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20060825019959A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Mtsbsi MU-2B-40 · Flagler County, FL · August 25, 2006

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 25, 2006 · 13:07 local
Place
Flagler County, FL
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N171MA
NTSB investigation
NTSBNYC06MA208
Reported as
Mtsbsi MU2B40
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Pilot’s flight hours
3,700 total1,700 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days
N171MARegistration cancelled Jun 26, 2009 · Mitsubishi MU-2B-40S/N 431 S.A. · Built 1980Airframe modelMitsubishi MU-2B-40Engine modelAiResearch TPE331 seriesTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Aircraft encountered thunderstorm activity. Numerous attempts to contact aircraft by jax approach were unsuccessful. Radar data indicated a rapid descent from 28,000 feet. Aircraft suffered an inflight breakup. All surfaces of aircraft, with the exception of the vertical fin, separated from aircraft. Fuselage landed in a flat upright position. The left tip tank was separated from the left wing, the left wing separated at the inbd side of the engine nacelle, the right wing and center section separated in one large section. The left horizontal stab separated along with the center attaching structure. A small piece of the right elevator was recovered. Several other pieces have been located from the air but not yet recovered. All wreckage was found in a relatively small area, suggesting the aircraft came broke up at a low altitude. The props and engines showed no signs of power at impact. The aircraft checklist was found open to the emergency procedures section titled engine air start.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT AIRCRAFT BY JAX APPROACH WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. RADAR DATA INDICATED A RAPID DESCENT FROM 28,000 FEET. AIRCRAFT SUFFERED AN INFLIGHT BREAKUP. ALL SURFACES OF AIRCRAFT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE VERTICAL FIN, SEPARATED FROM AIRCRAFT. FUSELAGE LANDED IN A FLAT UPRIGHT POSITION. THE LEFT TIP TANK WAS SEPARATED FROM THE LEFT WING, THE LEFT WING SEPARATED AT THE INBD SIDE OF THE ENGINE NACELLE, THE RIGHT WING AND CENTER SECTION SEPARATED IN ONE LARGE SECTION. THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STAB SEPARATED ALONG WITH THE CENTER ATTACHING STRUCTURE. A SMALL PIECE OF THE RIGHT ELEVATOR WAS RECOVERED. SEVERAL OTHER PIECES HAVE BEEN LOCATED FROM THE AIR BUT NOT YET RECOVERED. ALL WRECKAGE WAS FOUND IN A RELATIVELY SMALL AREA, SUGGESTING THE AIRCRAFT CAME BROKE UP AT A LOW ALTITUDE. THE PROPS AND ENGINES SHOWED NO SIGNS OF POWER AT IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT CHECKLIST WAS FOUND OPEN TO THE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES SECTION TITLED ENGINE AIR START.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB NYC06MA208Accident · 2 fatalMajor investigationFinal reportBunnell, FLThe pilot's inadvertent encounter with thunderstorms.Aug 25, 2006 · Destroyed