CESSNA 500Interstate Helicopters Inc
Oklahoma City, OK, USA · 2008-03-04·N113SH
What happened
NTSB summary, verbatimThe Safety Board's full report is available at: http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2009/AAR0905.pdf. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-09/05. On March 4, 2008, about 1515 central standard time, a Cessna 500, N113SH, registered to Southwest Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Clinic PC of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, entered a steep descent and crashed about 2 minutes after takeoff from Wiley Post Airport (PWA) in Oklahoma City. None of the entities associated with the flight claimed to be its operator. The pilot, the second pilot, and the three passengers were killed, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. The flight was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 with an instrument flight rules flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated from the ramp of Interstate Helicopters (a 14 CFR Part 135 on-demand helicopter operator at PWA) and was en route to Mankato Regional Airport, Mankato, Minnesota, carrying company executives who worked for United Engines and United Holdings, LLC.
Photographs
12the aircraft, and what the investigators foundPhotographs are NTSB docket attachments — works of the US government, in the public domain. Captions are the Board’s own.
Probable cause
the Board's determinationAirplane wing-structure damage sustained during impact with one or more large birds (American white pelicans), which resulted in a loss of control of the airplane.
Occurrence sequence
1 stepsNTSB coding · CICTT taxonomy- 1 · Initial climbBirdstrikedefining event
Findings
3 causal · 4 contributing- CAUSEEnvironmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) — Effect on operation
- CAUSEAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters — Not attained/maintained
- CAUSEPersonnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control — Pilot
- FACTOROrganizational issues › Development › Selection/certification/testing › Equip certification/testing — FAA/Regulator
- FACTOROrganizational issues › Management › Policy/procedure › Adequacy of policy/proc — Airport
- FACTOROrganizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Documentation/record keeping — FAA/Regulator
- FACTORAircraft › Aircraft handling/service › (general) — Related records
Safety recommendations
10 issuedwhat changed because of this accidentTO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Revise the bird-strike certification requirements for 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 25 airplanes so that protection from in-flight impact with birds is consistent across all airframe structures. Consider the most current military and civilian bird-strike database information and trends in bird populations in drafting this revision.
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Verify that all federally obligated general aviation airports that are located near woodlands, water, wetlands, or other wildlife attractants are complying with the requirements to perform wildlife hazard assessments as specified in Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 150/5200-33B, Hazardous Wildlife Attractants On or Near Airports.
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Require aircraft manufacturers to develop aircraft-specific guidance information that will assist pilots in devising precautionary aircraft operational strategies for minimizing the severity of aircraft damage sustained during a bird strike, should one occur, when operating in areas of known bird activity. This guidance information can include, but is not limited to, airspeed charts that depict minimum safe airspeeds for various aircraft gross weights, flap configurations, and power settings; and maximum airspeeds, defined as a function of bird masses, that are based on the aircraft’s demonstrated bird-strike energy.
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Require all 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 139 airports and 14 CFR Part 121, Part 135, and Part 91 Subpart K aircraft operators to report all wildlife strikes, including, if possible, species identification, to the Federal Aviation Administration National Wildlife Strike Database.
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Revise 14 Code of Federal Regulations 91.23 truth-in-leasing regulations to include all turbine-powered airplanes.
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Require that Federal Aviation Administration flight plans include a block for the pilot to identify the operator and a block to specify the operating rules under which the flight is being conducted.
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Require 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on-demand operators to provide their customers with a written document, correspondence, or ticket that expressly describes the terms of carriage, including the regulatory part under which the flight is operated.
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Update and keep current the aircraft charter guide on the Federal Aviation Administration’s website to include reliable information on the certification status of on-demand commercial operators and the aircraft that they are authorized to operate.
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Explore and implement strategies to improve on-site inspector surveillance activities at airports and of flight operations to detect and deter improper charter operations.
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Assess why your existing policies, procedures, and practices resulted in a failure to detect the noncompliant actions of Interstate Helicopters and develop additional methods, measures, or procedures for performing inspections of and following up on complaints about 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on-demand operators that can successfully detect noncompliant charter operations.
NTSB analysis
from the final reportThe Safety Board's full report is available at: http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2009/AAR0905.pdf. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-09/05. On March 4, 2008, about 1515 central standard time, a Cessna 500, N113SH, registered to Southwest Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Clinic PC of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, entered a steep descent and crashed about 2 minutes after takeoff from Wiley Post Airport (PWA) in Oklahoma City. None of the entities associated with the flight claimed to be its operator. The pilot, the second pilot, and the three passengers were killed, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. The flight was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 with an instrument flight rules flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated from the ramp of Interstate Helicopters (a 14 CFR Part 135 on-demand helicopter operator at PWA) and was en route to Mankato Regional Airport, Mankato, Minnesota, carrying company executives who worked for United Engines and United Holdings, LLC.