Greenfield, IN, USA
N311G
CESSNA S550
The pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight in a turbofan-powered airplane. Shortly after departure, the airplane entered a witness-estimated 90° left bank with the nose parallel to the horizon; as the airplane began to roll out of the turn, the nose remained at or below the horizon before it dropped and the airplane impacted the ground. Flight track data revealed that, shortly after departure, the airplane's ground speed immediately began decreasing from its maximum of 141 knots during takeoff and continued decreasing until the last recorded data point, which showed that the airplane had a ground speed of 100 knots. The surface wind reported about 10 minutes before the accident was from 170° at 9 knots, gusting to 14 knots, which resulted in a 1- to 2-knot tailwind component. Given this information and the airplane's configuration at the time of the accident, the airplane's indicated airspeed (IAS) would have been between about 86 and 93 knots. The airplane's stall speed was calculated to be 100 knots IAS (KIAS) with a bank angle of 45° and 118 KIAS with a bank angle of 60°. Thus, the pilot failed to maintain airspeed or accelerate after departure, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall A pilot who had flown with the accident pilot twice before the accident reported that, during these flights, the pilot had flown at reduced power settings and slower-than-normal airspeeds. During the flight 1 year before the accident, he reached over and pushed the power levers forward himself. He also stated that every time he had flown with the pilot, he was "very behind the airplane." Postaccident examination of the engines revealed no signs of preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation, and both engines exhibited circumferential rub marks on all rotating stages, blade tip bending opposite the direction of rotation, and debris ingestion through the gas path, indicating that the engine had power at impact. Further, the right engine full authority digital electronic control (FADEC) nonvolatile memory recorded no faults. (The left engine FADEC could not be downloaded due to damage.) The Airplane Flight Manual stated that the pilot must, in part, advance the throttle lever to the maximum takeoff detent for the FADEC's nonvolatile memory to record a logic trend snapshot 2 seconds after takeoff. The lack of a FADEC logic trend snapshot is consistent with the pilot not fully advancing the throttles during the takeoff and initial climb and is likely why he did not attain or maintain sufficient airspeed. The flight track data, pilot witness account, and airplane damage are consistent with the pilot failing to fully advance the power levers while maneuvering shortly after takeoff, which led to his failure to maintain sufficient airspeed and resulted in the exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 22, 2019, about 1245 eastern daylight time, a Cessna Citation S550 airplane, N311G, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Greenfield, Indiana. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A witness on the ground at Indianapolis Regional Airport (MQJ), Indianapolis, Indiana, reported seeing the airplane turn shortly after departure from runway 7 in an estimated 90° left bank with the wings vertical and the fuselage parallel to the ground. He then saw the nose lower slightly before it rose again to a level attitude. The wings started to level, then the nose went straight down, and the airplane disappeared behind trees. Flight track data for this report was obtained from L3/Harris OpsVue, a commercially available web base product that that aggregates and georeference's FAA data sources including data from FAA ASDE-X and ASSC systems, FAA Terminal and En Route Radars, the FAA certified ADS-B Network and Flight Plan data from the En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) system. A review of the data revealed that, after the airplane climbed through 1,025 ft mean sea level (msl) (163 ft above ground level), its ground speed began decreasing from its maximum of 141 knots during takeoff. As the airplane continued to climb and turned north, the ground speed continued to decrease until the last recorded data point, which showed the airplane about 1,125 ft msl and heading 346° at a ground speed of 100 knots. The airplane impacted a field about 1/2-mile northeast of MQJ. The surface wind reported about 10 minutes prior to the accident was from 170° at 9 knots gusting to 14 knots, which when applied to the 100 knot ground speed and 346° heading equates to an airspeed of between 86 knots and 93 knots. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot held type ratings for Cessna CE-500 and CE-525-S and Beechcraft RA-390-S airplanes. A review of the pilot's training records provided by Vue, Inc., showed that, on February 16, 2019, he accomplished recurrent training and training in accordance with a Federal Aviation Administration-approved training program that was required for a single-pilot exemption for the CE-550, which was originally certificated for two pilots. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe airplane, a Cessna S550, was originally certificated for two pilots. