ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 195709
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| Date: | Saturday 27 May 2017 |
| Time: | 11:22 |
| Type: | Interstate S-1B2 Arctic Tern |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N57AT |
| MSN: | 1008 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3087 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320 B2B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Butte Creek, SE of Fairbanks, AK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Fairbanks, AK |
| Salcha, AK | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot and passenger were searching for an overdue boat with the intent of landing at a remote unimproved airstrip located near the boat's intended destination. A witness reported strong wind conditions as she observed the airplane circle the airstrip. While the airplane was circling, its nose suddenly dropped, and the airplane descended in a near-vertical attitude to ground impact. She stated that the engine continued to run, and the airplane did not make any unusual sounds, other than an increase in engine rpm, during the descent.
A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The observed damage to the airplane indicated that it impacted the ground in a nose-down, near-vertical attitude. The witness account and the damage to the airplane were consistent with the pilot failing to maintain sufficient airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in the airplane's wing exceeding its critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.
The airplane's estimated gross weight at the time of the accident was about 130.5 pounds over its approved maximum gross weight of 1,650 pounds, and the airplane's estimated center of gravity was about 0.1 inches beyond the approved aft limit at gross weight. As excessive weight increases stall speed and an aft center of gravity decreases controllability, it is likely that the pilot's decision to operate the airplane over gross weight with an aft center of gravity contributed to the loss of control.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering in high winds, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper decision to load the airplane beyond its allowable gross weight and center of gravity limits.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Media:
NTSB is investigating the crash of an Arctic Tern S-1B2 aircraft in Fairbanks, AK.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) May 27, 2017
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-May-2017 07:42 | gerard57 | Added |
| 28-May-2017 07:44 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 28-May-2017 08:15 | gerard57 | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 28-May-2017 16:38 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location] |
| 28-May-2017 16:42 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Source] |
| 30-May-2017 01:13 | Geno | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Destination airport, Source] |
| 30-May-2017 07:46 | Anon. | Updated [Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 07-Jun-2017 17:27 | Geno | Updated [Time, Operator, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 19-Feb-2018 07:47 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
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