ASN Aircraft accident Cessna 550 Citation Bravo VH-FGK Lismore Airport, NSW (LSY)
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Friday 25 September 2015
Time:13:00
Type:Silhouette image of generic C550 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Cessna 550 Citation Bravo
Operator:Yulgilbar Pastoral Co Pty Ltd
Registration: VH-FGK
MSN: 550-0852
First flight: 1998
Total airframe hrs:2768
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Lismore Airport, NSW (LSY) (   Australia)
Phase: Takeoff (TOF)
Nature:Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:Lismore Airport, NSW (LSY/YLIS), Australia
Destination airport:Baryulgil Airstrip, NSW (YBYL), Australia
Narrative:
The Cessna 550 Citation Bravo corporate jet taxied at Lismore Airport for a flight to Baryulgil, New South Wales. The flight crew consisted of a captain and copilot, who were the only occupants of the aircraft.
The flight crew did not detect anything abnormal during the taxi and take-off roll, until the captain attempted to rotate the aircraft to the take-off pitch attitude. When the aircraft had achieved the required rotate speed, the captain applied the normal backpressure on the control column to achieve a standard rate of rotation, and the aircraft did not rotate. The captain then applied full backpressure and reported that the controls felt very heavy. Neither the captain nor the copilot detected any change in the aircraft's pitch attitude or any indication of pitch-up on the attitude direction indicator.
The captain rejected the take-off, applied full braking and reverse thrust, but the aircraft overran the runway. The nose landing gear detached from the aircraft about 50 m beyond the end of the sealed runway, and the aircraft came to rest in long grass and mud. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and the captain and copilot were uninjured.
The aircraft did not accelerate normally as the acceleration was retarded by drag associated with rolling friction. This was indicative of partial brake pressure remaining during the take-off run. The partial brake pressure was possibly due to the parking brake being selected on at the holding point with enough pressure to retard aircraft acceleration during the take-off, but not sufficient to prevent the aircraft reaching rotate speed.
Furthermore, the nose-down moment generated by the partial brake pressure probably prevented the aircraft rotating sufficiently to become airborne, despite normal nose-up elevator deflection.
Heat in the brakes due to partial pressure during the take-off run may have reduced their effectiveness when the captain rejected the take-off, contributing to the runway overrun.

Probable Cause:

Contributing factors
- There was probably residual braking pressure in the wheel brakes during the take-off run.
- The aircraft's parking brake was probably applied while at the holding point and not disengaged before taxing onto the runway for take-off.
- The Citation aircraft did not have an annunciator light to show that the parking brake is engaged, and the manufacturer's before take-off checklist did not include a check to
ensure the parking brake is disengaged.
- The aircraft experienced a retarded acceleration during the take-off run, and did not rotate as normal when the appropriate rotate speed was reached, resulting in a critical rejected take-off and a runway overrun.

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: ATSB (Australia)
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 294 days (10 months)
Accident number: AO-2015-114
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Rejected takeoff
Brake problem
Runway excursion (veer-off)

Sources:
» ATSB


Follow-up / safety actions

ATSB issued 1 Safety Recommendation

Show all...

Photos

photo of Cessna-550-Citation-Bravo-VH-FGK
accident date: 25-09-2015
type: Cessna 550 Citation Bravo
registration: VH-FGK
photo of Cessna-550-Citation-Bravo-VH-FGK
accident date: 25-09-2015
type: Cessna 550 Citation Bravo
registration: VH-FGK
 

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 Lismore Airport, NSW to Baryulgil Airstrip, NSW as the crow flies is 76 km (47 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from 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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