Crew Called In A Double Flameout
The National
Transportation Safety Board Wednesday released the following update
on its investigation of the October 14, 2004 crash of Pinnacle
Airlines flight 3701 in a residential area in Jefferson City,
Missouri, about three miles south of the Jefferson City, Missouri,
airport. The crash resulted in the deaths of the two crewmen. The
airplane was destroyed by the impact forces and a post crash fire.
There were no passengers onboard, nor were there any injuries on
the ground.
On October 14, 2004, the aircraft departed Little Rock, Arkansas
about 9:21 p.m. (CDT), on a repositioning flight en-route to
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.
Air Traffic Control
At about 9:43 p.m., the flight crew checked in with Kansas City
Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and indicated that they
were climbing to 41,000 feet. At approximately 9:52 p.m., the
flight crew acknowledged that they were at 41,000 feet. At about
9:54 p.m., the flight crew asked for a lower altitude. At about
9:55 p.m. the flight crew declared an emergency. At about 9:59 p.m.
the flight crew requested an altitude of 13,000 feet. At about
10:03 p.m., the flight crew reported that they had experienced an
engine failure at 41,000. At 10:08 p.m., the flight crew stated
that they had a double engine failure and that they wanted a direct
route to any airport (According to the Flight Data Recorder both
engines stopped operating almost simultaneously at 41,000 feet.)
Kansas City ARTCC directed the flight to Jefferson City Missouri
Airport. At about 10:13 p.m., the flight crew stated that they had
the runway approach end in sight. The last radar contact for the
flight was at 900 feet above ground. The plane crashed at about
10:15 p.m.
Maintenance
On October 14, the day of the accident, the airplane underwent
maintenance to replace the 14th stage bleed air-sensing loop on the
right engine. During a scheduled 7:45 a.m. departure from Little
Rock, Arkansas to Minneapolis St.-Paul, Missouri, an Indicating
Crew Alerting System (ICAS) message stating "R 14th duct" occurred
during take-off and the flight crew (not the accident crew) aborted
the take-off and returned to the gate. The 21 passengers were
deplaned. The airplane never left the ground. Two mechanics from
Pinnacle's Memphis, Tennessee facility did the repair. During a
Safety Board interview on Saturday, the mechanics stated that they
only replaced the No. 2 (right) engine's 14th stage bleed air
sensing loop. The mechanics completed the repair and tested the
system. The aircraft was released for flight. On-scene evidence
confirms that the repair was done in accordance with the Aircraft
Maintenance Manual.
The aircraft was equipped with two GE CF34-3B1 engines. The
right engine had accumulated 2,303 hours and 1,971 cycles since
new. It was installed new on the aircraft on October 23, 2003. The
left hand engine had 8,856 hours and 8,480 cycles since new. It was
removed from another aircraft on October 30, 2003 and installed on
the accident aircraft on April 6, 2004. Maintenance records
indicate that during an A4 check on June 9, 2004, the left engine
igniters were replaced. During an A5 check on August 18, 2004, the
right engine igniters were replaced. The most recent check was the
A5 check performed on August 18, 2004.
Operations
The Operations group traveled to Memphis to interview pilots who
had flown with the two crew members and to interview some of the
airlines training personnel and managers. There are 10 to 12
interviews scheduled.
Wreckage
On-scene examination of
the wreckage shows there was no sign of an in-flight fire on the
structure of the aircraft. The airplane was found inverted and
separated in several sections. All four major flight surfaces were
found at the main wreckage site. The cockpit area was severely
damaged by the post crash fire.
During the Safety Board's examination of the engines, it was
noted that there was some thermal damage to the No. 2 engine and
that will be further looked at during a teardown in Lynn (MA). The
engines were to be shipped Thursday.
The wreckage is being shipped to Rantoul, Kansas.
Since the accident, the operator, Pinnacle Airlines, has placed
a new company altitude restriction on the flight ceiling for their
CL600-2B19s (file photo of type, above right) of 37,000 feet.
Parties to the investigation are Pinnacle Airlines, Federal
Aviation Administration, Air Line Pilot's Association, National Air
Traffic Controller's Association, and General Electric (GE). The
Transportation Safety Board of Canada has sent an accredited
representative along with technical advisors from Transport Canada,
the agency that certified the aircraft, and Bombardier Aerospace,
the manufacture of the aircraft.