W&B - bad example has lots of lessons

[Live2Learn]

http://www.adn.com/article/20160427/jury-finds-anchorage-pilot-was-fault-2010-plane-crash-killed-his-son

http://www.adn.com/article/ntsb-finds-plane-involved-downtown-crash-was-overweight

http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20100602X45201&key=1&queryId=ea3ac44d-b823-445e-b458-0f9145ead95b&pgno=2&pgsize=50


This is a really interesting accident.  The pilot took off from Anchorage airport and ran out of airspeed, options, and luck within 1/4 mile.  According to the NTSB report (and lots of very interesting stuff in the NTSB Docket which is available at www.ntsb.gov) he loaded his aircraft with a unsecured timber, boxes of tile, food, cases of pop.  In addition his wife and baby sitter who were both belted in (but never received a pre-takeoff safety brief) each held a young child (unsecured) in their laps.  The NTSB made a "conservative" estimate of the weight on board -- 658.2 LBS over GTOW.  They said "conservative" because many (most?) of the bottles and cans of liquid aboard ruptured in the crash.  The 4 year old boy held in the mother's lap died.  Everyone else suffered serious burns and blunt force injuries.  The pilot/owner blamed everyone else for his negligence.

The lessons?  Here's just a few of many!!! 

Because there's lots of room in a C206 (or C182, or C172, or any other aircraft) it doesn't mean the plane will safely carry it.  FWIW, the DA at the Anchorage airport was very close to Standard.  Had this flight been attempted at a higher elevation airport, or in the DA normally found in the lower 48 states during a typical summer day the outcome might have been even more grim.  Recall that TAS increase about 2% per thousand feet DA, and KE is proportional to the square of the ground speed. 

W&B are both important.  The aircraft MIGHT have labored off the ground had the CG not be several inches aft of the envelope.  Perhaps the unsecured cargo shifted as the plane accelerated down the runway and rotated to climb.  Then again, attempting to carry about 150% of the 'useful load' might have been enough to break the camel's back.

Maybe there's a reason why we do a pre-flight brief of passengers.  The baby sitter didn't even know for sure how to use her seat belt.  She had no idea how she was supposed to get out if a crash occurred.

Could there be a reason why kids need their own seats with seat belts?

Perhaps a current W&B is important.  The pilot modified the aircraft by installing a cargo pod just 10 weeks before the accident.  He wasn't familiar with the limitations imposed on flaps etc. that the mod required.

Unsecured cargo?  Really bad idea.

Never weigh stuff before it's stuffed in the plane?  Just another bad idea.

etc. etc.
 

[LSThiker]

Never a good day when your wife decides to cross sue you. 

[NIN]

I recently got into a similar discussion..

I am a frequent passenger on DeHavilland DHC-6 series aircraft. The aircraft that I am most likely to frequent in the near future was modified over the winter to remove 200-300 lbs of useless weight from the aircraft in the vicinity of the aft baggage compartment, open the (previously closed off) aft bulkhead doorway, and install provisions (seat & seatbelts) for 2 passengers in that area.

Now, even with 20+ years of frequent flights in Twin Otters, I've never seen this particular config, and frankly, the bench is pretty far aft:  like 30+ inches aft of the bulkhead. Being cognizant of weight and balance issues surrounding self-loading cargo, during a pre-flight briefing with some fellow travellers I asked the (new to me) pilot if there were any guidelines or restrictions on when that seat should by occupied, by whom, etc.

A person who should know better, and occupies a position with the word "safety" in the title, cut me off: "I don't think that question is necessary, Darin."

I was pretty annoyed. I may not be as frequent a flyer as she was, but my aviation background is about 10,000 times more than hers.The pilot, being very experienced, immediately spoke up and said "Actually, thats a very good question..." and proceeded to outline the best practices for loading that position in the aircraft to all who were gathered and likely to be called upon to make decisions about who sits where. 

I was trying to make sure that the big fat guy and his chubby cousin weren't crowded in that space when the aircraft was lightly loaded and causing a departure stall or something.  (the CG range on a DHC-6 is pretty wide, but it assumes you do things like "Load from the forward bulkhead aft," not the other way around.  Two guys deciding they want to sit in the time out chair when its not the right time could be disastrous)  Being shouted down by one of the two safety advisors while trying to make sure you and 20 of your closest friends don't try to kill one another is, well, not safe.

Some people need to know when to close their mouths when the more experienced adults are talking, really.

[Check Pilot/Tow Pilot]

I recently got into a similar discussion..

I am a frequent passenger on DeHavilland DHC-6 series aircraft. The aircraft that I am most likely to frequent in the near future was modified over the winter to remove 200-300 lbs of useless weight from the aircraft in the vicinity of the aft baggage compartment, open the (previously closed off) aft bulkhead doorway, and install provisions (seat & seatbelts) for 2 passengers in that area.

Now, even with 20+ years of frequent flights in Twin Otters, I've never seen this particular config, and frankly, the bench is pretty far aft:  like 30+ inches aft of the bulkhead. Being cognizant of weight and balance issues surrounding self-loading cargo, during a pre-flight briefing with some fellow travellers I asked the (new to me) pilot if there were any guidelines or restrictions on when that seat should by occupied, by whom, etc.

A person who should know better, and occupies a position with the word "safety" in the title, cut me off: "I don't think that question is necessary, Darin."

I was pretty annoyed. I may not be as frequent a flyer as she was, but my aviation background is about 10,000 times more than hers.The pilot, being very experienced, immediately spoke up and said "Actually, thats a very good question..." and proceeded to outline the best practices for loading that position in the aircraft to all who were gathered and likely to be called upon to make decisions about who sits where. 

I was trying to make sure that the big fat guy and his chubby cousin weren't crowded in that space when the aircraft was lightly loaded and causing a departure stall or something.  (the CG range on a DHC-6 is pretty wide, but it assumes you do things like "Load from the forward bulkhead aft," not the other way around.  Two guys deciding they want to sit in the time out chair when its not the right time could be disastrous)  Being shouted down by one of the two safety advisors while trying to make sure you and 20 of your closest friends don't try to kill one another is, well, not safe.

Some people need to know when to close their mouths when the more experienced adults are talking, really.

Good job on asking that question. Ah the Twotter, one amazing Canadian machine!!!