A six-seater Cessna Centurion plane made an emergency landing near Eagle County Regional Airport in Gypsum, Colorado, on June 30th.
The plane flying from Montrose, Colorado, was on approach to the Eagle County airport when its engine failed.
The pilot subsequently declared an emergency and landed on McGregor road.
The pilot, who was the only one aboard, remained unharmed.
August 27, 2012
WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board determined today that deteriorated locknut inserts found in the highly modified North American P-51D airplane that crashed during the 2011 National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada, allowed the trim tab attachment screws to become loose, and even initiated fatigue cracking in one screw. This condition, which resulted in reduced stiffness in the elevator trim system, ultimately led to aerodynamic flutter at racing speed that broke the trim tab linkages, resulting in a loss of controllability and the eventual crash.
On September 16, 2011, as the experimental single-seat P-51D airplane “The Galloping Ghost,” traveling about 445 knots, or 512 mph, in the third lap of the six-lap race, passed pylon 8, it experienced a left-roll upset and high-G pitch up. During the upset sequence, the airplane’s vertical acceleration peaked at 17.3 G, causing incapacitation of the pilot. Seconds later, a section of the left elevator trim tab separated in flight. The airplane descended and impacted the ramp in the spectator box seating area, killing the pilot and 10 spectators and injuring more than 60 others.
“In Reno, the fine line between observing risk and being impacted by the consequences when something goes wrong was crossed,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman. “The pilots understood the risks they assumed; the spectators assumed their safety had been assessed and addressed.”
Contributing to the accident were the undocumented and untested major modifications made to the airplane, as well as the pilot’s operation of the airplane in the unique air racing environment without adequate flight testing.
The nearly 70-year-old airplane had undergone numerous undocumented modifications. The modifications, designed to increase speed, included shortening of the wings, installation of a boil-off cooling system for the engine, increasing the elevator counterweights, modification of the pitch trim system, and changing the incidence of the horizontal and vertical stabilizers.
Although the Federal Aviation Administration required that a flight standards district office be notified in writing of any major changes made to The Galloping Ghost before it could be flown, investigators could find no records that such notifications were made except for the installation of the boil-off cooling system. The undocumented major modifications were identified through wreckage examinations, photographic evidence, and interviews with ground crewmembers.
In April, while the investigation was ongoing and after the NTSB’s investigative hearing in January on air race and air show safety, the NTSB issued 10 safety recommendations to the Reno Air Racing Association, the National Air racing Group Unlimited Division, and the FAA. These recommendations addressed:
Although no additional safety recommendations were issued today, the Board reclassified nine existing recommendations as described below:
A tenth safety recommendation, issued to the FAA, which addressed air race and course design guidance was reclassified as “Open—Acceptable Response” on July 25, 2012.
“It’s good news for the air races that so many of our recommendations have been addressed,” said Chairman Hersman. “We will continue to push for the full implementation of all of our safety recommendations.”
British Airways flight BA-286 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Vancouver, Canada, on October 24th.
The Airbus A380-800 plane heading from San Francisco, California, to London, United Kingdom, was diverted due to a medical emergency.
Authorities said the crew declared an emergency after several passengers and crew members reported feeling sick due to fumes on board.
The plane, carrying 433 people aboard, landed safely. Twenty-five people, including 5 passengers and 20 crew members, were taken to hospitals.
What: Herman Hassinger Architects Beechcraft A36 Bonanza en route from Nashua to Laconia
Where: Hooksett, New Hampshire
When: Oct 25, 2012 1:30 pm
Who: 2 aboard, 2 fatalities
Why: According to reports, the single-engine Beechcraft hit a light pole alongside I-93 northbound.
The two aboard, Husband and wife Herman and Doris Hassinger, were on their way to a board of trustees meeting at a New Hampton boarding school, and died when the plane crashed on to the shoulder and guard rail after glancing off the pole.
Herman Hassinger was ejected into the woods about 25 yards from the plane.
The plane sustained heavy front-end damage. The debris included parts fallen from the light pole and about six feet of the plane’s wing.
The Bureau of Aeronautics, FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating.
KLM flight KL-598 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Nice, France, on November 20th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane heading from Cape Town, South Africa, to Amsterdam, Netherlands, was diverted due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Three people killed during a Discovery Channel Reality Show filming probably died due to cost cutting measures by the Discovery Channel.
The “Crossbow Helicopters” Bell 206B Jet Ranger helicopter #N59518 was being used to shoot a reality show on the Polsa Rosa Ranch near Acton, California when it crashed at about 3:40 am. It broke into three pieces on impact in a rugged canyon area near Soledad Canyon Road.
Cast member Michael Donatelli, cameraman Darren Rydstrom and pilot David Gibbs died when the helicopter they were in crashed at the Polsa Rosa Ranch. The case alleges “conscious disregard of additional, unacceptable safety risk” and claims that the pilot and the various chopper companies were unfit to operate the Helicopter.
Grisel Donatelli, Amanda Donatelli and Dominic Donatelli named Discovery Communications, producers Eyeworks USA, Bongo Inc, Van Nuys Copters, Crossbow Helicopters and Orbic Air and others were named in the 23-page three count complaint.
Pilot Gibbs had a spotty safety record. His license had been suspended by the FAA several times.
S7 Airlines flight S7-3515 made an emergency landing in Novosibirsk, Russia, on June 19th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, but had to turn back due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and forty-seven people aboard remained unharmed.
