The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Location: Monongahela, Pennsylvania
Accident Number: ERA22LA272
Date and Time: June 19, 2022, 13:04 Local
Registration: N1996G
Aircraft: Cessna 414
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On June 19, 2022, at 1304 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 414, N1996G, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Monongahela, Pennsylvania. The commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
In a written statement, the pilot stated that the preflight, run-up, taxi, and en route portion of the flight revealed no anomalies with the performance and handling of the airplane.
On final approach for runway 26, at Rostraver Airport, the pilot stated that she “had a little wind shear (-15 knots).” She adjusted her airspeed on final approach to Vref plus 10 knots, so the wind shear was “no issue.” The pilot performed the landing flare 500 feet beyond the landing threshold. A wind gust “took” the airplane up and it touched down about 1,000 feet beyond the threshold of the 4,002 ft-long runway.
Upon touchdown, the pilot applied the brakes but “nothing happened,” despite hard application. According to the pilot, “Power was off, flaps up, so, I pull the mixtures, still on the brakes, fuel off, and hope I’ll be slow to make the last exit.”
The pilot stated that she attempted to “ground loop” the airplane at the departure end of the runway without success, and ultimately guided the airplane to the left, avoiding lights and other infrastructure, before the airplane transitioned the grass apron, descended an embankment, and came to rest upright with substantial damage to the nose and right wing.
The pilot reported 6,050 total hours of flight experience, of which 145 hours were in the accident airplane make and model.
The airplane’s most recent annual inspection was completed on June 10, 2022, at 6,475.6 total aircraft hours.
A Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector responded to the scene, but could not safely examine the airplane due to its condition and location. The examination was postponed until the airplane could be moved to a secure location.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Cessna
Registration: N1996G
Model/Series: 414
Aircraft Category: Airplane
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: KAGC,1273 ft msl
Observation Time: 12:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 10 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 21°C /3°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 10 knots / 21 knots, 330°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.22 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Departure Point: Leesburg, VA (JYO)
Destination: Monongahela, PA
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None
Latitude, Longitude: 40.209722,-79.831444 (est)
Aircraft experienced brake failure and slid into the grass while landing.
Date: 19-JUN-22
Time: 17:42:00Z
Regis#: N1996G
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 414
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: MONONGAHELA
State: PENNSYLVANIA
Rostraver Central Fire Department -
This afternoon, RCFD units were dispatched for an Alert 3 at Rostraver Airport. A twin-engine aircraft left the runway on landing and went over an embankment. The crew at the nearby LifeFlight base quickly assessed the pilot, who was not injured. Fire crews contained a small fuel leak before turning the scene over to WCAA personnel. Assisting were Westmoreland County Hazardous Materials Response Team 800, Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services, Rostraver Twp Police Department, Westmoreland County Park Police, and Westmoreland County Airport Authority FD.
BELLE VERNON, Pennsylvania — Caiolinn Ertel shared her story with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 after an unexpected Sunday afternoon at Rostraver Airport.
“I love flying. It is my happy place,” Ertel said.
It started out as a calm day for Ertel who was visiting her family in Virginia.
“I had a lovely day, and then they brought me to the airport around noon,” Ertel said.
Ertel said her goodbyes and got on her plane.
“I taxi it in, pull it around, put the brakes on, and then I put the throttle up to a pretty high power, and then I look at the engine instruments to make sure everything is in the green, everything is operating properly, it also checks the brakes, so boom everything was great,” Ertel said
It was a smooth take off, but when it was time to land at Rostraver Airport, where her plane is based, things took a turn.
“Touched down, put the brakes on, no brakes. Felt like pressure but nothing, no deceleration at all. Just kept going. I put the flaps up, and I just kept rolling and I am sitting in the back of my seat pushing as hard as I can to get the thing slowed down,” Ertel said.
With 45 years of flying experience, Ertel says training kicked in.
“You just react. Okay, this is an emergency, I may not be able to stop it so that's an accident. How do you minimize it? So you just go into automatic mode,” Ertel said.
Ertel shut the engines down and turned the fuel off to do a controlled crash. The pilot guided her plane off the runway and over this embankment, where it stopped
“It just plopped down,” Ertel said.
Emergency responders arrived on scene within minutes, and fire crews contained a small fuel leak. Ertel says even LifeFlight happened to be at the airport.
Although her plane was damaged in the landing, she walked away without a scratch.
“My kids ask me 'are you going to fly again?' I said 'yeah I would fly right now.' I don't have any problem with it. I had my accident. I think I'm good. Gonna rock and roll it,” Ertel said.
No injuries were reported when the pilot of a Cessna 414 lost control of its brakes Sunday afternoon, causing the airplane to crash at the Rostraver Airport.
Caiolinn Ertel, 61, of Pittsburgh was flying from Leesburg, Virginia, to Rostraver, where her plane is based, when she realized she had lost control of her brakes.
Ertel said everything was working when she took off. It was when she attempted to land that she realized something was wrong.
“Landed, and when I’m way down, I put the flaps up and I said, ‘I’m not coming to a stop.’ So I’m stomping on the brakes trying the get it to stop, nothing’s happening,” Ertel said. “Realize it’s not going to, and so I shut the engines down, put the fuel off and then tried to do a controlled crash.”
Ertel guided the plane off the runway and over a small hillside, where it came to a stop. The nose of the plane and the wings were damaged.
“I wasn’t going maybe 10, 15 mph, and the engines were shut off, so there should be no engine damage — but I don’t know, the plane may be totaled,” Ertel said. “We’ll see what happens. It’s a 45-year-old airplane, though most everything’s new on it.”
There was no damage to the airport or runway. No fuel leaks were reported from the plane.
An official on the scene said they were trying to decide whether they would move the aircraft or keep it where it is for the time being.
Several crews responded to the scene, including the Rostraver Central Fire Department and a medical helicopter in case of injuries.