N316PR

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On June 25, 2006, about 1224 eastern daylight time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-60, N316PR, registered to and operated by Flyin Cloud LLC., as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 ferry flight, crashed shortly after takeoff from Saint Lucie County International Airport, Fort Pierce, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The airline transport-rated pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, received fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

The accident pilot had flown to the Bahamas, discharged passengers, and had returned to the U.S., landing at Saint Lucie County Airport (Fort Pierce Airport), where he cleared U.S Customs and refueled. At the time of the accident the pilot was on a flight to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to have scheduled 100-hour maintenance performed on the airplane.

A review of the FAA Port Pierce Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) recorded communications revealed that the pilot had initially contacted the Fort Pierce tower controller, stating “tower 65PR ready to go runway 14.” At 1222:39 the tower controller responded stating, “on departure turn left heading zero niner zero runway one four cleared for takeoff.” The accident pilot responded, “left to zero niner zero, one four cleared to go, papa romeo thanks.” At 1223:44 the controller stated, “Mitsubishi six five romeo heading zero nine zero contact miami center”, and the pilot responded “zero niner zero going to miami, have a good day, papa romeo.” The controller responded, “see ya.” There was no record of further communications between the Fort Pierce tower controller or the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) controller and the pilot of N316PR. Subsequent attempts by either controller to establish communications with the flight yielded negative results.

The airplane impacted the terrain in a wooded area, about 80 yards west of U. S. Highway 1 (US-1) about 1.5 miles away from the departure end of runway 14.

Several witnesses saw the accident and reported that the airplane was at a very low altitude, after having just taken off from the Saint Lucie County International Airport. One witness stated that he was traveling north on highway US-1, at Juanita Street, and he witnessed a black twin-engine airplane “in trouble.” He said the airplane was in a nose-up attitude, pointing east, and then it yawed to the right, pointing south in a wings level position. It then continued to slowly spin in a clockwise direction until striking the ground and bursting into flames. According to the witness, the right propeller was rotating very slowly, such that he could count its revolutions.

Another witness, an experienced commercial pilot who had accumulated about 6,000 hours of flight experience, and who was also former law enforcement officer/investigator, stated that he was in a car proceeding northbound on State Road 5 (SR-5), also known as US-1, and was at the intersection of highway A1A and highway US-1. He said the weather was broken to overcast, the visibility was 7 miles or more, and there was no rain. He said his attention was drawn to an aircraft departing the Saint Lucie County International Airport to the east, possibly from runway 14. He said the airplane cleared the airport boundary area, and appeared to fly over SR-5, which runs north and south, on the east side of the airport. He said the rate of climb was not consistent with a turboprop, and it did not appear to climb above 500 to 700 feet above ground level. He said the airplane started a wing wobble motion, and that the wings banked slightly to the left, and then back to the right. He further stated that the motion could have been a slight yaw, but added that he was not sure. Seconds after the wing wobble the airplane started a right turn until the wings were 90 degrees to the ground circling to a westerly direction. Within seconds after achieving a 90-degree bank the airplane pitched slightly upward and then executed a “wing-over” maneuver (to the right) appearing to enter a spin. He said the nose pitched down, and the airplane impacted the ground in nearly a vertical nose down position. The witness further stated that to the best of his recollection it appeared that both propellers were turning until the crash, and added that he could not hear any engine noise because he had his car windows rolled up and the radio playing. He did not see any abnormal smoke coming from the engines or debris from the airplane, nor did he recall if the gear was up or down. In addition he did not observe the flap positions. When asked, the witness said that the engines did not appear to be feathered, and both propellers were definitely rotating.

