20080911846539A

(-23)ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2008 AT APPROXIMATELY 1708 EASTERN TIME, N710ND WAS ON FINAL APPROACH FOR RUNWAY 6 TO ERIE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KERI), ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA AND THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD ON RUNWAY 6 AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE AIRCRAFT RESCUE FIRE FIGHTING (ARFF) UNITS HAD RESPONDED YET WERE NOT UTILIZED. AFTER LANDING THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED TO HANGAR. THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES FROM THE PILOT OR FROM THE SINGLE PASSENGER. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 AND AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES (IFR) FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THE METEOROLOGICAL CONDITION WERE VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (VMC). THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLOWN UNDER AN ANGEL FLIGHT CALL SIGN OF NGF0ND. THE FLIGHT, HOWEVER, WAS NOT AN ANGEL FLIGHT. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KBOS) AND PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT THE AIRCRAFT WAS FUELED BY SIGNATURE FLIGHT SUPPORT AT KBOS. THE FUEL RECEIPT FROM SIGNATURE FLIGHT SUPPORT INDICATES THE AIRCRAFT WAS “TOPPED OFF” AND HAD 34.2 GALLONS OF 100 LOW LEAD FUEL ADDED TO THE MAIN TANKS AND THERE WAS NO FUEL ADDED TO THE TIP TANKS. ACCORDING TO THE BEECHCRAFT’S FUEL SYSTEM MANUALS, N710ND HAS FUEL CAPACITY OF 40 GALLONS PER MAIN TANK, WITH ONLY 37 GALLONS BEING USABLE. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE FUELER, A ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INDICATED HE REMOVED AND REPLACED THE FUEL CAPS HIMSELF AND THERE WERE NO ISSUES NOTED WITH THE FUEL CAPS ON THE AIRCRAFT. ADDITIONALLY, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THE PILOT OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT PRESENT AT THE TIME OF FUELING. THE PLANNED FLIGHT TIME FOR THE FLIGHT FROM KBOS TO KERI WAS FOR TWO HOURS AND FORTY-FIVE MINUTES; HOWEVER, IT ACTUALLY TOOK APPROXIMATELY THREE HOURS AND TEN MINUTES. THE AIRCRAFT HAD APPROXIMATELY FOUR HOURS AND 40 MINUTES OF FUEL ONBOARD BASED ON 74 GALLONS OF USABLE FUEL AT A FUEL USAGE RATE OF 16 GALLONS PER HOUR. THE AIRCRAFT WAS PILOTED AND OWNED BY A ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) CERTIFICATED PILOT. ACCORDING TO FAA AIRMEN RECORDS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HOLDS A COMMERICAL PILOT CERTIFICATE, CERTIFICATE NUMBER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WITH THE FOLLOWING RATINGS: AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND, AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND, AND INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE. ACCORDING TO FAA RECORDS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAS NO PRIOR HISTOR OF INCIDENTS, ACCIDENTS, OR ENFORCEMENTS ACCORDING TO FAA DATABASES. A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW WAS ATTEMPTED WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, HOWEVER, I ONLY RECEIVED HIS VOICEMAIL AND I LEFT A MESSAGE. DURING MY TRIP BACK TO PITTSBURGH I RECEIVED A TELEPHONE CALL ON MY CELL PHONE FROM ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ATTORNEY, A ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS ON THE LINE WITH HIM. I ATTEMPTED TO CONDUCT AN INTERVIEW; HOWEVER THE CONDITIONS WERE NOT CONDUCIVE FOR AN INTERVIEW SINCE I WAS HAVING A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND THEY WERE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES ON THEIR END. I TOLD ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ I WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AT A LATER DATE AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED I NEEDED TO COORDINATE THAT THROUGH HIM. