Crash Pilatus Porter PC-6 near Namur (Oct 2013)

[teddybAIR]

The accident investigator communicated in a press release that the pilot performer a barrel roll after which the wing failed. Pc-6 is not certified for this type of manoeuvre.

[airazurxtror]

In french :
http://www.lesoir.be/512237/article/act ... gelbressee

[airazurxtror]

http://www.lavenir.net/article/detail.a ... 3_00458297
Extract :

Parce que, assurent de nombreux proches des parachutistes, les acrobaties du genre de celle tentée par Fabrice, le pilote du vol fatal, faisaient partie des habitudes au Paraclub. «C’était un secret de polichinelle. Mais manifestement c’était toléré et même favorisé, encouragé. Tout le monde était habitué à ce que cela se passe, pour amuser les passagers.» Cette habitude de rechercher des sensations fortes en plus du saut lui-même est attestée aussi par les témoignages indiquent les enquêteurs.

Aerobatics were a tradition at the Para Club ... it was not only known by all, but encouraged, to have more fun for the passengers.

[Nevihta]

Aerobatics were a tradition at the Para Club ... it was not only known by all, but encouraged, to have more fun for the passengers.

Well, I hope that they don't think it was particular to that airfield... or Paraclub... Isn't aviation authority supposed to know about the practices in the country, especially the known ones ?

[Desert Rat]

Sorry but I don't understand. ...what do you mean?

[teddybAIR]

Yes Nevitha, they are supposed to know, but I guess it is not that easy to detect is it?

[Nevihta]

It's the same with all (well, let's say almost all) paradrop activities in the country.
If you watch videos on youtube, you can see pilot doing "aerobatics" to please the paras (and himself)...

edit : well, it used to be the same, I guess now they fly as they should...
And regarding aviation authorities, I can't see how it can be that complicated, you have radar tracks with rates of climb and descent (and turn), or you can even go anonymously to ask for an initiation...

The pilot and those divers were the wrong day at the wrong place, and this could have happen to most of the pilots with most of the planes.
Blaming the pilot is one thing, but it's way too easy...

[Passenger]

Is there someone who knows the new url for the Belgian AAIU?

It used to be this one, but the page hasn't been updated for more then a year:

NL:
http://www.mobilit.belgium.be/nl/luchtv ... verslagen/

FR:
http://www.mobilit.belgium.be/fr/transp ... s_enquete/

[Velopilot]

Nevitha, I don't think you know what you're talking about.
I'm a skydive pilot, skydiver and a skydiving instructor, I have never jumped in Temploux, maybe there was a big problem over there, as the whole investigation is unveiling, but most clubs and pilots try to act in a professional way.

You must know that in skydiving there are a lot of students and tandem passengers, those people are stressed and concerned during the climb out and it is imperative that those people are brought to altitude in an environment that is as relax as possible to have safe jumps.
Even experienced jumpers are not always relax in the plane, just climbing to altitude.
And if you think there is playtime during descent, think again, those aircraft cost € 10-15 per minute so when the plane is empty, it's just throttles idle, descend and make it short, because the next load is waiting.
But it's fun doing this airwork, and rewarding, because you're not flying for money but for your friends.

[andorra-airport]

Is there someone who knows the new url for the Belgian AAIU?

It used to be this one, but the page hasn't been updated for more then a year:

I guess it takes them a long time for a final report. This was from a website : A l’heure actuelle les rapports 2013 ne sont pas encore publiés. (feb 2014)

[Nevihta]

And if you think there is playtime during descent, think again, those aircraft cost € 10-15 per minute so when the plane is empty, it's just throttles idle, descend and make it short, because the next load is waiting.

I'm not saying it's everywhere the same, but it's far from uncommon..
And even when descending throttle idle, you can go beyond limitations of an a/c

[andorra-airport]

And if you think there is playtime during descent, think again, those aircraft cost € 10-15 per minute so when the plane is empty, it's just throttles idle, descend and make it short, because the next load is waiting.

Doesn't sound that this is good for the airplane, does it ?

[Nevihta]

And if you think there is playtime during descent, think again, those aircraft cost € 10-15 per minute so when the plane is empty, it's just throttles idle, descend and make it short, because the next load is waiting.

Doesn't sound that this is good for the airplane, does it ?

As a diver, are you often in during the descent, don't you take that kind of picture with the a/c descending vertically in the background ? Please don't tell me to think again..
Well, one of the problems is also that the next load is already waiting...

[Velopilot]

We operatie Caravans. Vmo = 175.
We descend by SOP at max. 150 kts, gives 5 kts to spare because the 155 kts limit of the cargodoor that is removed.
Drop speed is 80 - 70 kts, depending on the weight and the type of exits.
So yes, we can go steeper after the drop to get the 150 kts, respecting aircraft limitations.
Vertical, I don't think so, but you can put it steep for maybe 2 secs before you put it in a normal attitude.

