Friday, March 25, 2022

Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-900, N902FJ: Incident occurred March 22, 2022 at Eugene Airport (KEUG), Lane County, Oregon

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

Aircraft struck multiple geese on one mile final.  

Mesa Airlines Inc


Date: 22-MAR-22
Time: 23:00:00Z
Regis#: N902FJ
Aircraft Make: BOMBARDIER
Aircraft Model: CL-600-2D24
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: COMMERCIAL
Flight Phase: APPROACH (APR)
Operation: 121
Aircraft Operator: MESA AIRLINES
Flight Number: ASH5802
City: EUGENE
State: OREGON

Loss of Control in Flight: Groen Sparrow Hawk III, N430HS; accident occurred March 23, 2022 in Lubbock, 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; Lubbock, Texas

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:


Location: Lubbock, Texas
Accident Number: CEN22LA150
Date and Time: March 23, 2022, 10:46 Local
Registration: N430HS
Aircraft: Sparrow Hawk III 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control in flight
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Analysis

Shortly after takeoff the pilot “felt a force straight down.” The gyroplane impacted the terrain hard, rolled over, and came to rest on its side adjacent to the runway. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and stabilizers. Reported winds about the time accident included wind gusts and a peak wind of 30 knots. A postaccident examination of the gyroplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures 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 pilot’s failure to maintain control of the gyrocopter during takeoff with strong gusty winds.

Findings

Personnel issues Decision making/judgment - Pilot
Environmental issues Gusts - Effect on operation
Aircraft (general) - Not attained/maintained
Personnel issues Aircraft control - Pilot

Factual Information

History of Flight

Initial climb Other weather encounter
Initial climb Loss of control in flight (Defining event)

Pilot Information

Certificate: Commercial; Flight instructor; Private
Age: 56, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Gyroplane
Restraint Used: 4-point
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane 
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane single-engine 
Toxicology Performed:
Medical Certification: Class 2 With waivers/limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: March 1, 2022
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 1041 hours (Total, all aircraft), 33 hours (Total, this make and model), 836 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 2 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 2 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Sparrow Hawk
Registration: N430HS Model/Series: III 
Aircraft Category: Gyroplane
Year of Manufacture: Amateur
Built: Yes
Airworthiness Certificate: Experimental (Special) 
Serial Number: S03-0003
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: March 21, 2022 Condition
Certified Max Gross Wt.:
Time Since Last Inspection: 
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 69 Hrs as of last inspection 
Engine Manufacturer: Subaru
ELT: Not installed
Engine Model/Series: EJ-25
Registered Owner: 
Rated Power:
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: KLBB,3241 ft msl 
Distance from Accident Site: 11 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 10:53 Local 
Direction from Accident Site: 358°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 6000 ft AGL
Visibility: 10 miles
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 19 knots / 30 knots
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual:  /
Wind Direction: 320° 
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual:  /
Altimeter Setting: 30.11 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 10°C / -7°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Lubbock, TX 
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Lubbock, TX
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time:
Type of Airspace: Class G

Airport Information

Airport: Lubbock Executive Airpark F82 
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 3200 ft msl 
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 35 
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 3500 ft / 70 ft 
VFR Approach/Landing: None

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None 
Latitude, Longitude: 33.485853,-101.81374(est)


Location: Lubbock, Texas
Accident Number: CEN22LA150
Date and Time: March 23, 2022, 10:46 Local 
Registration: N430HS
Aircraft: SHRIMPLIN JOHNNIE E SPARROW HAWK III 
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: SHRIMPLIN JOHNNIE E 
Registration: N430HS
Model/Series: SPARROW HAWK III 
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Amateur Built:
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: KLBB,3241 ft msl
Observation Time: 10:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 11 Nautical Miles 
Temperature/Dew Point: 10°C /-7°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 6000 ft AGL
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 19 knots / 30 knots, 320°
Lowest Ceiling: 
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.11 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Lubbock, TX
Destination: Lubbock, TX

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None 
Latitude, Longitude: 33.485853,-101.81374

Cessna U206G Stationair, N9802Z: Incident occurred March 23, 2022 at Fort Worth Alliance Airport (KAFW), Texas

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; North Texas

Aircraft incurred a propeller strike on landing. 

Freelance Air Inc


Date: 23-MAR-22
Time: 18:15:00Z
Regis#: N9802Z
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 206U
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: FORT WORTH
State: TEXAS

Piper PA-23-235 Apache, N710JR: Incidents occurred March 23, 2022 and July 21, 2018

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; North Texas

March 23, 2022:  Aircraft landed gear-up and ran off runway into grass at Bridgeport Municipal Airport (KXBP), Wise County, Texas.

