Last month I wrote about a Cessna 550B Citation Bravo (registration OK-ACH) that crashed in Germany. The aircraft, operating as Time Air Flight TIE039C, was en route from Prague to Karlstad, Sweden at the time of the accident. Both crew members on board were killed.A reader has passed along a link to a press release about the accident investigation from the Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU), i.e., the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation. Apparently the accident followed an aerobatic maneuver -- specifically, a barrel roll -- from which the aircraft did not recover.
Here is the full text of the BFU press resease:
Air accident on 14 February 2010 near Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna (Saxony)This sad tale reminded me of that old saying, “There are old pilots and there are bold pilots -- but there are no old, bold pilots.”
The twin-jet Cessna 550 B, departed Prague (Czech Republic) at 20:08 hrs (MEZ), for a ferry flight to Karlstad, Sweden. Aboard were two crew members. At 20:19 hrs, the aircraft's radar signal vanished from the monitors of the Air Traffic Service Provider. The crash site was found during the night close to the village Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna in the area of the mountain Großen Zschirnstein, Saxony.
In the following few days rescue work was under way during which the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) were recovered. Analysis of the Cockpit Voice Recorder showed evidence that shortly before the crash an aerobatics manoeuvre (barrel roll) was initiated.
The aircraft was neither designed nor approved for such manoeuvres.
The BFU issued the following Safety Recommendations:
Recommendation No.: 10/2010
The CAA-CZ responsible for air operators within the Czech Republic should arrange for an inspection of the involved air operator's aircraft in regard to structural overload.
Recommendation No.: 11/2010
The CAA-CZ should determine actions for the improvement of the air operator's Quality Management System and the Safety Culture
The investigation into the accident by the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) is still in progress.
There is always a risk while testing a plane. It's his hard luck. My sincere condolence to his family.
ReplyDeleteSome risk maybe, but where exactly does it say that flight testing a Citation includes a barrel roll??? These things belong either in the simulator or in an aerobatics aircraft.
ReplyDeleteNo this is not hard luck. This is stupid. You DO NOT perform aerobatics with an aircraft not designed to do so, especially with an inexperienced crew in aerobatics. Who knows how many other aircraft these bumbling idiots have left on the ramp that they overstressed and had gotten away with this before only to set a trap for some other pilot?
ReplyDeleteA barrel roll is a visual maneuver. On February 14th, 20.19, it would have been dark. They might have got away with it in daylight but at night . . . . Stupid and foolhardy.
ReplyDeleteCondolences are due to HER family as it was a female flying in the left seat. I flew with her aprox 1
ReplyDeleteyear earlier and on top of the shear stupidity of the pilot's trying such a maneuver ( at night )the operator was also taking a big risk letting a pilot with no previous jet experince and relatively low total flight hrs fly this aircraft as a captain.
She showed some immaturity and risk taking attitude when I met her.
ReplyDelete