20070517014449A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Beech 95A55 · Dunkirk, NY · May 17, 2007

Date
May 17, 2007 · 09:40 local
Place
Dunkirk, NY
Airport
Chautauqua County/Dunkirk
Phase of flight
Go Round (Aborted VFR)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
CFDJP
Reported as
Beech 95A55
Reported engine
Continental IO470L
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
3
Pilot’s flight hours
1,466 total888 in this make and model14 in the last 90 days

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) privacy data omitted on may 17, 2007 at 0940 EDT, a Beechcraft baron, BE-55, registration number c-fdjp, crashed after attempting a missed approach after executing the VOR approach to runway 24 at the Dunkirk airport (kdkk). The pilot of c-fdjp contacted erie approach control and requested vectors to an airport for landing, stating that he had a rough-running engine. The aircraft was then vectored for the straight-in VOR approach to runway 24 at dkk. The aircraft missed the approach to runway 24 and entered the clouds. A witness stated that the landing gear was in the down position, and the left propeller was feathered. A few seconds later the aircraft exited the clouds in a nose down left spin, and impacted the ground. That same day, inspectors privacy data omitted and privacy data omitted from the rochester FSDO responded. Upon arrival at the scene, the inspectors found the site secured. The remains of the pilot and passengers had been removed. The aircraft was upright in a wooded area facing a 280 degree heading. There was no debris path, as the aircraft had little or no forward movement. The landing gear was in the down position, the left propeller was feathered and the flaps appeared to be in the retracted position. The exterior and cockpit of the wreckage were photographed. The left fuel tank was breached and the right tank's fuel could not be seen when the cap was removed. On may 18, 2007 representatives of Beechcraft, NTSB, transportation safety board of Canada and teledyne Continental motors arrived on scene to conduct their investigation. More photos were taken. A continuity check of the aircraft's controls were conducted and found positive. The flaps were confirmed to be in the retracted position. The left propeller was removed; the right was unable to be removed. After removal of the left cowling, it was discovered that an approximate 3" by 4" hole was in the top of the engine case where the aft inboard cylinder attaches to the engine. The inboard magneto was not longer attached to the engine case. The NTSB was planning to have the aircraft moved to a more suitable location for further inspection.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ON MAY 17, 2007 AT 0940 EDT, A BEECHCRAFT BARON, BE-55, REGISTRATION NUMBER C-FDJP, CRASHED AFTER ATTEMPTING A MISSED APPROACH AFTER EXECUTING THE VOR APPROACH TO RUNWAY 24 AT THE DUNKIRK AIRPORT (KDKK). THE PILOT OF C-FDJP CONTACTED ERIE APPROACH CONTROL AND REQUESTED VECTORS TO AN AIRPORT FOR LANDING, STATING THAT HE HAD A ROUGH-RUNNING ENGINE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN VECTORED FOR THE STRAIGHT-IN VOR APPROACH TO RUNWAY 24 AT DKK. THE AIRCRAFT MISSED THE APPROACH TO RUNWAY 24 AND ENTERED THE CLOUDS. A WITNESS STATED THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION, AND THE LEFT PROPELLER WAS FEATHERED. A FEW SECONDS LATER THE AIRCRAFT EXITED THE CLOUDS IN A NOSE DOWN LEFT SPIN, AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THAT SAME DAY, INSPECTORS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FROM THE ROCHESTER FSDO RESPONDED. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE SCENE, THE INSPECTORS FOUND THE SITE SECURED. THE REMAINS OF THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS HAD BEEN REMOVED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS UPRIGHT IN A WOODED AREA FACING A 280 DEGREE HEADING. THERE WAS NO DEBRIS PATH, AS THE AIRCRAFT HAD LITTLE OR NO FORWARD MOVEMENT. THE LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION, THE LEFT PROPELLER WAS FEATHERED AND THE FLAPS APPEARED TO BE IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. THE EXTERIOR AND COCKPIT OF THE WRECKAGE WERE PHOTOGRAPHED. THE LEFT FUEL TANK WAS BREACHED AND THE RIGHT TANK'S FUEL COULD NOT BE SEEN WHEN THE CAP WAS REMOVED. ON MAY 18, 2007 REPRESENTATIVES OF BEECHCRAFT, NTSB, TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD OF CANADA AND TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL MOTORS ARRIVED ON SCENE TO CONDUCT THEIR INVESTIGATION. MORE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN. A CONTINUITY CHECK OF THE AIRCRAFT'S CONTROLS WERE CONDUCTED AND FOUND POSITIVE. THE FLAPS WERE CONFIRMED TO BE IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. THE LEFT PROPELLER WAS REMOVED; THE RIGHT WAS UNABLE TO BE REMOVED. AFTER REMOVAL OF THE LEFT COWLING, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT AN APPROXIMATE 3" BY 4" HOLE WAS IN THE TOP OF THE ENGINE CASE WHERE THE AFT INBOARD CYLINDER ATTACHES TO THE ENGINE. THE INBOARD MAGNETO WAS NOT LONGER ATTACHED TO THE ENGINE CASE. THE NTSB WAS PLANNING TO HAVE THE AIRCRAFT MOVED TO A MORE SUITABLE LOCATION FOR FURTHER INSPECTION.