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20121207027339A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Cessna 501 · Grand Forks, ND · December 7, 2012

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
December 7, 2012 · 23:15 local
Place
Grand Forks, ND
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N212M
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN13FA101
Reported as
Cessna 501
Reported engine
Williams FJ44-2A
People aboard
6
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
10,161 total810 in this make and model61 in the last 90 days
N212MRegistered now · Cessna 501S/N 501-0280 · Built 1977Airframe modelCessna 501Engine modelPratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-1 seriesTurbo-fan

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.

On December 7, 2012, about 2234 central standard time, a Cessna 501 airplane, N212M, was

Substantially damaged during recovery from an in-flight upset while departing from detroit

Lakes airport (kdtl), detroit lakes, Minnesota. The two pilots and four passengers were not

Injured. The flight was operated under the provisions of 14 code of federal regulations part 91 while on an instrument flight plan. Night

Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the flight level of the accident, which had

An intended destination of bessemer airport (keky), bessemer, Alabama.

While climbing through approximately 7,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL), with the autopilot

Engaged, the pilots stated the attitude indicator for the pilot in command (PIC) became inoperative

And the autopilot rolled the aircraft into an unusual attitude. The PIC disengaged the autopilot

And recovered the aircraft to level flight, primarily by referencing the turn needle and

Directional gyro. Both wings were substantially damaged by aerodynamic forces during the

Recovery maneuver. The pilots diverted to Grand Forks international airport (kgfk), Grand

Forks, north dakota and landed without further incident.

Dakota and landed without further incident.

As the FAA filed it

ON DECEMBER 7, 2012, ABOUT 2234 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 501 AIRPLANE, N212M, WAS

SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING RECOVERY FROM AN IN-FLIGHT UPSET WHILE DEPARTING FROM DETROIT

LAKES AIRPORT (KDTL), DETROIT LAKES, MINNESOTA. THE TWO PILOTS AND FOUR PASSENGERS WERE NOT

INJURED. THE FLIGHT WAS OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 WHILE ON AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PLAN. NIGHT

INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE FLIGHT LEVEL OF THE ACCIDENT, WHICH HAD

AN INTENDED DESTINATION OF BESSEMER AIRPORT (KEKY), BESSEMER, ALABAMA.

WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH APPROXIMATELY 7,000 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL), WITH THE AUTOPILOT

ENGAGED, THE PILOTS STATED THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR FOR THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) BECAME INOPERATIVE

AND THE AUTOPILOT ROLLED THE AIRCRAFT INTO AN UNUSUAL ATTITUDE. THE PIC DISENGAGED THE AUTOPILOT

AND RECOVERED THE AIRCRAFT TO LEVEL FLIGHT, PRIMARILY BY REFERENCING THE TURN NEEDLE AND

DIRECTIONAL GYRO. BOTH WINGS WERE SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED BY AERODYNAMIC FORCES DURING THE

RECOVERY MANEUVER. THE PILOTS DIVERTED TO GRAND FORKS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KGFK), GRAND

FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

DAKOTA AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

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 CEN13FA101Accident · No injuriesField investigationFinal reportDetroit Lakes, MNA loss of airplane control due to an undetermined avionics malfunction and the pilots’ inattention, which resulted in excessive airframe forces during the unusual attitude recovery. The reason for the avionics malfunction could not be determined because…Dec 8, 2012 · Substantial damage