Sled Aviation LLC


Date: 23-MAR-22
Time: 17:15:00Z
Regis#: N710JR
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: 23
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: BRIDGEPORT
State: TEXAS

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; San Jose, California

July 21, 2018: Veered off runway on landing and experienced propeller strike at San Jose International Airport (KSJC), California.

Date: 21-JUL-18
Time: 18:15:00Z
Regis#: N710JR
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA 23 235
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: SAN JOSE
State: CALIFORNIA

Jennifer Homendy: National Transportation Safety Board chair escaped her smashed Subaru with a concussion, and many questions

Jennifer Homendy had only a moment to prepare before experiencing the type of collision she has tried to reduce



When Jennifer Homendy saw the Toyota RAV4 hurtling her way as she sat in Northern Virginia traffic, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board had only a moment to prepare before experiencing the type of violent collision she has tried to reduce across the country.

The former union official and Democratic staff director for the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Material was nominated by President Biden in May to lead the independent safety agency. On a morning in early November, sitting in her Subaru Crosstrek, she did not think she would walk away from what was coming.

She did, with a concussion and some bruising, but otherwise she was intact.

“I felt like that seat belt really saved my life,” Homendy said.

In an interview with The Washington Post, she discussed the agency’s work of trying to save lives through increasing safety on the nation’s roads, rails and airplanes — and how she grilled her teenage daughter’s school about bus safety before a field trip. The interview was edited for length and clarity.

Q: As someone who has talked a lot about cutting the nation’s road deaths from more than 38,000 a year to zero, how do you deal with the reality of how difficult that is while still trying to push people to get there?

A: There is this great video that Toward Zero Deaths did, where they interviewed people in different areas and said, “What do you think about zero? Could we ever get to zero?” And everybody’s response was, “No way. That’s never going to happen. It’s totally unrealistic. Why would that even be the goal?” And then they changed the question and asked, “What if it was your family member?” And they stopped and they were like, “Well, of course it should be zero! Why? I wouldn’t want them to die.” It’s interesting when you personalize it how different people feel.

For the NTSB, safety is our mission. It’s also personal. We’re the ones who are out there, when we investigate crashes, talking to the family members. And when we tell them that we’ve had a safety recommendation for five, 10, 15, 20, 30 years that would have prevented this crash had it been implemented, they’re astounded. It’s very hard for us to do. When I look at, ‘Is zero possible?’ Damn right, it’s possible.

It takes champions to really move safety, and that’s why we’re here. Part of that is through our safety investigations and part of that is through our advocacy and holding others accountable.

Q: Does the NTSB have further insights into what caused the wheel problems with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s 7000-series rail cars, and whether those problems are being seen in other transit systems?

A: My understanding is Metro is still working on a failure analysis to figure that out and working through the [Washington Metrorail] Safety Commission to move their plan forward. We have not been made aware of any other transit properties that have identified wheel migration.

Q: As a transportation reporter, I’m constantly warning my family to look out for this, be careful of that, pointing out dangers on the road. How do you deal with all these risks in your own life?

A: There’s always going to be risk in everything we do, literally everything we do all day long, whether it has to do with transportation or not. And it’s just making sure we’re informed and make decisions based on that information. There was a little battle in my household a few years ago where I caught my daughter riding her bike in the neighborhood without a helmet on. For me, that’s a no-go, right? I pulled her aside, and we talked about the importance of protection for your head. It was an educational moment.

She’s 14 now and going to a new school. She understands how focused I am on safety. I told her, “I’m going to have to ask the school about safety on the bus for field trips. Who’s operating it? Is it the school bus? Is it an outside operator for this trip? Are seat belts on the bus? You know, I’ve got some questions,” and she just rolls her eyes like, “Oh, there she is again.”

I was rear-ended in November by somebody going 45 or 50. I was stopped in Stafford County at about 6:30 a.m. It was not fully light out, and I was behind a long line of traffic at the stoplight and I saw somebody coming. There was an island on my left and traffic on my right. At that point, it was just sort of bracing for the crash. He hit me and then I hit the vehicle in front of me. There was damage all around. It really speaks to the safety of vehicles nowadays. I really thought, when I saw him coming, that I was probably not going to walk away.

Q: The roadway safety plan released by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg earlier this year relies on a “safe system” approach, something you have long advocated. How would you describe what that means to my mom or a teenager out there?

A: Everybody has a role to play, and it’s making sure everybody plays that role to save lives. That includes all stakeholders — federal, state and local governments; educators; public health officials; law enforcement; emergency responders; organizations that are invested in traffic safety. It’s everybody. In road safety, we tend to say, “Oh, it’s just all enforcement or it’s just all education.” In aviation, we got to zero for years because we took a holistic approach. That’s what’s needed on our roads. Imagine if we said, “It’s just the pilot,” without looking at everything else that could be done.