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ASKED WHAT DOCUMENTATION ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ NEEDED TO COMPLETE SINCE THIS EVENT WAS BEING CLASSIFIED AS AN ACCIDENT. I TOLD ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO GO TO THE NTSB WEBSITE AND HE COULD DOWNLOAD THE APPROPRIATE FORM. THE NTSB LATER INTERVIEWED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ CONCERNING THE FLIGHT BETWEEN KBOS AND KERI. A COPY OF THE STATEMENT TAKEN FROM THIS INTERVIEW IS PART OF THIS ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION PACKAGE. DURING THE NTSB INTERVIEW, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THE AIRCRAFT’S ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING APPROXIMATLEY A HALF OF A MILE FROM KERI WHILE ON FINAL TO RUNWAY 6. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED HE WAS RUNNING ON THE RIGHT TANK AT THE TIME THE ENGINE STOPPED. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED HE IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED TO THE LEFT TANK AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE AIRCRAFT, HOWEVER, WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. MR. TRUSTEY^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^MR. TRUSTEY^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^MR. TRUSTEY^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^MR TRUSTEY^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^MR. TRUSTEY^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^MR. TRUSTEY^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^MR. TRUSTEY^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^MR. TRUSTEY^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^MR. TRUSTEY^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHO IS A MECHANIC FROM NORTH COAST AIR, STATED THE NOTICED THE LANYARD FOR THE RIGHT WING FUEL CAP WAS POSSIBLY INTERFERED WITH THE FUEL CAP. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ATTEMPTED TO RECREATE AND DEMONSTRATE TO THE FAA HOW HE FOUND THE LANYARD, HOWEVER, WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. THE PASSENGER WAS A ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS INTERVIED VIA TELEPHONE AND STATED JUST PRIOR TO THE ENGINE SHUTTING DOWN HE HAD NOTED THE FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR SHOWED 19 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING ON BOTH SIDE. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SMOOTHLY AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS A GREAT PILOT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS ASKED IF HE WAS A PILOT AS WELL AND HE STATED NO HE WASN’T. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED ERIE WAS A PLANNED STOP FOR FUEL AND THE FINAL DESTINATION WAS SOUTH BEND INDIANA. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS LATER INTERVIEWED AGAIN CONCERN THE CONDITIONS OF THE FUEL CAPS AFTER HE AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THE ONLY THING HE KNEW WAS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS TALKING TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC ABOUT THE FUEL CAP. I ASKED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, IF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAD MADE ANY SPECIFIC COMMENTS ABOUT THE FUEL CAPS AND I WAS TOLD HE COULD NOT RECALL ANY SUCH STATEMENTS. AN EXAMINATION OF N710D REVEALED THERE WAS SEVERE WRINKLING AND BUCKLING OF THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE INBOARD SECTION OF THE RIGHT WING. ON THE TOP OF THE RIGHT WING AT THE INBOARD SIDE OF THE FLAP TRACK WHERE THE WALKWAY SURFACE ENDS ON THE WING, THERE WAS A VERITCAL RISING CREASE. THE UNDERSIDE OF THE RIGHT WING HAS SEVERE BUCKLING JUST AFT AND INBOARD OF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT WAS COLLAPSED. AT THE ATTACHMENT POINT OF THE INBOARD RIGHT WING FLAP THE UNDERSIDE OF THE WING IS BUCKLED DOWNWARD. THE ONLY DAMAGE NOTED ON THE LEFT WING WAS BUCKLING JUST AFT OF THE REAR ATTACHMENT POINT. THE AIRCRAFT MASTER ELECTRICAL POWER WAS APPLIED TO THE AIRCRAFT AND IT WAS NOTED THE FUEL INDICATION SHOWED THE RIGHT MAIN TANK TO BE IN THE YELLOW RANGE WITH ZERO GALLONS SHOWING AND THE LEFT MAIN TANK SHOWED 18 GALLONS OF FUEL. IT WAS NOTED THE FLAP MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS OPENED. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND IN THE “LEFT MAIN” POSITION. THE HOBBS METER WAS AT 233.1. THE FUEL CAPS FOR THE RIGHT AND LEFT WING WERE REMOVED AND NO FUEL WAS VISIBLE IN EITHER TANK. THE LEFT AND RIGHT WING TIP TANKS WERE BOTH EXAMINED AND FOUND TO BE EMPTY. WHILE PLACING THE RIGHT WING FUEL CAP IT WAS NOTED THE FUEL CAP WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO LOCK DOWN. THE RIGHT WING FUEL CAP COULD ONLY BE LOCKED DOWN BY PULLING UP ON THE FUEL CAP AT THE SAME TIME THE HANDLE WAS PUSHED DOWN. THE LEFT WING FUEL CAP LOCKED DOWN WITH EASE. THE RIGHT WING FUEL CAP WAS EXAMINED OFF THE WING AND IT WOULD NOT LOCK DOWN WITHOUT PULLING DOWN ON THE LOWER PORTION OF THE CAP. THE RIGHT WING FUEL CAP WAS DISASSEMBLED AND COMPARED TO THE ILLUSTRATED PARTS BREAKDOWN (IPC) FROM BEECHCRAFT AND IT WAS NOTED THERE WAS AN EXTRA WASHER AS COMPARED TO THE IPC. NO DEFECTS WERE NOTED WITH THE FUEL CAP. THERE WERE TRACES OF FUEL ON IN THE TOP OF THE RIGHT WING FUEL CAP, ON RIVETS ON THE TOP OF THE RIGHT WING, AND IN THE RIGHT WING FLAP TRACK. THERE WERE NO OTHER TRACES OF FUEL ON ANY OTHER PART OF THE EXTERIOR OF THE AIRCRAFT. A CONVERSATION WITH A ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OF NAGLE AIRCRAFT OF BEDFORD MASSACHUSETTS INDICATED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAD CALLED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ACCIDENT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SEEMED TO BE IN A PANIC STATE. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TOLD ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HE HAD FOUND ONE OF THE FUEL CAPS DISLODGED AND THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF FUEL LEAKAGE ON THE WING. FURTHERMORE, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THERE WAS NO EVIDENCES OF LEAKING ON THE OTHER WING. THE AIRCRAFT WS DEFULED AT THE SUMP POINTS ON BOTH OF THE WINGS. FROM THE RIGHT WING MAIN FUEL TANK APPROXIMATELY ONE QUART OF FUEL WAS DRAINED. FROM THE LEFT WING MAIN TANK APPROXIMATLEY 18 GALLONS OF FUEL WAS DRAINED. THE RIGHT WING INBOARD FUEL CELL ACCESS PANEL WAS REMOVED TO EXAMINE THE FUEL BLADDER. THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER CUP OF FUEL REMAINING IN THE TANK AFTER IT WAS DRAINED AS VIEWED THROUGH THE ACCESS PANEL. IT WAS NOTED THE FUEL BLADDER IN THE RIGHT WING WAS PULLED UP AND THE FUEL FLOAT WAS RESTING ON ONE OF THE RAISED RIDGES OF THE BLADDER. THE RIDGE WAS NOT ALLOWING THE FLOAT ARM TO REST ON THE BOTTOM STOP. THE AIRCRAFT AIRFRAME, PROPELLER, AND ENGINE LOGBOOKS WERE REVIEWED AND IT SHOWED NAGLE AIRCRAFT HAD CHANGED THE FUEL CAP SEALS DURING THE ANNUAL INSPECTION ON JANUARY 3, 2008. THERE WAS NO APPLICABLE AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES (AD) NOTED FOR N710ND. THERE WAS ONE DISCREPANCY NOTED FOR THE TKS ANTI-ICING SYSTEM'S HIGH PRESSURE SWITCH AND THERE IS A CONCERN WITH THIS SINCE THE PART WAS ORDERED PRIOR TO THE AIRCRAFT BEING TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE OR THE SYSTEM BEING DIFFERED DUE TO THE UNAIRWORTHY CONDITION OF THE AIRCRAFT. ACCORDING TO THE FAA AIRCRAFT REGISTRY N710ND IS A 2006 BEECHCRAFT G-36, SERIAL NUMBER E-3751. THERE ARE NO OTHER ACCIDENTS, INCIDENTS, OR ENFORCEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS AIRCRAFT ACCORDING TO THE FAA DATABASES.