Narrative:
A Cessna 500 Citation I corporate jet was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Derby, KS. Both occupants were killed.
The airplane was owned by California pastor Ed Dufresne of the World Harvest Church. He was on board the flight that departed Wichita-Mid-Continent Airport, KS (ICT) at 09:59, destined for New Braunfels Regional Airport, TX.
After climbing to and leveling at 15,000 feet, the airplane departed controlled flight, descended rapidly in a nose-down vertical dive, and impacted terrain; an explosion and postaccident fire occurred. Evidence at the accident site revealed that most of the wreckage was located in or near a single impact crater; however, the outer portion of the left wing impacted the ground about half a mile from the main wreckage.
Following the previous flight, the pilot reported to a maintenance person in another state that he had several malfunctioning flight instruments, including the autopilot, the horizontal situation indicator, and the artificial horizon gyros. The pilot, who was not a mechanic, had maintenance personnel replace the right side artificial horizon gyro but did not have any other maintenance performed at that time. The pilot was approved under an FAA exemption to operate the airplane as a single pilot; however, the exemption required that all equipment must be operational, including a fully functioning autopilot, flight director, and gyroscopic flight instruments. Despite the malfunctioning instruments, the pilot chose to take off and fly in instrument meteorological conditions.
At the time of the loss of control, the airplane had just entered an area with supercooled large water droplets and severe icing, which would have affected the airplane's flying characteristics. At the same time, the air traffic controller provided the pilot with a radio frequency change, a change in assigned altitude, and a slight routing change. It is likely that these instructions increased the pilot's workload as the airplane began to rapidly accumulate structural icing. Because of the malfunctioning instruments, it is likely that the pilot became disoriented while attempting to maneuver and maintain control of the airplane as the ice accumulated, which led to a loss of control.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The airplane's encounter with severe icing conditions, which resulted in structural icing, and the pilot's increased workload and subsequent disorientation while maneuvering in instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions with malfunctioning flight instruments, which led to the subsequent loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to takeoff in IFR conditions and fly a single-pilot operation without a functioning autopilot and with malfunctioning flight instruments."
Loss of control
» NTSB
accident date: 18-10-2013
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: N610ED
accident date: 18-10-2013
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: N610ED
accident date: 18-10-2013
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: N610ED
accident date: 18-10-2013
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: N610ED
accident date: 18-10-2013
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: N610ED
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Friday 18 October 2013 |
| Time: | 10:17 |
| Type: |  Cessna 500 Citation I |
| Operator: | Dufresne Inc. |
| Registration: | N610ED |
| MSN: | 500-0241 |
| First flight: | 1975 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7560 |
| Engines: | 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-1A |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | ca 3 km SE of Derby, KS ( United States of America)
|
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | Wichita-Mid-Continent Airport, KS (ICT/KICT), United States of America |
| New Braunfels Regional Airport, TX (KBAZ), United States of America |
A Cessna 500 Citation I corporate jet was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Derby, KS. Both occupants were killed.
The airplane was owned by California pastor Ed Dufresne of the World Harvest Church. He was on board the flight that departed Wichita-Mid-Continent Airport, KS (ICT) at 09:59, destined for New Braunfels Regional Airport, TX.
After climbing to and leveling at 15,000 feet, the airplane departed controlled flight, descended rapidly in a nose-down vertical dive, and impacted terrain; an explosion and postaccident fire occurred. Evidence at the accident site revealed that most of the wreckage was located in or near a single impact crater; however, the outer portion of the left wing impacted the ground about half a mile from the main wreckage.
Following the previous flight, the pilot reported to a maintenance person in another state that he had several malfunctioning flight instruments, including the autopilot, the horizontal situation indicator, and the artificial horizon gyros. The pilot, who was not a mechanic, had maintenance personnel replace the right side artificial horizon gyro but did not have any other maintenance performed at that time. The pilot was approved under an FAA exemption to operate the airplane as a single pilot; however, the exemption required that all equipment must be operational, including a fully functioning autopilot, flight director, and gyroscopic flight instruments. Despite the malfunctioning instruments, the pilot chose to take off and fly in instrument meteorological conditions.
At the time of the loss of control, the airplane had just entered an area with supercooled large water droplets and severe icing, which would have affected the airplane's flying characteristics. At the same time, the air traffic controller provided the pilot with a radio frequency change, a change in assigned altitude, and a slight routing change. It is likely that these instructions increased the pilot's workload as the airplane began to rapidly accumulate structural icing. Because of the malfunctioning instruments, it is likely that the pilot became disoriented while attempting to maneuver and maintain control of the airplane as the ice accumulated, which led to a loss of control.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The airplane's encounter with severe icing conditions, which resulted in structural icing, and the pilot's increased workload and subsequent disorientation while maneuvering in instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions with malfunctioning flight instruments, which led to the subsequent loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to takeoff in IFR conditions and fly a single-pilot operation without a functioning autopilot and with malfunctioning flight instruments."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
IcingLoss of control
Sources:
» The Wichita Eagle» NTSB
Photos
accident date: 18-10-2013
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: N610ED
accident date: 18-10-2013
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: N610ED
accident date: 18-10-2013
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: N610ED
accident date: 18-10-2013
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: N610ED
accident date: 18-10-2013
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: N610ED
Video, social media
Small plane en route to New Braunfels crashes in Kansas http://t.co/eiOIJVAbAx #KSATnews pic.twitter.com/xS2xghgyH0
— KSAT Newsroom (@ksatnews) October 18, 2013
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 Wichita-Mid-Continent Airport, KS to New Braunfels Regional Airport, TX as the crow flies is 879 km (550 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Wichita-Mid-Continent Airport, KS to New Braunfels Regional Airport, TX as the crow flies is 879 km (550 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
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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