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In flight break up of Pilatus PC-12


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Very sad indeed.


I have some time in PC-12's and they are rock solid Swiss precision machines, and so automated they can lull pilots into a feeling of invinceability.


WX in central FL could have had a hand in this tragic accident.

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This is really a sad story, specially when they were so young. My simpathies to the family. In-flight structural failures are rare but it happens. If encountering severe turbulence always throttle back and slow down (110KTIAS) quickly by pitching up. You may get tossed around but at least will be in one piece. I always slow down when approaching weather and on descent. Even on clear weather you can experience severe turbulence at the lower altitudes, specially during summer afternoons. Remember it takes airspeed to break an airplane.


José   

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This is really a sad story, specially when they were so young. My simpathies to the family. In-flight structural failures are rare but it happens. If encountering severe turbulence always throttle back and slow down (110KTIAS) quickly by pitching up. You may get tossed around but at least will be in one piece. I always slow down when approaching weather and on descent. Even on clear weather you can experience severe turbulence at the lower altitudes, specially during summer afternoons. Remember it takes airspeed to break an airplane.


José   


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Quote: Jeff_S

This is really a sad story, specially when they were so young. My simpathies to the family. In-flight structural failures are rare but it happens. If encountering severe turbulence always throttle back and slow down (110KTIAS) quickly by pitching up. You may get tossed around but at least will be in one piece. I always slow down when approaching weather and on descent. Even on clear weather you can experience severe turbulence at the lower altitudes, specially during summer afternoons. Remember it takes airspeed to break an airplane.

José   

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Quote: Jeff_S

This is really a sad story, specially when they were so young. My simpathies to the family. In-flight structural failures are rare but it happens. If encountering severe turbulence always throttle back and slow down (110KTIAS) quickly by pitching up. You may get tossed around but at least will be in one piece. I always slow down when approaching weather and on descent. Even on clear weather you can experience severe turbulence at the lower altitudes, specially during summer afternoons. Remember it takes airspeed to break an airplane.

José   

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Hey Dale,


Nice plane, I came within an eyelash of buying that airplane and at the last second decided to go with an Eagle. Best of luck with her and fly safe. Love the paint job.


 


Bruce Spencer


N2170B 


 

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  • 2 weeks later...

 This in flight break-up is about as sad an accident as you will find. I'm intersted to see what the NTSB comes up with, lots of areas to look at, training, maintenance, weather & all the others less known. From the bit I read I don't see how any heavy icing could be a major player, even the rain/storms seemed not that bad in his location.


 


Then one may ask what are the usual few reasons for in-flight structural failure? The 2 most common are severe overstress, or flight into excessive weather/turbulence. A newer plane should be able to handle reasonable excesses on the G loading. One thing I have learned by reading factual accident reports, the final explanation is usually much more simple than far fetched initial theories. That is, 'spatial disorientation' comes up much more often that failure of critical instruments. He did seem to have a serious spiral, or close to it going on the descent. Did the wing fail before, during, or at the tail end of this high rate of descent?


    No I'm not putting on a NTSB hat, just trying to learn what I can & operate with an adequate margin around the edge of the envelope.


 


 


 

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I have heard more about this accident from someone who read sherriff's reports and listened to the ATC tapes. I'm going on heresay, but from his description, there were definitely STRONG storms in the area and this pilot flew right into one. The breakup was so bad that the bulkhead separated and the youngest daughter was sucked out of the plane at altitude, and was found 1/2 mile from the rest of the wreckage. The pilot was very low-time in the Pilatus and was just transitioning from a Bonanza. He said that from the ATC tapes it was clear the pilot had either no regard for the weather, or was already so overwhelmed that he simply started zoning out because of it. I, too, will be interested in what the NTSB has to say.

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The preliminary report from the NTSB is out.  This site has the text and it appears to confirm that the plane encountered severe convective activity


http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=066c7dfd-eab1-4f94-938b-ef10278a01bc


To me the most chilling part is the timeline.  He gets a warning from the controller at 12:32 and barely four minutes later the entire family is dead.


 


 

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Short and not sweet. 


How many of us would have our families fly in a SE jet (albeit one with an unducted fan) piloted by a single PP without* a type rating?  Not I. 


This is a loophole, which, if you have enough money, is large enough to drive a truck through.


My sympathies to the wife and children. 


Flame away. 


*A (reasonable) assumption. 

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Quote: jetdriven

Low time inexperienced pilots have been killing themselves in airplanes, oh, since about 1920....  

The news reports him as a "safe, cautious pilot" as every pilot ever written about is described.

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Quote: xftrplt

Short and not sweet. 

How many of us would have our families fly in a SE jet (albeit one with an unducted fan) piloted by a single PP without* a type rating?  Not I. 

This is a loophole, which, if you have enough money, is large enough to drive a truck through.

My sympathies to the wife and children. 

Flame away. 

*A (reasonable) assumption. 

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