- Date
- April 13, 1990, 14:58 local (21:58 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Canyon, AZ
- Injuries
- 7 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N91081Cessna T207
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 13, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900413008809A
- Case key
- 26625
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
Improper adjustment of the turbo-charger absolute pressure controller, and improper manipulation of the power plant controls by the pilot during the go-around. Factors related to the accident were: failure of company management to properly train the pilot in accordance with the approved company training program, and the pilot's lack of experience in turbo-charged engine operations.
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
According to witnesses, the acft was about to touchdown from a normal apch to rwy 21, when it encountered varialble wind conds & ballooned to about 70' AGL. The plt initiated a go-around. Shortly thereafter, witnesses observed a puff of smoke emanate from the acft, then the plt transmitted that the flt was 'going down.' Subsequently, the acft collided with trees on wooded terrain about 1/2 mi from the dep end of the rwy. An exam revealed a lack of power signatures on the prop; evidence of sooting was found on the spark plugs (indicating a rich mixture). Testing of the turbo-controller revealed evidence that it had been adjusted to a low setting; the turbo would only produce a maximum air flow equal to high cruise power. The eng manufacturer rprtd that this situation could produce an over-rich mixture, particularily if the throttle and/or mixture controls were impropperly manipulated. The pilot lacked experience in acft with turbo-charged engs & he was not trained iaw the company training program.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N91081
- Reported as
- Cessna T207
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20700062
- Airframe hours
- 5,325
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-HCG, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Windrock Aviation
- Registered owner
- Charles B. Beagle
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 31, 1990 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- GCN
- Destination
- GCN
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- GCN · Grand Canyon, runway 21, 8,999 × 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
- 24
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 555 total · 9 in this make and model · 407 as pilot in command · 89 in the last 90 days · 43 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GCN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.