PILATUS PC-12/45 — Butte, MT, 2009

PILATUS PC-12/45 — Butte, MT

14 fatal High-time pilot

Date	March 22, 2009
Location	Butte, MT
Aircraft	PILATUS PC-12/45
Purpose of flight	Personal
Conditions	Day · Visual Meteorological Cond
Phase / occurrence	Prior to flight Aircraft servicing event
Pilot age	65
Pilot total time	8,840 hrs · High time
Time in type	1,759 hrs
Fatalities	14

Probable cause

(1) the pilot's failure to ensure that a fuel system icing inhibitor was added to the fuel before the flights on the day of the accident; (2) his failure to take appropriate remedial actions after a low fuel pressure state (resulting from icing within the fuel system) and a lateral fuel imbalance developed, including diverting to a suitable airport before the fuel imbalance became extreme; and (3) a loss of control while the pilot was maneuvering the left wing-heavy airplane near the approach end of the runway.

NTSB findings

Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Lack of action-Pilot
Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained
Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel additive-Not specified
Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot
Aircraft-Aircraft handling/service-Placards and markings-(general)-Not specified
Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Indicating/recording systems-(general)-Not specified
Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Equipment/furnishings-Passenger compartment equip-Incorrect use/operation

What happened

The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/reports_aviation.html. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-11-05.

On March 22, 2009, about 1432 mountain daylight time, a Pilatus PC-12/45, N128CM, was diverting to Bert Mooney Airport (BTM), Butte, Montana, when it crashed about 2,100 feet west of runway 33 at BTM. The pilot and the 13 airplane passengers were fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The airplane was owned by Eagle Cap Leasing of Enterprise, Oregon, and was operating as a personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight departed Oroville Municipal Airport, Oroville, California, on an instrument flight rules flight plan with a destination of Gallatin Field, Bozeman, Montana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.