ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 218856
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| Date: | Saturday 1 December 2018 |
| Time: | 14:27 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 335 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N79HP |
| MSN: | 335-0047 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4200 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental TSIO-520-EB |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 0.5 km NE of Fort Lauderdale-Executive Airport, FL (FXE) -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Fort Lauderdale-Executive Airport, FL (FXE/KFXE) |
| Hilliard, FL (01J) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were planning to conduct a repositioning flight. Shortly after takeoff, a video depicted white smoke trailing the airplane from the left engine. Subsequently the flight advised the tower controller that there was a fire in the left engine and the airplane was observed turning to the left to return to the airport. While maintaining controlled flight with the landing gear retracted and the left propeller in an unfeathered position, the airplane clipped the roof of a building adjacent to the airport, impacted the ground about 67 knots ground speed, and came to rest after impacting another building. A postimpact fire ensued. At ground impact, the left and right propellers were rotating about 900 rpm and 2,700 rpm, respectively. Postaccident examination of the left engine revealed detonation damage to several pistons, and the rod-oil gauge and cap assembly was not attached to the engine. Examination of the oil filler breather assembly revealed contact marks consistent with the rod-oil gauge and cap assembly coming out. There was no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the right engine, propeller, or propeller governor.
Although the flight reported a fire in the left engine compartment to air traffic control, and the video showed trailing smoke, it is likely the left engine's damaged pistons allowed the crankcase to become pressurized and the missing rod-oil gauge and cap assembly allowed oil to exit the engine and contact either the exhaust or turbocharger exhaust duct, resulting in the smoke.
Although the left propeller and propeller governor were heat damaged, there was no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of either that would have precluded feathering of the propeller blades. The pilot's failure to feather the left propeller following the partial loss of left engine power resulted in a negative climb performance. Had the pilot feathered the left propeller following the partial loss of engine power, it is likely that a positive rate of climb could have been attained.
The airplane had been flown once in the last several years before the accident pilot purchased it several months before the accident. Maintenance records located within the wreckage at the accident site revealed the airplane was deemed unairworthy during an annual inspection 6 months before the accident. The accident pilot then attempted to obtain a ferry permit for the airplane twice from the FAA; however, the FAA inspector did not approve the request due to maintenance discrepancies that were noted during his ramp inspection. After the second denial for a ferry permit, the pilot requested assistance from another maintenance facility. That facility initiated an inspection on the airplane; however, they stopped the inspection after over 100 discrepancies were noted, 9 of which were associated with the left engine. Acquaintances of the pilot stated that progress was made fixing the airplane over the next several months, although problems were still noted as recently as 3 weeks before the accident. The pilot reported that the costs of parking the airplane and his flights to and from where the airplane was located were mounting. On the morning of the accident, the pilot performed engine runs on the airplane and had borrowed some tools, although it could not be determined what maintenance, if any, he performed.
The pilot's unsuccessful attempts to obtain a ferry permit, the most-recent list of discrepancies identified by a maintenance facility during their inspection, and the fact that the airplane did not pass its annual inspection clearly indicated the airplane was not airworthy. The pilot's desire to reposition the airplane due to mounting costs likely influenced his decision to fly the unairworthy airplane.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper decision to fly the unairworthy airplane and his failure to feather the left propeller following a partial loss of power from the left engine after takeoff. Also causal was the partial loss of power to the left engine due to detonation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ERA19FA060
Location
Media:
BREAKING NEWS 🚨
— Joel Fischer (@JFNYC1) 3 décembre 2018
BROWARD COUNTY
A Small Plane Explodes in Fort Lauderdale, Terrified Adults, Children Flee Scene. pic.twitter.com/XskeOTMJUf
Small plane crashes near warehouse in Fort Lauderdale https://t.co/2PhVCppfaK pic.twitter.com/f28iKxxgdR
— South Florida Sun Sentinel (@SunSentinel) December 1, 2018
Fort Lauderdale plane crash update:
— Andrew Dymburt (@DymburtNews) 1 décembre 2018
This witness was out fishing when he says he saw the plane flying way too low and stuggling to get control. That’s when he knew it was doomed
(@wsvn) pic.twitter.com/eFdmElnTX5
A small plane crashed shortly after takeoff from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport on Saturday. The two people aboard the plane died.
— NBC 6 South Florida (@nbc6) December 1, 2018
Details: https://t.co/8JnhABawTM pic.twitter.com/oxXyifUNKK
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Dec-2018 19:32 | gerard57 | Added |
| 01-Dec-2018 19:35 | gerard57 | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Dec-2018 19:38 | gerard57 | Updated [Damage] |
| 01-Dec-2018 19:44 | harro | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Dec-2018 19:52 | harro | Updated [Narrative] |
| 01-Dec-2018 19:58 | harro | Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 01-Dec-2018 20:28 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Destination airport, Source, Embed code] |
| 01-Dec-2018 21:31 | Geno | Updated [Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code] |
| 01-Dec-2018 23:03 | RobertMB | Updated [Source] |
| 02-Dec-2018 02:25 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Dec-2018 02:26 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source] |
| 02-Dec-2018 10:34 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 03-Dec-2018 19:47 | Anon. | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 03-Dec-2018 20:54 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Dec-2018 09:08 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 06-Dec-2018 02:00 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 22-Jul-2020 06:35 | aaronwk | Updated [Departure airport, Source, Embed code] |
| 31-Mar-2021 16:20 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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