl 
Distance from Accident Site: 8 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 13:10 Local 
Direction from Accident Site: 33°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 6000 ft AGL
Visibility 10 miles
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 8500 ft AGL
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 5 knots / 
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual:  /
Wind Direction: 300° 
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual:  /
Altimeter Setting: 29.95 inches Hg 
Temperature/Dew Point: 24°C / 12°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Finleyville, PA 
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Finleyville, PA
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time:
Type of Airspace: Class G

Airport Information

Airport: FINLEYVILLE AIRPARK G05 
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 1236 ft msl
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 32 
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 2497 ft / 50 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Full stop;Traffic pattern

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 2 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None 
Latitude, Longitude: 40.247776,-80.013336(est)

Mooney M20C Ranger, N2933L: Accident occurred August 18, 2020 at Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark (7S3), Hillsboro, Washington County, Oregon









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 Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Portland, Oregon

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:


Location: Hillsboro, OR 
Accident Number: WPR20CA276
Date & Time: August 17, 2020, 19:55 Local 
Registration: N2933L
Aircraft: Mooney M20C 
Injuries: N/A
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Mooney 
Registration: N2933L
Model/Series: M20C No Series 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held:
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VMC 
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: HIO,208 ft msl 
Observation Time: 19:50 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 6 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 27°C /10°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 3 knots / , 340°
Lowest Ceiling: 
None Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.03 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point:
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: N/A 
Latitude, Longitude: 45.427776,-122.943054 (est)

Rocky Mountain Wings Ridge Runner IV, N11752: Accident occurred August 14, 2020 at Brush Prairie Aerodrome (5WA9), Clark 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.

Additional Participating Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Portland

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:


Location: Vancouver, WA
Accident Number: WPR20CA274
Date & Time: August 14, 2020, 10:00 Local
Registration: N11752
Aircraft: Uskoski Ridge Runner IV
Injuries: N/A
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Uskoski 
Registration: N11752
Model/Series: Ridge Runner IV 
Aircraft Category:
Amateur Built: Yes
Operator: On file 
Operating Certificate(s) Held:
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: 
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation: 
Observation Time:
Distance from Accident Site: 
Temperature/Dew Point:
Lowest Cloud Condition: 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: Visibility:
Altimeter Setting: 
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point:
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire:
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion:
Total Injuries: N/A
Latitude, Longitude: 45.720745,-122.740516 (est)
 


Schweizer G-164B Ag-Cat B, N997QC: Accident occurred August 16, 2020 in Rice, Benton County, Minnesota










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; Minneapolis

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:

Location: Rice, MN
Accident Number: CEN20CA341
Date & Time: August 16, 2020, 08:10 Local
Registration: N997QC
Aircraft: Grumman G164
Injuries: N/A
Flight Conducted Under: Part 137: Agricultural

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Grumman 
Registration: N997QC
Model/Series: G164 B 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: 
On file Operating Certificate(s) Held:
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VMC 
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: LXL,1123 ft msl
Observation Time: 08:01 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 12 Nautical Miles 
Temperature/Dew Point: 16°C /16°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.05 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Rice, MN (PVT) 
Destination: Rice, MN (PVT)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: N/A
Latitude, Longitude: 45.785278,-94.200836 

As Electric Air Taxis Land on Stock Markets, Investors Need a Flight Guide

Investors may soon face a choice between first movers like Joby and more niche players such as Lilium and even air-ambulance startup Dufour

Swiss startup Dufour is focusing on the air-ambulance market, which is ripe for disruption.


The Wall Stret Journal 
By Jon Sindreu
August 14, 2021 10:07 am ET


A few years ago most investors had never even heard of “air taxis.” Now they need to decide whether to board early movers with a high-altitude but low-definition view of the potential market, or else wait for the technology to land somewhere more specific.

On Wednesday, California-based Joby Aviation completed its merger with a special-purpose acquisition company. Its shares initially popped 40%, confirming that investors were counting the days until the first air-taxi company reached the stock market. They will soon get more options: Archer Aviation, Vertical Aerospace and Lilium Air Mobility also focus on electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicles, or eVTOL, and are scheduled to close similar deals. Others may be waiting in the wings, such as the lesser-known Swiss startup Dufour Aerospace, which is putting a special focus on air ambulances.

For eVTOL vehicles, the most feasible road to success is to become a replacement for the world’s 23,000 commercial helicopters, which are on average 20 years old, noisy and unsafe. Air taxis under development have a similar range, and operators claim they will be up to 100 times quieter and at least three times cheaper to run.

But helicopters are only worth $50 billion, whereas analysts are dazzling investors with a forecast eVTOL market size of $1 trillion in 20 years’ time.

This is probably why most firms don’t market themselves as targeting the typical 100-to-250-mile helicopter trip. Instead, they envision a hypothetical “urban air mobility” market that competes with Uber. This seems fanciful beyond a few select routes—such as taking Wall Street bankers to JFK airport—because having to get to a landing pad would defeat the purpose of avoiding car trips.

Joby essentially wants to roll out the technology first, and figure out where the market goes later. Its air taxi could theoretically adapt both to taking New Yorkers on their daily commutes and to flying them on a regional trip to Philadelphia. “We’ve found that four seats were close to optimal for the vast majority of trips,” said Joby Executive Chairman Paul Sciarra.

The “build it and they will come” view has some merit. The economies of scale involved in production could be a barrier late entrants struggle to overcome. Joby is ahead in terms of development, funding and certification: Its full-scale prototype has had more than 1,000 test flights, whereas Archer and Vertical’s four-passenger aircraft haven’t conducted a single one.

