Fiery Plane Crash Kills 6 (North Las Vegas Airport, Dec 26)

(Dec. 26) Evening -- NTSB investigators and the plane's manufacturers have been on the scene of a fatal plane crash on Christmas Day. They're trying to figure out how the small single engine privately owned plane crashed at the North Las Vegas Airport as it was attempting to take off. But they are still having difficulty identifying the six passengers, four adults and two children, who died in the fiery crash.

NTSB investigators began surveying the plane crash from above. But spent most of the day in the 12-foot wash basin where the plane crashed in flames. The NTSB asked the plane's manufacturers to assist in examining the engine and body of the plane to determine if a mechanical problem prevented the plane from taking off. That's what eyewitnesses described happening to the plane Thursday.

Eyewitness Herb Sachs said, "Then it made its right turn, what we call a cross wind turn, and then saw it go down and down and down. And then I saw a puff of smoke."

"We'll look at everything. You look at everything every time. You look at the human factor, the operations factor, the weather factor and the machine. We'll look at the maintenance history, those kinds of records we'll be looking for," said NTSB investigator Howard Plagens.

But the fiery explosion left few clues for the investigators. The bodies are unidentifiable and little else remains to indicate where these four adults and two children were going on Christmas Day. The pilot did not file a flight plan.

The plane's owner just recently leased hanger space at the North Las Vegas Airport. But the owners incorporated in New Castle, Delaware. It is apparently common to register planes in that state. Some pilots say the Beechcraft Bonanza plane is a small plane. And while it does seat six, the weight ratio on the plane plays a role in its ability to take off.

The burnt remains of this plane have been moved to an airport hanger so that investigators can get a better look at the plane's parts. They are trying to figure out what caused the plane to crash.

Eyewitness News has also learned that people close to the passengers are on their way to Las Vegas from California and the East Coast to identify the victims on the plane. It may be only then that we learn who these people are.

(Dec. 26) Morning -- Federal investigators are at the scene of the deadly airplane crash that killed six people Thursday at the North Las Vegas airport. The privately owned single engine plane crashed at the airport on Christmas Day as it was attempting to take off.

All six of the passengers, four adults and two children died in the fiery crash. FAA records show that the plane was built in 1980 and was owned by Pat Car Air Incorporated of Wilmington, Delaware. But private plane owners say that many aircraft are incorporated in Delaware, but are based out of other cities because Delaware has a favorable base for airplanes.

. . . out of balance . . .

Probably right.

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20031231X02109&key=1

On December 25, 2003, at 1322 Pacific standard time, a Beech A36TC, N364JR, collided with terrain during takeoff from runway 12 at North Las Vegas (VGT), Nevada. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The airline transport pilot and five passengers sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. The personal cross-country flight was en route to Bullhead City, Arizona. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The primary wreckage was at 36 degrees 12.104 minutes north latitude and 115 degrees 11.395 minutes west longitude, and was near the airport perimeter fence.

Initial reports from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated that air traffic control tower (ATCT) personnel cleared the airplane for takeoff on runway 12. After liftoff, the pilot declared an emergency and attempted to return to the field.

The Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) interviewed a certified flight instructor who was a ground witness. The CFI observed the airplane lift off about 1,000 down the runway. The airplane's nose went up quickly to an "extremely nose high" attitude. The airplane began to "mush," and then leveled off. The landing gear went up about midfield. The airplane was flying and stopped mushing, but it was not gaining much altitude. At the end of the runway the airplane began turning to the right. During the turn, the nose of the airplane went back up, and the airplane began to mush again. About 90 degrees through the turn, the airplane was about 250 feet above ground level (agl) and 75 feet above power lines. About the same time, the left wing went up until the airplane approached 90 degrees angle of bank. The nose went down, and the airplane went straight into the ground. During the entire sequence, the CFI did not observe any smoke, fluids, or parts coming from the airplane.

Investigators from the Safety Board, the FAA, Beech, and Teledyne Continental Motors examined the wreckage at the accident scene.

The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was a ground scar in a drainage canal with tan and green markings. The airplane had tan and green accents. The canal had 45-degree sloping sides and a flat bottom that was about 10 feet wide. The ground scars were along a magnetic heading of 310 degrees on the downslope side and veered to 330 degrees on the upslope side of the canal.

The main wreckage came to rest about 95 feet from the FIPC. The left wing and engine were at the bottom of the upslope side of the canal, and the forward cabin area pointed down into the canal. The orientation of the fuselage, which was on level terrain on the top of the canal, was 160 degrees.

Fire consumed the cabin, left wing, and engine compartment. The debris path extended about 275 feet from the FIPC. The most distant pieces were alternator and engine parts.

Investigators examined the wreckage at Lone Mountain Aviation at VGT on December 27, 2003.

Investigators removed the engine. They slung it from a hoist, and removed the spark plugs. All spark plugs except the top plug for cylinder No. 5, which sustained mechanical damage, were circular and clean with no mechanical deformation.

The engine sustained thermal and mechanical damage and would not rotate. The propeller separated from the crankshaft along a plane that was angular to the longitudinal axis. The front right portion of the engine sustained the most mechanical damage. The head for cylinder No. 5 separated and cylinder No. 3 sustained the next most mechanical damage.

Investigators dismantled the engine. All piston heads exhibited similar, light deposits. All rings moved freely except those on the piston for cylinder No. 5; there was mechanical damage on a portion of that piston. The connecting rods were intact; the rods and counterweights moved freely. None of the cam lobes were circular. The lifter faces were not deformed or pitted. The main bearings were not scored, and there was no fretting on the case.

Investigators manually rotated the magnetos. One magneto generated spark on four of six leads; two leads sustained mechanical and thermal damage. The second magneto produced spark on five out of six leads.

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