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allowed an exemption (9917) for single- pilot operations if that pilot accomplished training in accordance with an FAA- approved training program. Each engine was controlled by a full authority digital engine control (FADEC). The FADEC nonvolatile memory (NVM) will record a logic trend snapshot when the following criteria are met: EngineMode = Run TLA (Throttle Lever Angle) => TLA_MaxTakeOff… Altitude value is > -1,000 and < 10,000… Mach value is > 0 and < 0.3 Then when WOW (weight on wheels) transitions from True to False and after 2 sec[onds], a snapshot of data is then stored and written to NVM. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe airplane, a Cessna S550, was originally certificated for two pilots. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allowed an exemption (9917) for single- pilot operations if that pilot accomplished training in accordance with an FAA- approved training program. Each engine was controlled by a full authority digital engine control (FADEC). The FADEC nonvolatile memory (NVM) will record a logic trend snapshot when the following criteria are met: EngineMode = Run TLA (Throttle Lever Angle) => TLA_MaxTakeOff… Altitude value is > -1,000 and < 10,000… Mach value is > 0 and < 0.3 Then when WOW (weight on wheels) transitions from True to False and after 2 sec[onds], a snapshot of data is then stored and written to NVM. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe airplane impacted a flooded cornfield. The wreckage field was about 270 ft long and 103 ft wide and the airplane was significantly fragmented. Both engines had separated from the airplane and were found about 197 ft from the point of initial impact roughly aligned with the ground scar. A postimpact fire consumed about 80% of the airplane. Postaccident examination of the engines revealed no signs of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Both engines displayed circumferential rub marks on all rotating stages, blade tip bending opposite the direction of rotation, and debris ingestion throughout the gas path. Both the left and right engine FADECs were recovered from the wreckage. The left engine FADEC sustained impact and fire damage, and the nonvolatile memory (NVM) data could not be downloaded from it. The right engine FADEC was intact with minor case impact damage, and the NVM data were successfully downloaded. The FADEC recorded no logic trend snapshots or faults. ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONWitness Information A pilot who had flown in the accident airplane with the accident pilot the day before the accident stated that the airplane operated correctly but that he had concerns about the pilot's abilities as captain. During takeoff and once airborne, when the airplane was between about 105 and 110 knots, the accident pilot began reducing power when the airplane was "not very high off the ground"; lowered and trimmed the nose low; and continued to fly at slower speeds, between about 140 and 150 knots. He said that the pilot told him that the jet "flew like a 172." He said the accident pilot flew an instrument approach to the runway and broke off to circle another runway due to wind. The pilot flew the airplane low and slow with the pattern "less than desirable." He provided numbers to the pilot to persuade him to increase the airspeed and prevent the airplane from sinking too fast. On landing, the airplane touched down left of centerline. The accident pilot corrected and continued to decelerate. The pilot added that, about 1 year before the accident, he also flew with the accident pilot in the accident airplane. He said that the pilot was climbing out at "just barely 95 knots" and "pulling the power back," so he reached over and pushed the power levers forward himself. The pilot asked the accident pilot why he was climbing at a low speed and pulling the power back, and he stated that "it flew like a 172." He told the accident pilot that he did not feel comfortable. He said that every time he had flown with the accident pilot, he was "very behind the airplane" and that the pilot wanted to start doing other things like "pressing buttons" without safely maintaining airspeed and altitude. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATIONAn autopsy of the pilot was performed by the Hancock County Coroner's Office, Greenfield, Indiana. His cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries. The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory performed toxicology testing on specimens from the pilot. The results were negative for ethanol, carbon monoxide and all tested-for substances. TESTS AND RESEARCHThe airplane's performance and stall speeds were calculated based on the empty weight, the pilot's and passenger's weights, full fuel, 20° flaps, and an outside temperature of 17°C. Under these conditions, the airplane's calculated rotation speed would have been 95 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS), and its best climb-rate speed would have been 195 KIAS. The engine manufacturer-recommended cruise-climb speed was 224 KIAS. Under these same conditions, with a bank angle of 45°, the stall speed was calculated to be 100 KIAS, and with a bank angle of 60°, it was calculated to be 118 KIAS.
The pilot's failure to fully advance the power levers during the takeoff and initial climb, which led to his failure to maintain sufficient airspeed and resulted in the exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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