The downside is that some competitors could end up better positioned in specific markets. In Germany, Lilium is testing a six-passenger vehicle for regional routes, while Volocopter is at an advanced stage of developing and certifying a one-passenger craft with a 22-mile range. Since taxis rarely carry more than two people, this seems a better fit than Joby’s vehicle for the few city-to-airport routes that might make sense in places like New York, Paris and Singapore.

Dufour, which is currently preparing its next private financing round, is a particularly interesting niche startup. Its hybrid tilt-wing aircraft is explicitly going after helicopters, especially light ones often used in emergency medical services, such as the Airbus H125 and the Bell 206. Air ambulances may only be a $10 billion business, but it is a well-defined market that is growing quickly. It is also ripe for disruption: The bill for getting airlifted after an injury can be $50,000. Many studies find that, taking cost and safety into account, it is often not worth it.

“A cheaper air ambulance will save so much time for nurses and doctors that it will quickly become competitive against ground transportation as well,” said Dufour Chief Executive Thomas Pfammatter, who flies helicopter rescue missions himself.

SPACs love speculating on hypothetical technologies designed to serve hypothetical markets. Most investors might want at least one of these variables to pass some practical milestones before jumping aboard.


Joby Aviation

In-flight emergency at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (KFFO) turns into safe, routine mission

Lance Davis and Staff Sgt. Tyler Downhour of the 88th Operations Support Squadron work the air traffic control tower August 2 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. On July 17, the pair responded to a C-5 Galaxy aircrew declaring an emergency when it appeared they would have to make a wheels-up landing. U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/R.J. ORIEZ
~

Although prepared through rigorous training for the worst, the last call an air traffic controller wants to get is an aircraft in distress.

On July 17, a C-5 Galaxy aircrew en route to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base declared an in-flight emergency due to the nose-landing gear being temporarily disabled.

“I got a call from our airfield-management folks that there was a potential emergency inbound C-5 with gear problems,” said Lance Davis, 88th Operations Support Squadron air traffic control supervisor.

Airfield management informed Davis it confirmed with the pilots aboard that the aircraft’s front nose wheel was inoperable.

“In my career, I have worked hundreds of emergencies involving gear problems, but it is very uncommon that an aircraft comes in that cannot lower their landing gear,” he said.

It was later confirmed that not only were the aircraft’s front gears inoperable, but the pilot planned to make a wheels-up belly landing, Davis added.

Although the situation was looking dire that Saturday night, the air traffic controllers remained calm, focused on their checklist and coordinated with other organizations across the base. They even kept the chaos under control during a shift change.

“I was the on-duty supervisor at the beginning of the situation and my shift was going to be over in about 20 minutes,” Davis said.

Around that same time, Staff Sgt. Tyler Downhour, the 88 OSS air traffic control watch tower supervisor, was coming into work to prepare for his overnight shift.

Weekends inside the tower are usually quiet with very little activity, but Davis said Downhour had no choice but to come in going “zero to a thousand miles an hour.”

“As soon as I walked up the tower, my expectations of a normal shift went out the door,” Downhour recalled. “But the way it played out was much better than I was expecting initially.

“On a pilot’s worst day of their careers, we have to be at our absolute best. It does not matter if it is the last 10 minutes of the shift or as soon as you show up to work. It is something we hope we do not have to deal with, but something we train our entire careers for.”

Once word started to get out about this in-flight emergency, WPAFB organizations such as airfield management, the fire department, emergency services, the 88th Medical Group and 88th Air Base Wing leadership geared up to prepare for what could happen.

Base officials also reached out to local fire departments and first responders.

“After I gave notifications to my chief to make him aware, I started getting crews together before we got dispatched out,” said Bryan Weeks, WPAFB fire department assistant chief. “We did not go to our normal locations, due to the fact that if the aircraft did crash then we would not be entirely sure where the aircraft would end up.”

Jeff Kitzmiller, WPAFB fire department deputy chief, elaborated on situation, and how the timing allowed firefighters and other organizations to be prepared as much as possible.

“The good thing about this incident is we had time,” Kitzmiller said. “We received a call saying that the aircraft was 38 minutes out, and we usually only get about five minutes before we have to be ready.

“The pilots knew they were in trouble, and being able to make contact allowed us to plan and stage everything prior to them landing.”

Ultimately, a potential accident was averted as the C-5 landed safely after the pilots reported they found a way to reengage the nose gear.

“After the aircraft came and touched down as softly as I have ever seen a plane land without any problems, I had probably the best drive home in my 31-year career,” Davis said. “At the end of the day, it was those pilots and the aircrew that deserved all of the credit for getting the aircraft down on the ground safely.”

In emergency situations like these, WPAFB’s relationships with surrounding cities and agencies are paramount in securing the safety of everyone inside and outside the base, officials said.

“There is a huge amount of experience within our department and outside agencies,” Weeks said. “Not only are we experts with airfield and aircraft emergencies, but we also had medics coming in that run at least a thousand medical calls a year.

“Having that availability to bring everyone in with different experiences is huge for us. Rather than focus on putting out a fire and also helping a patient, we can just focus on putting out those fires and have full confidence that our base medics and outside medical staff can help those patients.”

Although each agency is trained to properly respond and possibly save lives, it is the diversity of skill sets and association of all agencies that plays a key role in protecting people and assets.

“The pilots of that aircraft may have been the ones who landed, but it was a complete team effort of all entities, both inside and outside WPAFB, that led to everyone being prepared to do their job,” Davis said. “Nobody ever wants these kind of situations to happen, but that is the reason our Airmen train and work the way they do so that they can be prepared for any scenario that may arise.”