ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 134112
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Date: | Friday 5 June 1998 |
Time: | 15:31 |
Type: | Beechcraft 80 Queen Air |
Owner/operator: | 2 Engines And A Prayer, Inc. |
Registration: | N215AB |
MSN: | LD-58 |
Total airframe hrs: | 6758 hours |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Category: | Accident |
Location: | Malone, NY -
United States of America
|
Phase: | Approach |
Nature: | Private |
Departure airport: | CRE |
Destination airport: | MAL |
Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:On June 5, 1998, at 1531 Eastern Daylight Time, a Beech 65-80 Queen Air, N215AB, was destroyed during an approach to Malone-Dufort Airport (MAL), Malone, New York. The certificated private pilot and four passengers received minor injuries while one passenger was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight between North Myrtle Beach Airport (CRE), North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Malone-Dufort Airport. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
In a written statement to the New York State Police, the pilot wrote that he "received a weather report from Flight Watch...the winds were from the west at 18 knots, gusting [to] 26 knots...clouds were scattered at 6,000 feet." He further wrote: "At about 3:10 p.m. and...2,500 feet, I checked the wind socks to determine which runway to land on. At this time, I noticed the plane was not responding [as] it should have responded. All my pre-landing procedures were done, including the landing gear being down. I made a right turn and was trying to maintain directional control in order to have as controlled a crash as possible, because I knew a crash was inevitable."
At that time, the pilot made no mention of an engine malfunction, nor did the two passengers who were also interviewed. In an initial telephone conversation with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector, the pilot said the left engine quit. During a subsequent interview, the pilot said the right engine was "cutting out, so he adjusted the mixture for that engine to keep it going." When reminded of the earlier telephone conversation, the pilot said he was not sure which engine had lost power because it happened so fast.
In a later telephone interview with the Safety Board Investigator, the pilot said both engines lost power. He stated that after he flew over the airport, he made a descending right turn to a downwind for Runway 32. At the abeam position, the airplane was about 2,000 feet, propellers 2,750 to 2,800 rpm, throttle reduced to 18 to 19 inches, mixture full rich, airspeed about 110 knots, flaps up, and an angle of bank of about 45 degrees. Just before turning to the base leg, the pilot said he lost power to the right engine, followed almost immediately by a loss of power to the left engine. He said he recognized the loss of thrust from the right engine by the sound and the yaw, and added left rudder. The pilot "gave more throttle" and both engines were "kinda coughing." He moved the mixture knob fore and aft, and checked the magnetos, pumps and battery switches. He said he knew he would land in the field. He landed "pretty much flat" but hit the right wing first. All three landing gear hit the ground and "came apart." The airplane slid on its belly, hit a small tree, and came to rest 142 feet from the initial impact point.
When asked to describe the loss of engine power, the pilot said it was "coughing like it was starting, backfiring, sputtering." The pilot stated that he did not try to put either engine into feather because he wanted the airplane to hit the ground at a lower speed.
The pilot also stated that the previous day, during the arrival to North Myrtle Beach from Key West, Florida, the right engine lost power during a missed approach. After the pilot leaned the mixture, it regained power. However, it lost power again when the throttle was reduced on final approach.
Witnesses in North Myrtle Beach stated that when the engine failed, the pilot executed a go-around, and continued through to the landing, with the landing gear and flaps down. After landing, a local fixed based operator offered maintenance help, but the pilot opted to troubleshoot the problem on his own.
The pilot said he spent several hours cleaning fuel screens that evening. During a ground test, the left engine started without any problem. The right engine was hard to start, but finally did. In order to keep the engine going,
Sources:
NTSB id 20001211X10399
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
21-Dec-2016 19:26 |
ASN Update Bot |
Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
17-Nov-2022 20:13 |
Ron Averes |
Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative] |
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