ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 319531
| Date: | Friday 30 November 2018 |
| Time: | 10:28 |
| Type: |  Cessna 525A CitationJet CJ2+ |
| Owner/operator: | Estoair LLC |
| Registration: | N525EG |
| MSN: | 525A-0449 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2009 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3306 hours |
| Engine model: | Williams International FJ44-3A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 4 km WSW of Memphis, IN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | Jeffersonville-Clark Regional Airport, IN (JVY/KJVY) |
| Chicago-Midway Airport, IL (MDW/KMDW) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Cessna 525A CitationJet CJ2+ was destroyed when it impacted a wooded area near Memphis, Indiana, USA. All three occupants suffered fatal injuries.
The aircraft took off from runway 36 at Jeffersonville-Clark Regional Airport, Indiana, USA 10:24 hours local time into instrument meteorological conditions.
The airplane climbed to about 1,400 ft msl before it turned left onto a course of 330° and continued to climb. The autopilot was turned on at at 10:25:22.
At 10:25:39, the pilot was cleared up to 10000 ft. At 10:26:29, while the pilot was conducting the checklist, the controller instructed him to contact the Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center; the pilot acknowledged.
Then, at 10:26:45, while the pilot was working the After Takeoff/Climb checklist, the airplane began to bank to the left at a rate of about 5° per second. The airplane maintained airspeed while it continued to climb for 12 seconds. At 10:26:48, the CVR recorded the airplanes autopilot disconnect annunciation. About this time, the airplane was in about a 30° left bank. About 1 second later, the pilot stated, "whooooaaaaah." Over the next 8 seconds, the airplanes EGPWS annunciated six "bank angle" alerts. At 10:26:57, the airplane reached its maximum altitude of about 6100 ft msl and then began to descend rapidly, in excess of 11000 ft per minute. At 10:26:58, the bank angle was about 70° left wing down, and within seven seconds, the airplane was near 90° left wing down.
An overspeed warning alert, which continued to the end of the flight. The pilot meanwhile issued a Mayday call: "mayday mayday mayday citation five two five echo golf is in an emergency descent unable to gain control of the aircraft."
At 10:27:18 the airplane was about 1,000 ft msl, with the airspeed about 380 kts and in a 53° left bank. Two seconds later it impacted a slightly rugged, wooded area, leaving a trail of small debris, as well as blackened trees at a distance of 12 km north-northwest of the airport.
The airplane was modified with a Tamarack Aerospace Group Active Technology Load Alleviation System (ATLAS) in May 2018. This system consists of added winglets and Tamarack Active Camber Surfaces (TACS), which are aerodynamic control surfaces mounted on the wing extensions that either hold their position in trail with the wing or symmetrically deploy trailing edge up or trailing edge down to alleviate structural loads.
The NTSB reported that it found several contact marks on the left-hand TACS and the associated control unit, consistent with full trailing edge up position at the time of ground impact.
Examination of the right TACS indicated that the it was in a neutral position at the time of ground impact.
Such an asymmetric deployment of the TACS, with the left TACS likely in a position consistent with trailing edge up and the right TACS likely in a position consistent with neutral, would have induced a left rolling moment to the airplane.
However, the accident roll rate of 5° per second was significantly less than the flight test data provided for a fully asymmetric TACS deflection at a critical failure initial condition. It is possible that the system was not experiencing a full asymmetric failure or that the full possible roll rate could not be induced because the airplane was not in the critical failure condition. The roll rate did change from negative to positive, and the roll angle did recover from 90° left wing down to about 53° left wing down before ground impact.
If an asymmetric TACS deflection caused the left roll, it is possible the pilot was able to roll the airplane back to the right but not enough to fully recover and arrest the descent.
Tamarack reported that it disagreed with the NTSB and that it intends to request the NTSB reconsider its finding.
Probable Cause: "The asymmetric deployment of the left wing load alleviation system for undetermined reasons, which resulted in an in-flight upset from which the pilot was not able to recover."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
ainonline.com
AOPA.org
Flightaware tracklog
bonnercountydailybee.com
Location
Images:
photo (c) NTSB (publicdomain)
photo (c) NTSB; near Memphis, IN; 30 November 2018; (publicdomain)
photo (c) Tomás Del Coro; Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport, NV (LAS/KLAS) (CC:by-sa)
photo (c) Paul Pickett; Shreveport Regional Airport, LA (SHV/KSHV); 20 July 2016
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation