What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) The flight departed cherry capital city, traverse city, Michigan (tvc) for Toledo Express (tol) on an IFR flight plan. According to the fss flight plan the flight was planned for 40 minutes with 1 hour and 45 minutes of fuel on board. The company dispatch log indicates a no wind trip time of 50 minutes. A takeoff and landing (tol) card found at the accident site indicated the aircraft departed tvc at 21,000 pounds gross weight. Estimated fuel weight at departure is approximately 4,500 pounds. Training of the first officer was being conducted on the flight to tol. Air work was done enroute to tol. Radar vectors for an instrument approach at tol was given and a low approach to a missed with vectors for a second approach. On the second approach the airplane impacted the ground 1.57 miles from the approach end of the runway. The airplane was destroyed. A passenger survived the impact but was fatally injured during the emergency evacuation. The weather at tol at 1333 EDT was 1 mile visibility with mist, 300 feet overcast temperature 0 degrees celsius. Surface visibility was 11/4 mile. At the time of the accident other aircraft were reported being in icing conditions. The flight departed tvc at 1231 EDT and crashed at approximately 1350 EDT. Post investigation of the accident revealed that the flaps and leading edge devices were in the stowed position and that the right engine was not developing power. It also appeared that the anti-ice system was not being used. In July a level d falcon 20 simulator at flightsafety international in dallas was used to recreate and confirm the airplane configurations that would match the flight profile of the accident airplane. The scenario that most closely fit the profile of the accident had the pilots hold 180 knots until 2 mile outside the outer marker, reduce power to idle thrust, 1/4 inche of ice on the airplane, lower the landing gear at the outer marker, not extend the flaps, and the right engine was failed, flameout, at about 3 miles from the approach end of the runway. While on glideslope the aircraft did stall and rapidly lost altitude. During an operational review of grand aire, inc. a memo from the director of operations was found on the pilots' bulletin board praising the pilots for returning to tol with minimum fuel. Estimated fuel on board the accident airplane at the time of the accident was between 800 and 1,100 pounds of fuel.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THE FLIGHT DEPARTED CHERRY CAPITAL CITY, TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN (TVC) FOR TOLEDO EXPRESS (TOL) ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN. ACCORDING TO THE FSS FLIGHT PLAN THE FLIGHT WAS PLANNED FOR 40 MINUTES WITH 1 HOUR AND 45 MINUTES OF FUEL ON BOARD. THE COMPANY DISPATCH LOG INDICATES A NO WIND TRIP TIME OF 50 MINUTES. A TAKEOFF AND LANDING (TOL) CARD FOUND AT THE ACCIDENT SITE INDICATED THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED TVC AT 21,000 POUNDS GROSS WEIGHT. ESTIMATED FUEL WEIGHT AT DEPARTURE IS APPROXIMATELY 4,500 POUNDS. TRAINING OF THE FIRST OFFICER WAS BEING CONDUCTED ON THE FLIGHT TO TOL. AIR WORK WAS DONE ENROUTE TO TOL. RADAR VECTORS FOR AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH AT TOL WAS GIVEN AND A LOW APPROACH TO A MISSED WITH VECTORS FOR A SECOND APPROACH. ON THE SECOND APPROACH THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND 1.57 MILES FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. A PASSENGER SURVIVED THE IMPACT BUT WAS FATALLY INJURED DURING THE EMERGENCY EVACUATION. THE WEATHER AT TOL AT 1333 EDT WAS 1 MILE VISIBILITY WITH MIST, 300 FEET OVERCAST TEMPERATURE 0 DEGREES CELSIUS. SURFACE VISIBILITY WAS 11/4 MILE. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT OTHER AIRCRAFT WERE REPORTED BEING IN ICING CONDITIONS. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED TVC AT 1231 EDT AND CRASHED AT APPROXIMATELY 1350 EDT. POST INVESTIGATION OF THE ACCIDENT REVEALED THAT THE FLAPS AND LEADING EDGE DEVICES WERE IN THE STOWED POSITION AND THAT THE RIGHT ENGINE WAS NOT DEVELOPING POWER. IT ALSO APPEARED THAT THE ANTI-ICE SYSTEM WAS NOT BEING USED. IN JULY A LEVEL D FALCON 20 SIMULATOR AT FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL IN DALLAS WAS USED TO RECREATE AND CONFIRM THE AIRPLANE CONFIGURATIONS THAT WOULD MATCH THE FLIGHT PROFILE OF THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE. THE SCENARIO THAT MOST CLOSELY FIT THE PROFILE OF THE ACCIDENT HAD THE PILOTS HOLD 180 KNOTS UNTIL 2 MILE OUTSIDE THE OUTER MARKER, REDUCE POWER TO IDLE THRUST, 1/4 INCHE OF ICE ON THE AIRPLANE, LOWER THE LANDING GEAR AT THE OUTER MARKER, NOT EXTEND THE FLAPS, AND THE RIGHT ENGINE WAS FAILED, FLAMEOUT, AT ABOUT 3 MILES FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY. WHILE ON GLIDESLOPE THE AIRCRAFT DID STALL AND RAPIDLY LOST ALTITUDE. DURING AN OPERATIONAL REVIEW OF GRAND AIRE, INC. A MEMO FROM THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS WAS FOUND ON THE PILOTS' BULLETIN BOARD PRAISING THE PILOTS FOR RETURNING TO TOL WITH MINIMUM FUEL. ESTIMATED FUEL ON BOARD THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS BETWEEN 800 AND 1,100 POUNDS OF FUEL.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.