N86FS

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On July 24, 2006, at 1140 eastern daylight time, a Canadair F86, N86FS, registered to Flying Fossils LLC, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight collided with fixed objects during an aborted takeoff from runway 24 at Hickory Regional Airport, Hickory, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. A post crash fire destroyed the airplane. The airline transport rated pilot was fatally injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident, enroute to Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The Line Manager for a local fixed base operator (FBO) stated the accident pilot requested the airplane be moved from the FBO hangar so the airplane could be serviced with oxygen before the pilot departed to Oshkosh. The Line Manager observed the airplane being serviced. The pilot requested fuel and he refueled the airplane and ensured all fuel caps were secured. The Line manager departed the airplane to meet a vendor. Witnesses stated that the pilot started the engine, performed a control check, started his taxi, stopped 75 feet later, completed an engine shutdown, and made a few phone calls.

A close friend and project manager for Flying Fossils stated, he received a phone call from the pilot before departing informing him that he thought he had a hydraulic problem. The pilot did not have the phone number for their airframe and power plant mechanic with him and asked if he would have the mechanic call him. The mechanic called the pilot and had a conversation about a stiff stick movement, which was resolved.

The Line Manager and the vendor went outside to observe the airplane as it taxied to runway 24 for take off. The airplane was out of their direct view when the airplane reached runway 24; however they both heard the engine spool up. The airplane came back in view as it came by the commercial ramp and the fire station on its takeoff roll. The Line Manager stated, "the airplane seemed ok, but it appeared to be slow." The airplane was observed as it crossed the intersection of runway 19, and the nose wheel was still on the ground. The Line manager stated he heard a decrease in engine power followed by a few puffs of smoke in the vicinity of the main landing gear tires. The airplane continued off the end of the runway into the overrun. The airplane was observed to turn to the right and the left wing tip collided with a localizer antenna on the approach end of runway 06. The airplane continued down an embankment and disappeared from view followed by a fireball. The Line Manager notified the FBO on a hand held radio to call the fire departed and immediately departed to the crash site in a courtesy car. Upon arrival he observed the airplane had gone through a perimeter fence, and was on the highway engulfed in flames.

Other witnesses located at the Hickory Terminal ramp confirmed the Line Managers statement and stated it was very unusual because the airplane normally rotates before reaching the terminal ramp. The speed of the jet was much slower than normal. When the airplane approached the mid-field intersection, it appeared it attempted to slow down, from that point the pilot was unable to stop the airplane before reaching the end of runway 6 and entered the over run. The airplane seemed to speed up, ran through the localizer antenna, and went through the security fence, followed by a huge fireball.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

Review of information on file with the FAA Airman's Certification Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the pilot was issued an airline transport pilot certificate on November 15, 2004, with ratings for airplane multiengine land, commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land, and airplane instrument rating. The pilot held a second-class medical issued on April 12, 2006, with the restriction, "must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision." The pilot reported on his application for the second-class medical certificate that he had accumulated 15,000 total flight hours. The pilot's logbook was not located and the pilot's last flight review could not be determined. The pilot received ground instruction utilizing an FAA approved Pilot Transition Training Program of Flight Systems Inc., from September 10, 2004, through September 16, 2004. No flight evaluation was conducted. A close friend of the deceased pilot and project manager for the restoration of N86FS stated the pilot had 64 total flight hours in the F86.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

Review of the airplane logbooks revealed the last 100-hour inspection was conducted February 16, 2006, and the airplane has flown 13.1 hours since the 100-hour inspection. The engine was overhauled by Mohave Air on April 24, 1995, and had 398.9 hours. The engine was reinstalled on the airplane on May 11, 1996, and the airplane was placed in storage until February 16, 2006. The airplane has flown 26 hours since overhaul and the total time on the engine is 436.5 hours. The total time on the airframe is 3,954 hours. The airplane was topped off with 702 gallons of Jet A fuel on July 24, 2006, before departing on the accident flight.

The Flying Fossil Project Manger stated the deceased pilot had observed the assembly of the F86 brake assemblies on four different occasions. The pilot assembled the brakes that were in use at the time of the accident on July 19, 2006, or July 20, 2006. In addition, the project manager stated the brakes are not manufactured by any company today and Flying Fossils had purchased a warehouse full of spare F86 parts, including the brake parts when the airplane was purchased.

The Flying Fossil Project Manager submitted his initial copy of the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report to the FAA Accident Investigator-In-Charge (IIC) on August 26, 2006. Performance documentation given to the FAA by the project manager indicated the maximum gross weight of the airplane for takeoff was 17,300 pounds. Weight and balance computations also showed that the weight of the airplane at the time of the accident was 17,705 pounds. These computations were based on weight and balance figures submitted to the FAA by the project manager on a spreadsheet dated August 22, 2004. The FAA was informed by the project manager that the computations on this document were based on the 120 gallon drop tanks configuration, not the 200 gallon drop tanks configuration which was on the aircraft at the time of the accident.

The FAA computed the takeoff weight to be 17,693 pounds. The FAA weight and balance computations were based on data extracted from the document provided by the project manager on July 26, 2006. Examination of the weight and balance spread sheet data by the FAA revealed the fuel was not added back to the net empty weight in order to compute the take off weight by the project manager. The FAA pointed out this error to the project manager on August 4, 2006. The project manager submitted an e-mail with a second weight and balance-spread sheet to the FAA on August 4, 2006, which included 2 additional weight and balance computations. The first computation in the far left column indicated a takeoff weight of 16,863 pounds. The second column indicated a takeoff weight of 16,963 pounds. Review of the computations by the FAA revealed the Pilot and parachute weight of 230 pounds and the ballast weight of 400 pounds were included in the full weight center of gravity computation on the left column computation. The FAA compared this figure to the document received on July 27, 2006, and noted the pilot and parachute weight of 230 pounds and the ballast weight of 400 pounds were not included in the full weight center of gravity that was added afterwards by the project manager. The second column computation used a net weight of 10,396. pounds. The project manager did not use this computation on the previous computations. The FAA asked the project manager where the 10,396 pounds came from. The project manager informed the FAA the airplane was reweighed at Mojave due to several modifications over a seven-month period. The FAA requested the project manager to send them the source document from this reweighing. The project manager provided a hand written document without a letterhead, signature, and address of the person who completed the work. When the FAA questioned the project manager about this, the project manager stated an airframe and power plant mechanic (A&P) who was responsible for weighing the airplane was unable to find any paper work to support his computations. The project manager stated the A&P mechanic faxed a copy of the weight and balance data and that he was going to provide the FAA with an affidavit. The FAA has not received an affidavit from the project manager or the A&P mechanic. The FAA calculated the take off weight with the second undocumented figures provided by the project manner to be 16,963 pounds.

The project manager and the FAA computed the take off distance of the accident airplane to be 2,600 feet based on a take off weight of 17,300 pounds on July 27, 2006.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The 1153 surface weather observation at Hickory Regional Airport was: wind 100 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 8 miles, broken clouds at 8,000 feet, temperature 75 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point temperature 64 degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter 30.09.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The wreckage of the airplane was located on its left side on Hickory Road adjacent to the approach end of runway 06 at Hickory Regional Airport, Hickory, North Carolina, on a heading of 040 degrees, and a post crash fire ensued. Examination of the runway revealed evidence of braking action (tire marks) beginning 2,175 feet before the end of runway 24. Broken brake rotors parts were found a few hundred feet from the end of runway 24 by an employee of the City of Hickory Airport. The rotors were collected in a 5-gallon bucket and turned over to the line manager ...