CEN10LA090

NTSB accident investigation · Beech C-99 · Kearney, NE · January 6, 2010

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
January 6, 2010, 06:35 local (12:35 UTC)
Place
Kearney, NE
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N206AVBeech C-99
Defining event
Landing-flare/touchdown: Aerodynamic stall/spin
Weather
Instrument (IMC) · Dawn
Status
Completed · report December 19, 2011
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
FAA
FAA report
20100106025779A
Case key
75233

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed during the approach resulting in a stall. Contributing to the accident was the accumulation of structural icing during the flight.

Findings · 4

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

Performance/control parametersAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedBeech C-99: 1 caseAll aircraft: 1,269 casesProbable cause
AircraftAircraft › Aircraft systems · MalfunctionBeech C-99: 1 caseAll aircraft: 63 cases
Ceiling/visibility/precipEnvironmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Effect on equipmentBeech C-99: 1 caseAll aircraft: 65 casesProbable cause

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

The pilot reported that the airplane picked up light to moderate icing on approach to land and that he cycled the deicing boots once prior to the final approach fix. The pilot was established on the instrument landing system approach when he broke out of the weather about 250 feet above ground level. He estimated that the approach brought the airplane 60 feet right of the runway centerline so he made a correction to align the airplane with the runway. When the airplane returned to level flight and was about 25 feet above the runway, the left wing stalled and the airplane landed hard on the left main landing gear, bending the rear spar of the left wing. During the postaccident inspection of the airplane, ice was noted on the wings and deicing boots. The pilot did not recall the stall warning horn activating during the approach. The stall warning horn’s circuit breaker was found to be tripped during the postaccident inspection. The cause of the tripped circuit breaker could not be determined. An examination of the remaining systems revealed no anomalies.

Factual narrative

On January 6, 2010, at 0635 central standard time, a Beech C-99, N206AV, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Kearney Municipal Airport (EAR), Kearney, Nebraska. The commercial pilot was not injured. The non-scheduled cargo flight, operated by Ameriflight, LLC., was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 with an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan. The cross-country flight originated at Eppley Airfield (OMA), Omaha, Nebraska, and was en route to EAR. According to the pilot, the airplane picked up light to moderate icing during the approach and he cycled the deicing boots once prior to the final approach fix. The pilot reported that he was established on the instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 36 at 120 knots indicated airspeed, configured with landing gear down, and 30 percent flaps, when he broke out of the weather about 250 feet above ground level. The pilot estimated that the approach brought the airplane 60 feet right of the runway centerline so he made a correction to align the airplane with the runway. The pilot continued that when the airplane was wings level and about 25 feet above the runway the left wing stalled and the airplane landed hard on the left main landing gear, bending the rear spar of the left wing. During the postflight inspection of the airplane there was 3/8 to 1/2 inch of ice observed on portions of the airplane’s wings, including the leading edge surfaces of the deicing boots. The pilot further reported that he did not recall the stall warning horn activating during the approach. Weather at EAR at 0635 was reported as 21 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 19 degrees F, visibility ½ mile with freezing fog, ceiling 200 feet overcast, and winds from 130 degrees at 4 knots. The STALL WARN POWER circuit breaker was found popped during the postaccident inspection. The cause of the popped circuit breaker could not be determined. An examination of the remaining systems revealed no anomalies.

Aircraft

Registration
N206AV
Reported as
Beech C-99
Category
Airplane
Serial number
U-206
Airframe hours
33,106
Engines
P&W Canada PT6A-60A, 1,050 horsepower, turbo propP&W Canada PT6A-60A, 1,050 horsepower, turbo prop
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Part 135
Operator
Ameriflight, LLC, doing business as Ameriflight, LLC
Registered owner
Wilmington Trust Co Trustee
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
AAIP · October 1, 2009
Departed
OMA · Omaha, NE
Destination
EAR · Kearney, NE
Flight plan
IFR
Airport
EAR · Kearney Regional Airport, runway 36, 7,094 × 150 ft, asphalt

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
35
Injuries
None
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
October 23, 2009
Seat
Left
Flight hours
1,300 total · 216 in this make and model

Weather

Conditions
Instrument (IMC) · Dawn
Wind
Calm
Visibility
0 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
200 ft overcast
Temperature
21 °F, dew point 19 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
EAR

Docket · 6

The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 3, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.1 MB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.