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MEMORANDUM REGARDING THE CRASH OF N424E
Please note this information is not a final report but merely the facts as
they appearto an unskilled observer to date. The FAA and NTSB are still
investigating and the final report is expected sometime in the future.
BACKGROUND:
On June 17, 2001 the aircraft N-424E a Lancair IVP (Serial Number 11) built
by John Kerner was on an IFR flight from Ada OK to Flagstaff AZ. The
weather was VFR for the entire route of flight. The flight was under the
command of Tony Durizzi an approved Lancair Check Pilot as well as former
Japan Air Lines 747 Capt. and Air America pilot. He held DAR, ATP and CFII
ratings with in excess of 31,000 hours TT with over 1,000 in Lancairs
including 900 hrs in a Lancair IVP which he built himself as well as 40 - 45
hours in N424E The aircraft crashed at 23:26 Zulu 2.2 miles from the
Flagstaff VOR on the 035 radial killing Capt. Durizzi the sole occupant.
FLIGHT DATA:
The flight originated from KADH at 20:13 Zulu under an IFR flight plan. The
flight plan called for an enroute altitude of FL200 with a speed of 250 KTAS.
The flight plan showed 4:00 fuel on board. The total distance for the
route of KADH to KFLG has subsequently been determined as being 739.2 miles.
Winds aloft forecast showed headwinds ranging from 250 to 290 at 18 to 22
Knots. According to ATC the actual flight time enroute was 3:13 and that
the flight data strip showed a ground speed of 238 knots. A witness at KADH
reported that 424E took on a full load of fuel prior to takeoff and that when
the plane was rolled out of the hanger the sun warmed it enough to cause fuel
to seep from the fuel vents indicating that the tanks were completely full.
At 23:13 ABQ Center handed the aircraft off to Flagstaff Tower and at 23:15
tower gave him a visual approach to land on runway 21. At 23:18 he reported
the airport in sight at 18 miles and was instructed to report a 4 mile final
for runway 21. At 23:24 he called the tower and stated "I'm not going to
make the tower, I'm going to crash". The tower stated that the crash
occurred at 23:26 zulu. EMS Helicopters and fire attack helios were
dispatched to the scene and located the aircraft at 24:09 at the edge of a
clearing in a heavily wooded forest. The crews on the scene report that
there was no fire and no fuel smell evident.
CRASH SITE OBSERVATIONS:
The aircraft landed in a cleared area of a pine forest. The clearing was 90
degrees from the final approach of runway 21 and it is assumed that 424E made
a left turn once he spotted this clearing. The very top 2 feet of one tree
showed a slight impact and the aircraft had a broken tail and from this and
the information on the scene is appears that the plane hit its tail first and
then belly landed and slid less than 100 feet. The aircraft tail section
was broken but remained attached to the fuselage and both wings sustained
damage but also remained attached to the fuselage.
The aircraft appeared to have an angle of approach somewhere around 40 - 45
degrees based upon the location of the initial impact compared to the top of
the tree which was clipped as mentioned above.
Inspection of the cockpit showed that the mags had been turned off and the
high boost and low boost were both in the on position. The fuel selector
was on the left tank. Both the gear and flap handles were in the up position
and it was verified that the gear and flaps were retracted at the time of the
accident.
The aircraft sustained a broken tail and portions of the elevator were
damaged. The left wing sustained damage on its leading edge from midway to
tip and the right wing sustained minor damage outboard of the fuel cap. The
fuselage was intact with only the front window broken and the door still
functioned normally. Because the wings were breeched it was not possible to
determine if any fuel was in the wings at the time of impact.
The FAA Investigator loosened the fuel line which attached to the spider
valve as well as the gascolator and found fuel in both with the spider valve
fuel still under pressure. The spark plug from Cyl #3 was removed and was
perfectly clean.
The general impression from review of the cockpit showed that based upon the
damage, the pilot was not wearing a shoulder harness at the time of the
accident.
A witness which has not yet been interviewed was reported to have said that
they heard an aircraft overhead with the engine sputtering.
>From looking at the condition of the propeller the engine appears not to have
been running at the time of impact.
BACKGROUND ON THE AIRCRAFT
N424E was Lancair IVP with upgrades from the original kit (it was serial
number 11). The plane was completed by builder John Kerner and had about 90
to 95 hours total flight time.
The pilot mentioned by telephone from KADH prior to takeoff that "you should
start using the low boost pump al the time not just on take off, landing and
above 10,000 feet. He indicated that "it runs better if you do that". He
also stated that he could not make it non-stop to Burbank but that he would
be stopping in Flagstaff since it was a high altitude airport (7011 MSL) and
hence his descent would be less time consuming.
The aircraft was inspected by engine experts in KADH who were trying to
determine why the engine was not producing full MP above FL230 which had been
an ongoing issue. They reported that they found small induction system
leaks which they fixed prior to departure. The reported that otherwise the
engine was performing normally including compression checks they performed.
The pilot typically flew with power settings of 2400 RPM and 29-30 in MP in
cruise. In 424E these power settings at FL200 would have resulted in a
speed of 255 - 260 KTAS with a fuel burn of 19 - 20 GPH. The engine expert
at KADH said his calculations showed that the 3 hr 13 min flight would have
probably consumed 72 gal of fuel.
In December 2000 the aircraft was taken to John Kerner to determine why the
right wing only help 32 gal of fuel. He reported that one of the areas
which was supposed to hold 8 gal was obstructed and that he cleared this by
drilling a small hole or holes. Tony verified that John Kerner had
performed this repair and reported that the plane now had a full 80 gal on
board but that when filling the plane it would need to settle for 15 to 20
min in order to get the last few gallons in.
STATUS OF INVESTIGATION:
The FAA has moved the plane to PHX and is scheduling an engine run and
teardown of the engine and fuel pump. They took fuel samples from the
gascolator for testing.
Lancair factory representatives have said that they will be looking at the
plane and they have been asked to open the wing to verify the status of the
fuel compartments.
Several Lancair pilots have remarked that if some inertia reel four point
restraint system were implemented this may well have proven to be life
saving. It also bears mention that the seat belt system in 424E were not
the factory belts but were designed to match the interior and the way the
shoulder belt was installed, if the pilot was wearing it he could not reach
the fuel selector or flap handles. This has been reported as being a
similar problem to what the factory design calls for but this has not been
verified.
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