Three witnesses located in the area of a marine store noticed the accident airplane. The first witness at the store said that he was parked at the store and he noticed a black or dark colored twin-engine airplane about 200 feet above the ground. He said the airplane began to bank to the side and it continued until upside down. It then nosed down behind the tree-line. Another witness, also at the store, said he was exiting the store and walking to his truck in the parking lot when he heard an airplane and glanced to his left. He said he then heard the airplane’s engine “throttle up”, after which it then spun to the left, and proceeded upside down two times before impacting the ground. The third witness sitting in the store parking lot said that he witnessed an airplane that was heading east. He stated that that he looked back out the window a minute or two later and saw the same airplane rise above the trees, “give full throttle (or so it sounded), then roll over on the left wing, and dove instantly.

A witness stated to an officer with the Saint Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, that he was in a mobile home park working on his van, and he heard a sound like a “broken” airplane engine, coming from the airport. He said that he had some experience working on airplane engines before, and that the noise from the airplane sounded like one of the twin engines had a failure. He said he looked up and saw an airplane about 60 feet above banking right. The airplane banked right in a 90-degree to about a 180-degree angle, as if to avoid the mobile home park, and it went head-on into the bushes.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

Records on file with the FAA cite the accident pilot as Chief Pilot/Manager of Flyin Cloud LLC. The pilot held an FAA airline transport-rated pilot certificate with an airplane multiengine land rating. He also held commercial pilot airplane single engine land and sea ratings, issued on February 5, 2004. In addition, the pilot held an FAA third class medical certificate, with the stated limitation that the pilot must wear correcting lenses when flying, which had been issued on March 24, 2006.

At the time the pilot made application for his medical certificate, he reported having accumulated 11,000 hours total pilot experience, and 300 within the last 6 months. In addition, he had reported having accumulated about 2,000 hours of flight experience in the same make and model airplane as the accident airplane.

The pilot last received recurrent Mitsubishi MU-2 training at Howell Enterprises Inc., Smyrna, Tennessee, from July 19 to 25, 2005, and was scheduled to return to Howell Enterprises Inc., for his next recurrent training class on July 24, 2006.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

Airframe Information

N316PR, serial number 761SA, was a MU-2B-60 “Marquise”, manufactured in 1980, and was a high performance, twin-engine, high-wing turboprop powered airplane. FAA airplane records indicate that on January 26, 2001, Flyin Cloud LLC., purchased the accident airplane from Headrick Properties Inc., Laurel, Mississippi. FAA records did not show Flyin Cloud LLC., as possessing a Title 14 CFR Part 135 (air-taxi) certificate. At the time of the accident the airplane had accumulated about 4,073 flight hours total time.

Engine and Propeller Information

The accident airplane was powered by two Garrett Turbine Engine Company, now Honeywell Aerospace, TPE 331-10-511M turboprop engines, serial number 36117C (left engine), and serial number 36126 (right engine), 940 shaft horsepower engines, de-rated to 715 shaft horsepower.

The airplane was equipped with two Hartzell Propeller Inc. 4-bladed, constant speed, full feathering, reversible-pitch propellers, each propeller of which was 98 inches in diameter. The propellers were model number HC-B4TN-5JL, and their blades are model LT10282NSB-5.3R. The left propeller hub’s serial number was CDA3514M2, and the serial number on the right hub was CDA3340M2.

Negative Torque Sensing (NTS) System Information

In addition to the ability for a pilot to manually feather the propellers, and an automatic feathering feature, the engine (Honeywell TPE-331) design also includes a “Negative Torque Sensing” (NTS) system that would automatically respond to a typical failed engine condition involving a windmilling propeller. According to the aircraft manufacturer, when this condition is sensed, the NTS system automatically vents oil pressure from the propeller, allowing the balance springs to drive the propeller toward feather. Feathering the propeller reduces drag and asymmetric yawing member due to the failed engine. All certification one-engine inoperative handling qualities evaluations are conducted with the NTS system operational and the aircraft meets all FAA requirements. Airplane Flight Manual procedures for engine failure instruct the pilot to control the airplane, identify the failed engine by power asymmetry and instrument panel indications then move the condition lever to Emergency Stop to shut down the engine and completed the propeller feathering process. Additionally, the procedures instruct the pilot to move the Power Lever to the Takeoff position to prevent the propeller blades moving toward fla...