What’s the role [of] the manufacturer of that plane, the systems in the plane? How about the infrastructure? How about the safety culture at the airline? How about the policies that are in place? How about the federal regulators? Are they conducting adequate oversight? Do they have the authorities they need? Have they issued the appropriate regulations? All of that is what goes into saving that life. But in road safety, we seem to have this view, “Oh, it’s just a speeder or it’s just somebody who is impaired.” There are ways to address that, like by deterring drunk driving, as Utah did by lowering its blood-alcohol limit.

Q: It’s interesting to think about other things that could have that kind of impact.

A: So, take my crash. The person who hit me had a Toyota that should have had automatic emergency braking. Why it wasn’t working, I don’t know. It could have been turned off. There are no performance standards for automatic emergency braking. And then when the tow truck operators and the police showed up, they said to me, “Oh, there’s a crash here every week.” You know what that says to me? That there’s a problem with that road design. What do you mean there’s a crash here every week? Is the speed limit too high? Is there a problem with the curvature in that road when you come around the corner and all of a sudden you’re going down the hill and you have to stop at a stoplight? A lot of that can go into preventing a crash. That’s not reflected, by the way, in the crash reporting, and that is a problem.

“I felt like that seat belt really saved my life."

Q: Those factors aren’t included?

A: When the NTSB goes out and we do an investigation, it’s very in-depth. But the resources aren’t there to do it for millions of investigations of crashes on our roads. That’s where states and local governments really need to be proactive, including with road safety assessments. If there’s a high-risk area, they can go out and assess the area to see what is really causing all these crashes. In Bellevue, Wash., they made a small change in a traffic signal after walking the area, and it cut crashes at that intersection by 60 percent.

Q: Why did you want this job?

A: I love this agency. When I started on the Hill, I didn’t do pipelines and I called the Office of Pipeline Safety and said, “I need everything you’ve done back to 1968.” And they were like, “What?” I’ve always said, you have to know where we’ve been to know where we need to go. Then I called a guy named Bob Chipkevich who was the director of the NTSB’s Office of Railroad, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Investigations. And I said, “Bob, I don’t know anything about pipelines.” He was so gracious with his time and just taught me about pipeline safety. And it was through that education, really, that I became so supportive of the NTSB and its safety mission. The agency is nonpolitical. I love that. We don’t look at anything through a political lens. We focus on facts. And our mission is to save lives. I can’t think of a better calling in life than to save a life, I really can’t.



Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, N903DP: Incident occurred March 23, 2022 at Orcas Island Airport (KORS), Eastsound, San Juan County, Washington

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Seattle, Washington

Aircraft had problem with acceleration after takeoff, set back down and went off runway into marshy area. 

Kenmore Air

N903DP LLC


Date: 23-MAR-22
Time: 22:24:00Z
Regis#: N903DP
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 208
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: COMMERCIAL
Flight Phase: TAKEOFF (TOF)
Operation: 135
Aircraft Operator: KENMORE AIR EXPRESS
Flight Number: KEN8151
City: EASTSOUND
State: WASHINGTON




Orcas Island Fire and Rescue career and volunteer staff responded with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office yesterday afternoon to reports of a downed aircraft south of the airport. 

Fire and EMS crews arrived to find a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan intact with damage to the propeller located in a grass field adjacent to the airport just south of Mount Baker Road. 

Crews worked quickly to assess patients and prepare for fire suppression, if needed. 

No injuries were reported by the pilot or the nine passengers onboard and there was no fire development. 

The aircraft, which was on all wheels and had not gained altitude, reportedly experienced a mechanical power failure at takeoff causing it to continue through the fence and across the road, where it came to a stop in the field.

The cause of the incident is under investigation. 

Orcas Island Fire and Rescue first responders routinely complete training exercises for incidents such as this, ensuring personnel are equipped and ready to respond to all incidents. If you are interested in becoming an EMT or Firefighter with Orcas Island Fire and Rescue, visit www.orcasfire.org to learn more. 





San Juan County deputies and Orcas Island EMS responded to a plane incident at the Orcas Island Airport late Wednesday afternoon, March 23.

The plane, a Cessna Grand Caravan, may have experienced a mechanical power failure at takeoff. Unable to gain altitude, the plane, still on all wheels, continued through the fence before stopping in the field south of the airport.

First responders quickly assessed patients and prepared for any possibility of a fire. No injuries were reported by the pilot or the nine passengers onboard, and there was no fire development. The cause of the incident is under investigation.


Kenmore Air

Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche, N8350Y: Accident occurred March 14, 2022 at Sandown Airport, Scotchells Brook Lane, Sandown, Isle of Wight

National Transportation Safety Board accident number: GAA22WA121

2Fly-Safety LLC Trustee





Shanklin Fire Station - 

Call 47 - TOC 13:01 - 14/03/22 
Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche controlled belly landing / gear up, on runway 23 at Isle of Wight Airport, Sandown. No action taken by fire service inspection only. Pilot landed the aircraft safely.