We operate our planes pretty conservative, this saves money in maintenance and aircraft downtime.

[Flanker2]

What is weird to me is the fact that the BCAA said that the PC-6 is not certified for a barrell roll.

I don't know of any aircraft that is specifically certified for barrel rolls but you can do it on pretty much any aircraft. There are plenty of Youtube video's with C150's C172's tot B707's and other type of aircraft performing them. Unless it's specifically prohibited in the manual, it usually comes down to your operating procedures and what you're insured for. If your policy doesn't state that aerobatic maneuvers are not covered, your operating manual doesn't say anything about it and the boss is ok with it...

In theory, a well-performed pure barrel roll is a 1G maneuver.

Can't see how that would break a wing without contributing factors, such as pre-existing metal fatigue in the wings. If you start pushing negative G's when you're inverted to maintain altitude, it could break your wing but I doubt that you would do that with people in the back who will bang their heads on the top.

Did the BCAA issue an interim/final report and did they mention that the pilot exceeded design limits of the aircraft or did they just say that it's "all because of the barrel roll"?

[teddybAIR]

And if you think there is playtime during descent, think again, those aircraft cost € 10-15 per minute so when the plane is empty, it's just throttles idle, descend and make it short, because the next load is waiting.
But it's fun doing this airwork, and rewarding, because you're not flying for money but for your friends.

Whatever the economic reasons can be, you subject yourself to enormous liabilities when you operate an aircraft outside of it's certified envelope. Since the pilot performed paradrops, I'm assuming he at least operated on a CPL. That level of pilot should know that you operate an A/C according to the POH, no questions asked. I've also faced pressure from an organisation to operate a flight outside of the W&B limits as stated in the POH...my answer was simple: as long as I'm PIC, the aircraft remains within Mass & Balance limits, if you want to fly it beyond that, be my buest to be the PIC...never got the same request again

[Passenger]

On 17th October 2014, the Belgian AAIU Air Accident Investigation Unit (Federal Department of Transport & Mobility) has published an interim report:

http://www.mobilit.belgium.be/nl/binari ... 257412.pdf
(the link opens a pdf, English document, 3 pages, 157 Kb)

[airazurxtror]

The full report has now been published - extracts :

The cause of the accident is a structural failure of the left wing due to a significant negative g aerodynamic overload, leading to an uncontrollable aeroplane and subsequent crash.
The most probable cause of the wing failure is the result of a manoeuvre intended by the pilot, not properly conducted and ending with an involuntary negative g manoeuvre, exceeding the operating limitations of the aeroplane.

Contributing safety factors:

• The weakness of the monitoring of the aeroplane operations by the operator.
• The lack of organizational structure between the operator and the parachute club [safety issue].

Other safety factors identified during the investigation:

• The performance of aerobatics manoeuvre with an aircraft not certified to perform such manoeuvres.
• The performance of aerobatics manoeuvre by a pilot not adequately qualified and/or trained to perform such manoeuvres.
• Transportation of unrestrained passengers, not sitting on seat during dangerous phase of the flight.
• The weakness of the legal framework and guidance for aerial work [safety issue].
• The lack of effective oversight of aerial work operations by the BCAA [safety issue].
• The lack of mandatory requirement to install devices recording flight data on board aeroplane used for parachuting [safety issue].
• Insufficient back protection for the pilot [safety issue].
• No easy determination of the weight and balance of the aeroplane due to the passengers not sitting in predetermined positions
• The issuing by BCAA of two distinct authorizations to the aeroplane operator and the parachute club incorporating some overlaps, which does not encourage the awareness of responsibility of the stakeholders involved [safety issue].
• Possible erroneous interpretation of the maintenance manual [safety issue].
• Violations and/or safety occurrences not reported as required by the Circular GDF-04, preventing the BCAA from taking appropriate action.
• Peer pressure of parachutists sometimes encouraging pilots to perform manoeuvres not approved for normal category aeroplanes.
• Flying at high altitude without oxygen breathing system although required by regulation.
ned positions [safety issue].

[KriVa]

For completeness, a link to the full report can be found here:
In Dutch: http://www.mobilit.belgium.be/nl/binari ... 272269.doc
In English: http://www.mobilit.belgium.be/nl/binari ... 272288.doc

[jan_olieslagers]

Shame on our authorities for still publishing in the infamous .doc format!
Wasn't there some kind of guideline (aka "directive") recommending (at least) the pdf format?
No blame on the messenger, though, thanks for posting KriVa.

The contents seems to confirm earlier misgivings, no comment.