Fri, Jan 27, 2006
Claimed Three Lives, Lone Survivor Called For Help On Cell
Severe icing -- and the pilot's failure to plan sufficiently for
it -- were cited by the NTSB in its probable cause report on a
fatal January 2005 accident that caused a Beech King Air B-90 (file
photo of type, below) to stall and impact terrain near
Rawlins, WY. The plane had been dispatched to Rawlins to pick up a
car crash victim.
Up to 1 1/2 inches of ice clung to the King Air's vertical stab,
wings, right landing gear, and right propeller when the Yampa
Valley Air Ambulance pilot, Tim Benway, flew through heavy icing
conditions while approaching the Rawlins airport.
The NTSB report states an AIRMET was in effect at the airport
calling for "occasional moderate rime or mixed icing in clouds and
precipitation between the freezing level and flight level 220." The
freezing level was at the ground.
The NTSB also stated Benway failed to heed FAA Advisory Circular
(AC) 135-15, Emergency Medical Services/Airplane (EMS/A) which
includes the following: "Additional considerations when planning
IFR flights include the following: (1) Avoid flight in icing
weather whenever possible."
The agency found no evidence the air ambulance service pressured
Benway to take the flight in spite of the advisory, adding Benway
may have pressured himself to accept the mission.
As was reported last year in
Aero-News, the accident claimed the lives of Benway,
flight nurse Dave Linner, and nurse Jennifer Wells. Paramedic Tim
Baldwin survived, and used his cell phone to guide rescuers to the
crash site.
More News
Aero Linx: Space Medicine Association (SMA) The Space Medicine Association of the Aerospace Medical Association is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific>[...]
Jamming Denotes emissions that do not mimic Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals (e.g., GPS and WAAS), but rather interfere with the civil receiver's ability to acquir>[...]
Aero Linx: Warbirds of America The EAA Warbirds of America, a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is a family of owners, pilots and enthusiasts>[...]
"From New York to Paris, this life-size replica of the Webb Telescope inspired communities around the world and, in doing so, invited friends and families to explore the cosmos tog>[...]
Hold-In-Lieu Of Procedure Turn A hold-in-lieu of procedure turn shall be established over a final or intermediate fix when an approach can be made from a properly aligned holding p>[...]