Narrative:
A Cessna 550, N941JM, departed controlled flight while on approach at the Fargo-Hector International Airport (FAR), North Dakota, USA and impacted the terrain to the right of the runway. The pilot and one passenger were not injured, and 9 passengers received minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage.
The airplane was registered to the Slice of the 406 LLC and operated by Dirt Dynamics, Inc. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and the flight was operating on an instrument flight plan. The flight departed from the Williston-Sloulin Field International Airport (ISN), North Dakota, about 12:50 with FAR as the destination.
The pilot reported that the airplane encountered a cloud layer that was about 2,500 ft thick while he was on the approach to FAR. He stated that there was ice buildup on the wing surfaces, but he activated the deice boots several times during the approach to runway 18 (9,001 ft by 150 ft, concrete) and the airplane's performance was normal. The airplane became clear of the clouds about 400 ft above the ground (agl) and it was right of centerline. He flew back onto the centerline maintaining 120 kts during the descent. About 100 ft agl, the airplane started "pulling to the right." He applied left aileron and left rudder, and advanced the throttle to go-around. The airplane continued to the right and impacted the terrain seconds later.
The passenger, who was sitting in the right seat of the cockpit, reported that the airplane started to take on ice on the windshield and the de-icing boot on the right wing while they were on the approach in the clouds. He reported that the approach was normal until they neared the ground when the tail started "fish tailing." He saw the pilot push the throttles forward; however, the left wing climbed and the airplane "pulled hard to the right." The airplane impacted the ground on its right wing and then impacted back on its belly.
The initial examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing's outboard section was pushed up and aft. The nose wheel landing gear assembly was bent to the right, and the nose wheel trunnion assembly was broken in two pieces. The nose wheel assembly was separated from the fuselage with part of the trunnion attached to the wheel assembly. The left main landing gear was found folded into the gear wheel well, and the landing gear components were pushed upwards through the upper wing surface above the gear well.
The examination of the wreckage revealed that there was about half an inch of mixed ice on the leading edge of the right wing, vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer, and on the angle of attack (AOA) indicator.
Probable cause: "The pilot's failure to lower the flaps during the approach and maintain sufficient airspeed while flying in instrument meteorological and icing conditions and the accumulation of ice on the wings' leading edges, which resulted in the exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and subsequent aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of proper qualification to operate the airplane under a single-pilot exemption due to his lack of total turbine time, which led to task saturation and his failure to properly configure the flaps for landing."
Loss of control
» westfargopioneer.com
» Flightaware track
» FAA register
» FAA
KFAR 301853Z 16008KT 6SM BR OVC004 M01/M01 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP137 T10061011
19:53 UTC / 13:53 local time:
KFAR 301953Z 20010KT 5SM BR OVC004 M01/M01 A2991 RMK AO2 SLP142 T10111011
accident date: 30-11-2018
type: Cessna 550 Citation II
registration: N941JM
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Friday 30 November 2018 |
| Time: | 13:53 |
| Type: |  Cessna 550 Citation II |
| Operator: | Dirt Dynamics, Inc. |
| Registration: | N941JM |
| MSN: | 550-0146 |
| First flight: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7180 |
| Engines: | 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 10 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 11 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Fargo-Hector International Airport, ND (FAR) ( United States of America)
|
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | Williston-Sloulin Field International Airport, ND (ISN/KISN), United States of America |
| Fargo-Hector International Airport, ND (FAR/KFAR), United States of America |
A Cessna 550, N941JM, departed controlled flight while on approach at the Fargo-Hector International Airport (FAR), North Dakota, USA and impacted the terrain to the right of the runway. The pilot and one passenger were not injured, and 9 passengers received minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage.
The airplane was registered to the Slice of the 406 LLC and operated by Dirt Dynamics, Inc. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and the flight was operating on an instrument flight plan. The flight departed from the Williston-Sloulin Field International Airport (ISN), North Dakota, about 12:50 with FAR as the destination.
The pilot reported that the airplane encountered a cloud layer that was about 2,500 ft thick while he was on the approach to FAR. He stated that there was ice buildup on the wing surfaces, but he activated the deice boots several times during the approach to runway 18 (9,001 ft by 150 ft, concrete) and the airplane's performance was normal. The airplane became clear of the clouds about 400 ft above the ground (agl) and it was right of centerline. He flew back onto the centerline maintaining 120 kts during the descent. About 100 ft agl, the airplane started "pulling to the right." He applied left aileron and left rudder, and advanced the throttle to go-around. The airplane continued to the right and impacted the terrain seconds later.
The passenger, who was sitting in the right seat of the cockpit, reported that the airplane started to take on ice on the windshield and the de-icing boot on the right wing while they were on the approach in the clouds. He reported that the approach was normal until they neared the ground when the tail started "fish tailing." He saw the pilot push the throttles forward; however, the left wing climbed and the airplane "pulled hard to the right." The airplane impacted the ground on its right wing and then impacted back on its belly.
The initial examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing's outboard section was pushed up and aft. The nose wheel landing gear assembly was bent to the right, and the nose wheel trunnion assembly was broken in two pieces. The nose wheel assembly was separated from the fuselage with part of the trunnion attached to the wheel assembly. The left main landing gear was found folded into the gear wheel well, and the landing gear components were pushed upwards through the upper wing surface above the gear well.
The examination of the wreckage revealed that there was about half an inch of mixed ice on the leading edge of the right wing, vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer, and on the angle of attack (AOA) indicator.
Probable Cause:
Probable cause: "The pilot's failure to lower the flaps during the approach and maintain sufficient airspeed while flying in instrument meteorological and icing conditions and the accumulation of ice on the wings' leading edges, which resulted in the exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and subsequent aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of proper qualification to operate the airplane under a single-pilot exemption due to his lack of total turbine time, which led to task saturation and his failure to properly configure the flaps for landing."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
IcingLoss of control
Sources:
» valleynewslive.com» westfargopioneer.com
» Flightaware track
» FAA register
» FAA
METAR Weather report:
18:53 UTC / 12:53 local time:KFAR 301853Z 16008KT 6SM BR OVC004 M01/M01 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP137 T10061011
19:53 UTC / 13:53 local time:
KFAR 301953Z 20010KT 5SM BR OVC004 M01/M01 A2991 RMK AO2 SLP142 T10111011
Photos
accident date: 30-11-2018
type: Cessna 550 Citation II
registration: N941JM
Video, social media
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Williston-Sloulin Field International Airport, ND to Fargo-Hector International Airport, ND as the crow flies is 527 km (329 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
Distance from Williston-Sloulin Field International Airport, ND to Fargo-Hector International Airport, ND as the crow flies is 527 km (329 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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