ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 25861
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| Date: | Sunday 20 October 1996 |
| Time: | 12:12 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain |
| Owner/operator: | Telford Aviation Inc |
| Registration: | N744W |
| MSN: | 31-7952246 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Eel River Crossing, near Charlo, New Brunswick -
 Canada
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Port-Menier Airport, Port-Menier, Quebec (YPN/CYPN) |
| Bangor International Airport, Bangor, Maine (BGR/KBGR) | |
| Investigating agency: | TSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On October 20, 1996, at 12:12 ADT (Atlantic daylight time), a Piper PA31-350, N744W, operated by Telford Aviation Inc., Waterville, Maine, was destroyed when it impacted terrain during a descent at Eel River Crossing, near Charlo, New Brunswick, Canada. All eight person on board - the commercial pilot and seven passengers - were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the on-demand charter flight that originated at Port-Menier, Quebec, at 11:10 ADT.
About 45 minutes after takeoff, the pilot of N744W completed a frequency change and contacted the Moncton Air Traffic Control Center, where he reported that he was 30 miles northeast of Charlo, New Brunswick, at 6,000 feet. The airplane was not in radar contact. A few minutes later the pilot reported to the Moncton controller that he needed to proceed direct to the Charlo Airport due to a rough running engine. The controller advised the pilot to go direct to Charlo, and requested that he contact the Charlo Flight Service Station (FSS).
At 12:03 ADT, the pilot contacted the Charlo FSS and indicated that he needed to land at Charlo. The FSS attendant provided the pilot the Charlo weather, which included a ceiling of 200 foot overcast, visibility 3/4 mile, and a RVR of 3,000 feet. The pilot then requested the FSS attendant for an airport that was VMC. The FSS attendant provided the weather for two airports that were VMC, and the pilot then stated his intent to land at Charlo. During the conversations with Charlo, the pilot informed the attendant that he had a rough running engine. Also during this time frame, the pilot of N744W reported to the pilot of the Cessna 208 on their company frequency that, "he had a high cylinder head temperature." The pilot did not indicate which engine was the problem during any of his transmissions.
During the next several minutes, the pilot of N744W received information about the ILS runway 13 approach to Charlo from the FSS attendant. A few minutes prior to the crash, a resident on the east side of the Charlo Airport telephoned the FSS, and advised the attendant that he heard an airplane fly over in a westerly direction. The resident reported that he heard one engine running normally and one engine backfiring. Witnesses on the west side of the airport reported observing the airplane fly over a house and wires, followed by a wing over turn, and impact with the ground, about 3 miles west of the Charlo Airport. A post crash fire consumed the airplane.
Initial examination of the wreckage revealed the landing gear and flaps retracted, and the rudder trim actuator was set for right rudder. Disassembly of the engines and propellers revealed no pre-impact failure, and neither propeller was feathered.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. NTSB Identification: NYC97RA006 at https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001208X06965&key=1&queryId=ea50213c-60b8-4e9d-95f8-fe6a8cb9e7b5&pgno=4&pgsize=200
2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=744W
3. TSB Canada Aviation Investigation Report A96H0005 at http://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/1996/a96h0005/a96h0005.asp
4. http://baaa-acro.maleo.net/1996/archives/crash-of-a-piper-pa-31-navajo-chieftain-in-charlo-8-killed/
5. http://www.ascendworldwide.com/download/Cust/WAAS167_Complete.pdf
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 06-May-2015 02:37 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country] |
| 29-May-2015 05:04 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:14 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:16 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:20 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 13-Sep-2017 19:38 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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