We now know a lot more
about the accident that occurred November 8th over Manchester, NH,
involving an Embraer Bandeirante. According to the NTSB prelim, the
pilot reported that he heard an explosion from the left engine and
thereafter noted that the engine had come to a full-stop. Despite
the fact that the pilot "stood on the rudder" the aircraft entered
an uncommanded left turn and continued to turn and descend until
impacting the side of a Walmart.
NTSB's Preliminary Report
NTSB Identification: NYC06FA027
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Tuesday, November 08, 2005 in Manchester,
NH
Aircraft: Embraer 110P1, registration: N7810Q
Injuries: 1 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may
contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when
the final report has been completed.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On November 8, 2005,
about 0720 eastern standard time, an Embraer 110P1, N7801Q,
operated by Business Air, Incorporated as Air Now flight 352, was
destroyed when it impacted a department store garden center shortly
after takeoff from Manchester Airport (MHT), Manchester, New
Hampshire. The certificated airline transport pilot was seriously
injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an
instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight
to Bangor International Airport (BGR), Bangor, Maine. The
unscheduled cargo flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part
135.
According to the pilot, the preflight inspection, start-up, taxi
and takeoff with flaps set at 25 percent were all normal. However,
just after raising the landing gear, the pilot heard an explosion
from what he thought was the right engine. But when he checked the
engine instruments, he saw that all of the gauges for the left
engine had gone to zero. The pilot visually checked the left engine
and saw that the left propeller had completely stopped.
The pilot added full power to the right engine, and left the
flaps at 25 percent. The airplane began a left turn, and although
the pilot "stood on the right rudder," he could not stop a left
turning descent. The pilot advised the tower of the emergency,
requested a landing back at the airport, and was issued a clearance
to land on runway 17. However, before the pilot could fly the
airplane back to the airport, it descended into the garden
center.
In the garden center, the airplane struck several trailer-sized
metal storage containers. The cockpit separated from the rest of
the fuselage, and slid to a stop on its right side. The pilot undid
his harness, fell down to the right side, and crawled out the back
opening, where bystanders helped move him away from the
wreckage.
The accident occurred during daylight hours, in the vicinity of
42 degrees, 56.9 minutes north latitude, 71 degrees, 26.4 minutes
west longitude.
AIRPLANE INFORMATION
The airplane was a 1979 Embraer (EMB) 110P1 Banderante, powered
by two Pratt and Whitney PT-6 engines. The airplane had been
converted from a passenger configuration to a cargo carrier and was
carrying small packages at the time of the accident. The airplane's
maintenance was conducted according to a Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) Approved Aircraft Inspection Program
(AAIP).
PILOT INFORMATION
The pilot held an
airline transport pilot certificate with a multi-engine rating and
an EMB-110 rating. According to the pilot, he had previously flown
Part 135 operations in Texas and Michigan, and had been part owner
of a Piper Navajo operation in North Carolina prior to his
employment with Air Now. He had been with the company about 5
months.
According to company records, the pilot had logged 3,612 total
flight hours, with 137 hours in the EMB-110, and had flown his
captain's check ride in July 2005.
Prior to the accident, the pilot had been scheduled to take
assistant chief pilot training at company headquarters, to assume
that position for the company's Cessna 208 operations in its
southern region.
The pilot's latest FAA second class medical certificate was
obtained on April 4, 2005.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
Weather, reported at the airport at 0653, included calm winds,
visibility 10 statute miles, broken clouds at 11,000 feet,
temperature 45 degrees Fahrenheit and dew point 30 degrees
Fahrenheit.
Weather, reported at the airport at 0753, included winds from
270 degrees true at 5 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, scattered
clouds at 8,000 feet, temperature 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and dew
point 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The wreckage path, which headed 190 degrees magnetic, began at
the top of a light post about 60 feet from the garden center. It
continued along the garden center roof and two more light
stanchions. Past the roof, there were impact marks on numerous
40-foot, tractor trailer-sized metal storage containers that lined
both sides of a pathway that led to a chain link security fence.
The initial opening between the two lines of containers was
estimated to be about 30 feet. The containers on the left side of
the path were aligned with the department store wall, while those
on the right side of the path angled away from the wall by an
estimated 30 degrees.
An indentation, consistent with the position of the airplane's
left wing, was found in the first container on the left side of the
wreckage path. There were also scrape marks on the top of the
container.
The left wing, including
the left engine, was found fractured in sections, along the
containers on the right side of the wreckage path, and further
ahead, next to the left side containers, was a turned-over and
charred forklift. Next to the forklift were the charred remains of
the right engine. Just beyond the forklift was a destroyed section
of the chain-link security fence, containing the burnt remains of
the airplane's right wing and center wing/fuselage section. Next to
those were the mostly-charred remains of the airplane's
empennage.
About 60 feet beyond the empennage, was the airplane's unburned
cockpit area, laying on its right side.
The left engine propeller hub was still attached to its engine,
and the propeller blades appeared to be angled about 90 degrees
from the direction of rotation. There was no significant leading
edge damage to the propeller blades.
The right engine propeller hub was detached from the engine, and
one propeller blade was separated about 8 inches from the tip,
while the other blades exhibited curling, missing blade material
and leading edge damage. The blades also appeared to be angled 90
degrees from the direction of rotation.
Control surface actuator positions were measured on the accident
airplane, then applied to a similar airplane at company
headquarters, with the resultant trim positions observed: flaps
were at 25 percent, the rudder was at neutral trim, and the aileron
was at full left trim.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
The two engines were retained for further examination.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Due to the terrain, no radar track information was available. In
addition, a check of local businesses and the airport revealed that
no security cameras or ATM machine cameras were pointed at the
airplane during the accident sequence.
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