Contributor - Accidents and Regulations

Contributor - Accidents and Regulations

Gordon Gilbert

There were no fatalities resulting from U.S.-registered business jet accidents in the first quarter of this year compared to one in the same period last year, according to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;research.&nbsp;However, there were two nonfatal accidents in each of the quarters, and the number of incidents doubled, to 16, in the first quarter from eight a year ago. Part 91 accounted for all the accidents in the first quarter of 2017; Part 91 and Part 135 accounted for one accident each in the first three months of this year.

 


A Beechjet 400A on a Part 135 flight suffered substantial damage during a landing overrun on Feb. 4, 2018 and became the 13th aircraft (and seventh business jet) to be safely stopped by an Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) at the end of the runway. The cause and circumstance of the mishap are still under investigation, but there were no injuries to the four occupants.

 


A Cirrus SF50 mishap was among the incidents in the first quarter. On Feb. 26, 2018, the pilot of the single-engine business jet being operated as a Part 91 personal flight lost directional control on the landing rollout and went off the side of the runway into a snow berm. No one was hurt. Another incident in which no injuries were reported involved a Dassault Falcon 2000 that landed on grass and snow adjacent to the runway on Jan. 7, 2018.

 


Still in an NTSB “preliminary report” status was the only U.S.-registered business jet fatal accident in all of last year: the March 24, 2017 crash involving a single-pilot, Sierra-modified Cessna Citation 500 on a Part 91 business flight. The twinjet crashed while being radar vectored for an IFR approach in night VMC.

 


<h2>TP Fatalities Climb Sharply</h2>

 


Fatalities from crashes of N-numbered business turboprops numbered seven in the first quarter, compared to two in the same period last year, while the number of nonfatal crashes plunged from eight in 2017 to two this year. All three fatal accidents in the period this year occurred in February 2018 while operating under Part 91. In this year’s first quarter, there were no accidents of Part 135 on-demand operations; last year there were three nonfatal mishaps.

 


On Feb. 18, 2018, a Socata TBM 700A crashed while on an IFR approach in IMC, killing the pilot and passenger. The turboprop single was operating as a Part 91 personal flight.

 


Just three days later, on Feb. 22, 2018, three people were killed in the crash of a Cessna Conquest 441. The pilot reportedly lost control of the twin turboprop during the departure climb in night IMC on a planned Part 91 business flight.

 


On Feb. 27, 2018, two people died in the crash of a Quest Kodiak 100 while on a Part 91 personal flight. The single-turboprop overflew its intended destination, made a right turn circling back to the airport, overflew it again, and entered a left turn. The airplane continued the left turn, again overflew the airport, and went into a river that was about one mile from the airport.

 


The 12 fatalities from two non-U.S.-registered business jet accidents in the first period of this year may have been the greatest loss of life for this segment on record for a single quarter. The March 11, 2018 crash of a privately operated Turkish-registered Bombardier Challenger 604 en route from the UAE to Istanbul accounted for 11 of those who were killed. Flight tracking data showed the aircraft reaching FL360 about 30 minutes after takeoff when it suddenly entered a pronounced descent. The aircraft then crashed in mountainous terrain. Weather conditions at the accident site included thunderstorms, heavy winds, and rain.

 


On Jan. 5, 2018, the captain of an Austria-registered Gulfstream G150 died in what can only be described as a freak accident. According to an official report, the twinjet was being readied for flight, the APU was running, the cabin attendant was inside, and the cabin was being heated after freezing weather. The captain was on the ramp preparing to open the passenger door. “For some reason the cabin was over-pressurized and the door blew open by force,” striking the captain, who later died from his injuries.

 


Incidents of note involving non-N-numbered business jets include the Philippines-registered chartered Gulfstream 200 that on Jan. 10, 2018 ran off the runway, after landing at an airport under construction some 3.5 miles from the planned destination.

 


Non-N-numbered business turboprops significantly improved their accident record quarter over quarter, with only one fatality in the first three months of this year versus 13 killed in the same timeframe last year.&nbsp; &nbsp;

 


The one fatality in an accident involving a non-U.S.-registered turboprop in the first quarter occurred on Jan. 10, 2018 when a chartered Kenyan-registered Cessna 208 failed to clear a fence on takeoff and then crashed, killing one person on the ground.

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