- Date
- December 8, 2006, 08:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gillette, WY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N779BCFairchild SA227BC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 26, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Denver, Colorado
- FAA report
- 20061208026269A
- Case key
- 65040
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
wind shear.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The co-pilot was flying the airplane from the right seat and was landing. He reduced power and the airplane lost airspeed and lift. The captain called for more power and the co-pilot complied. The captain called for a go-around, then took control and applied full power but not before the airplane made a hard touch down. The captain brought the airplane around and made a full stop landing. Examination of the airplane revealed the right main landing gear strut assembly had collapsed, and fuel was leaking from the left engine wheel well. At the time of the accident, the wind was 230 degrees at 17 knots. In his written statement, the captain said he believed the hard touch down was due to wind shear.
Factual narrative
On December 8, 2006, approximately 0800 mountain standard time, a Fairchild SA227BC, N779BC, operated by Key Lime Air, Inc., and piloted by a commercial pilot, under the command of an airline transport-certificated pilot, was substantially damaged when it landed hard at Gillette, Wyoming's Campbell County Airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The non-scheduled domestic cargo flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135, and an IFR (instrument flight rules) flight plan had been filed and activated. The pilot and co-pilot on board the airplane were not injured. The flight originated at Denver, Colorado, approximately 0700mountain standard time.
According to the captain, the copilot was flying the airplane from the right seat and was landing. The copilot reduced power to Vref (reference speed) and the airplane lost airspeed and lift. The captain called for more power and the copilot complied. The captain called for a go-around, then took control and applied full power but not before the airplane made a hard touch down. The captain brought the airplane around and made a full stop landing. Examination of the airplane revealed the right main landing gear strut assembly had collapsed, and fuel was leaking from the left engine wheel well. At the time of the accident, the wind was 230 degrees at 17 knots. In his written statement, the captain said he believed the hard touch down was due to wind shear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N779BC
- Reported as
- Fairchild SA227BC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 779BC
- Airframe hours
- 31,142
- Engines
- Fairchild SA227BC, 1,000 horsepower, turbo propFairchild SA227BC, 1,000 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Key Lime Air, Inc., doing business as same
- Registered owner
- EDB Air Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · October 1, 2006 · 82 hours before
- Departed
- DEN · Denver, CO
- Destination
- GCC · Gillette, WY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- GCC · Gillette Campbell County, runway 21, 5,803 × 75 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Student, Airline transport, Flight instructor, Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2006
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,550 total · 600 in this make and model · 2,450 as pilot in command · 230 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Private, Commercial, Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 1, 2006
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 694 total · 20 in this make and model · 460 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- GCC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.