Accident NOT The Result Of A Midair

Editor's Note: Below is the complete, unedited text of the National Transportation Safety Board's Preliminary Report on the October 18 crash of a Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III near Prescott, AZ.

As Aero-News reported, the plane crashed after manuevering below a Mig-21 to check on a landing gear issue on the Mig. The Cheyenne, with five persons onboard, was participating in a photo shoot with the Russian fighter at the time of the accident. All five were lost when the Piper went down; the pilot of the MiG was able to land safely.

Initial reports stated the two aircraft collided in midair -- easy to understand, given the circumstances -- but the NTSB states a midair collision was NOT the cause of the loss of the Piper. For as-yet undetermined reasons, the Cheyenne apparently lost its vertical stabilizer while maneuvering... but the two planes did not touch.

NTSB Identification: LAX07FA012
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, October 18, 2006 in Perkinsville, AZ
Aircraft: Piper PA-42, registration: N121CS
Injuries: 5 Fatal.

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.

On October 18, 2006, at 1347 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-42 (Cheyenne III, file photo of type, center), N121CS, was destroyed when its tail section separated in flight while maneuvering about 16 nautical miles northeast of Prescott, Arizona. The airline transport pilot and four passengers sustained fatal injuries and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as an aerial photography flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the local flight that departed the Ernest A. Love Field, Prescott, about 15 minutes before the accident.

The intent of the flight was to take aerial photographs of a MiG 21 airplane (N21UT). The pilot of the MiG 21 indicated that he and the Cheyenne pilot discussed the photo flight the day of the accident, and had established 2,500 to 3,000 feet above ground level (agl) as their minimum altitude and 200 knots as their minimum airspeed. The MiG and Cheyenne pilot did not establish a minimum separation distance, as it was not intended to be a formation flight. The MiG pilot reported that they intended on adjusting the in-flight separation as the flight progressed.

The MiG pilot reported that he departed the Prescott airport and flew straight out on a northeast heading. On departure, he experienced a problem retracting the landing gear and noted that only the nose landing gear successfully retracted. He recycled the landing gear handle from up to off and back to the up position, and received a successful gear retraction indication. He notified the Cheyenne pilot of the landing gear problem, but informed him that he believed the landing gear was retracted. The Cheyenne pilot indicated that they would join up with the MiG, look it over and check-out the landing gear, and let the MiG pilot know what they saw.

The MiG pilot flew the airplane at 9,000 feet mean sea level (msl) in a 30-degree right-hand turn at 200 knots with approach flaps selected (approximately 25 degrees). He continued to circle in that configuration to allow the Cheyenne to rendezvous with the MiG. The MiG pilot reported that he observed the Cheyenne meet up at his 5 o'clock position about 300-400 feet behind him about the same altitude. The MiG pilot looked forward and when he looked back to the Cheyenne, he could not see it. About 30 seconds later, he heard the Cheyenne pilot comment about the right landing gear or gear door, but the statement was not completed. The MiG pilot waited to hear back from the Cheyenne pilot, but when he did not receive any additional information, he asked the Cheyenne pilot to repeat because he didn't understand the last transmission. The Cheyenne pilot did not respond and the MiG pilot never received additional information.

The MiG pilot continued flying in that manner and tried to reach the Cheyenne over the radio. After a couple of minutes he observed a column of smoke rising from the desert terrain and became concerned about the Cheyenne. The MiG pilot called the Prescott air traffic controller and asked if they were receiving an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) because he could not see the Cheyenne, could not reach him over the radio, and could now see a column of smoke in the area in which they were flying. The controller reported that they were not receiving an ELT signal but asked for coordinates for the smoke so they could send someone to check it out. The MiG pilot provided the coordinates and flew around a while longer to burn off fuel prior to landing. He informed the controller that he was having problems with his landing gear so the controller cleared him for the option.

The MiG pilot landed uneventfully. The MiG was later inspected for contact with the Cheyenne but no evidence of contact between the two airplanes was noted.

A statement provided by the Prescott airport manager indicated that he was listening to both aircraft as they taxied and departed the airport. He then switched frequencies to the air-to-air frequency used by the MiG and Cheyenne pilot (123.45). He reported hearing the conversation between the MiG and the Cheyenne pilots, and then heard the Cheyenne pilot indicate that he would "drop down and go underneath and let you know how it looks" after the MiG pilot informed him that he had recycled his landing gear and believed they were retracted.

Radar data from the Seligman, Arizona, RADES facility depicted the MiG in a right-hand turn. The Cheyenne joined up with the MiG on the inside of the turn and descended from above the MiG to below it. The Cheyenne's flight path matched that of the MiG and its last radar return with altitude information depicted both aircraft at 7,900 feet msl at 1346:47.

The Cheyenne's main wreckage (which included the entire aircraft with the exception of the upper half of the vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer, and elevator) was located at a global positioning system (GPS) measured location of 34 degrees 52.821 minutes north latitude and 112 degrees 15.197 minutes west longitude at a terrain elevation of 4,366 feet msl. The main wreckage came to rest on a heading of 230 degrees, in an inverted position, and had sustained fire damage throughout its entirety with the exception of the aft empennage, lower vertical stabilizer, and rudder. The fuselage and wing skin had melted allowing investigators to trace the control cables from the cockpit to the ailerons, rudder, and base of the elevator pushrod. No anomalies with the cables were noted. In addition, the engine controls were traced from the cockpit to their respective engines.

The T-tail section of the airplane came to rest at a GPS measured location of 34 degrees 52.420 minutes north latitude and 112 degrees 15.241 minutes west longitude at a terrain elevation of 4,466 feet msl. The tail section included the upper portion of the vertical stabilizer, the horizontal stabilizer and elevator, which all remained intact and came to rest on the topside of the horizontal stabilizer/elevator. The tail section did not sustain any fire damage, and was missing the left elevator counter weight. Movement of the elevator reveled no binding or pre-existing anomalies.

On October 20, 2006, the tail section was transported to the main wreckage where they were examined together. Examination of the vertical stabilizer's front and aft spars revealed that they were bent and twisted to the right. The rudder was twisted to the right about 180 degrees. All fracture surfaces on the vertical stabilizer and elevator vertical push-pull tube were irregular and deformed and did not display any evidence of fatigue cracking or pre-existing failures.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov