RichOffDuty
02-10-2006, 05:01 PM
The following is an INTERIM FACTUAL SUMMARY of this accident investigation. A final report that includes all pertinent facts, conditions, and circumstances of the accident will be issued upon completion, along with the Safety Board's analysis and probable cause of the accident:
On November 28, 2004, at 0958 mountain standard (mst), a Canadair, Ltd., CL-600-2A12, N873G, owned by Hop-a-Jet, Inc., operated by Air Castle Worldwide Executive Jet Charter, Inc. (YQCA), as Glo-Air flight 73, and piloted by an airline transport pilot, was destroyed when it departed runway 31 and collided with terrain during takeoff at the Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ), Montrose, Colorado. A post-impact fire ensued. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed at the time of the accident. The non-scheduled domestic passenger flight was being operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The captain, flight attendant, and one passenger were fatally injured; the first officer and two passengers were seriously injured. The flight was departing at the time of the accident, and was en route to South Bend Regional Airport (SBN), South Bend, Indiana.
The captain received a weather briefing at 0538 Pacific standard time (pst), and departed Van Nuys (VNY), California, with five passengers approximately 0645 pst. The airplane landed at MTJ at 0909 mst, and two passengers disembarked. The airplane was serviced with 400 gallons of Jet-A fuel. The lineman who refueled the airplane said a wet snow was falling and weather conditions were "miserable." Reduced visibility allowed him to see only to about midfield. He said one of the pilots exited the airplane, examined the slush that had accumulated on the nose wheel slush guard, and returned to the cockpit. The lineman did not look at the wing or notice any wing contamination. Montrose airport office personnel said the pilot did not ask to be deiced. The lineman who was deicing other airplanes said that he was not asked by either the crew or his office to deice N873G. He did not notice any wing contamination on the airplane. He said a "moderate snow" was falling.
Trucks were plowing both runways. The driver who was plowing runway 17-35 said he heard the pilot say he was taxiing to runway 17-35. He called the pilot on the radio and advised him he was plowing the runway. The pilot asked how long it would take for him to get off the runway and the driver replied, "Momentarily." The driver had no further contact with the pilot. The driver who was plowing runway 13-31 observed the airplane taxi to runway 13 and stop. He said he thought the airplane was going to continue across runway 13-31 and proceed to runway 17-35. He did not have 2-way radio communications with the airplane, only with the other plow truck and with the office. He exited the runway and waited for the jet to depart.
The chartering passenger said that as the airplane taxied for takeoff, he noticed chunks of slush sliding off the cabin roof and across his window. He estimated there was about an inch of slush on the ground. His son estimated there was about 2 to 2-1/2 inches of slush on the ramp. His son said he notice water running off the airplane's skin, "like it had taken a shower." Neither passenger said they were given a pre-takeoff safety briefing by any of the crew.
At 0954 mst, the pilot contacted Denver Air Route Traffic Control (ARTCC), advised they were ready for takeoff, and was issued an IFR clearance to SBN. The passengers said the airplane lifted off and got about 20 to 50 feet in the air when the left wing dropped abruptly to about the 7 o'clock position. The right wing then dropped to about the 5:30 position, and then the left wing dropped again and struck the ground.
Witnesses located near the departure end of the runway reported hearing a loud "boom" or "whooshing" noise. One witness saw the airplane "slew around" with its tail perpendicular to the runway. The airplane collided with terrain off the right side of the runway, slid approximately 1,400 feet, through the airport perimeter fence, across a road, through an adjacent fence, and came to rest within 200 feet of a dairy farm.
The accident airplane was manufactured by Canadair (now Bombardier) in 1988. It was equipped with two General Electric CF34-3A2 turbojet engines.
According to the Montrose AWOS (Automated Weather Observation Station), the following meteorological conditions were reported surrounding the period:
Montrose weather observation at 0953 MST, wind calm, visibility 1-1/4 statute miles in light snow and mist, a few clouds at 500 feet agl, ceiling overcast at 900 feet, temperature -1 degrees C (30 degrees F), dew point temperature -2 degrees C (28 degrees F), altimeter 29.67 inches. Remarks: automated observation system, sea level pressure 1003.6-mb, hourly precipitation less than 0.01 inches (trace), freezing rain sensor not operating.
Montrose special observation at 1004 MST, wind from 340 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 1 mile in light snow and mist, ceiling overcast at 700 feet, temperature and dew point -2 degrees C (28 degrees F), altimeter 29.67 inches. Remarks: automated observation system, hourly precipitation less than 0.01 inches (trace), freezing rain sensor not operating.
Key Air, based at the Waterbury-Oxford Airport (OXC), Oxford, Connecticut was chartered to make the flight. Investigation showed that Key Air did not have an airplane available, so the charter was sold to Hop-a-Jet, Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Although Hop-a-Jet owned N873G, they leased it to Air Castle Worldwide Executive Jet Charter, Inc., of Millville, New Jersey (both Hop-a-Jet and Air Castle are owned by Winfair Aviation, Toronto, Canada). There are several dba (doing business as) names on the Air Castle certificate, including California Airways, Global Airways, and Global Aviation. The latter shows a Los Angeles, California, business address. Jet Alliance is a dba name of Worldwide Jet Charter.
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief2.asp?ev_id=20041203X01919&ntsbno=DEN05MA029&akey=1
On November 28, 2004, at 0958 mountain standard (mst), a Canadair, Ltd., CL-600-2A12, N873G, owned by Hop-a-Jet, Inc., operated by Air Castle Worldwide Executive Jet Charter, Inc. (YQCA), as Glo-Air flight 73, and piloted by an airline transport pilot, was destroyed when it departed runway 31 and collided with terrain during takeoff at the Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ), Montrose, Colorado. A post-impact fire ensued. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed at the time of the accident. The non-scheduled domestic passenger flight was being operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The captain, flight attendant, and one passenger were fatally injured; the first officer and two passengers were seriously injured. The flight was departing at the time of the accident, and was en route to South Bend Regional Airport (SBN), South Bend, Indiana.
The captain received a weather briefing at 0538 Pacific standard time (pst), and departed Van Nuys (VNY), California, with five passengers approximately 0645 pst. The airplane landed at MTJ at 0909 mst, and two passengers disembarked. The airplane was serviced with 400 gallons of Jet-A fuel. The lineman who refueled the airplane said a wet snow was falling and weather conditions were "miserable." Reduced visibility allowed him to see only to about midfield. He said one of the pilots exited the airplane, examined the slush that had accumulated on the nose wheel slush guard, and returned to the cockpit. The lineman did not look at the wing or notice any wing contamination. Montrose airport office personnel said the pilot did not ask to be deiced. The lineman who was deicing other airplanes said that he was not asked by either the crew or his office to deice N873G. He did not notice any wing contamination on the airplane. He said a "moderate snow" was falling.
Trucks were plowing both runways. The driver who was plowing runway 17-35 said he heard the pilot say he was taxiing to runway 17-35. He called the pilot on the radio and advised him he was plowing the runway. The pilot asked how long it would take for him to get off the runway and the driver replied, "Momentarily." The driver had no further contact with the pilot. The driver who was plowing runway 13-31 observed the airplane taxi to runway 13 and stop. He said he thought the airplane was going to continue across runway 13-31 and proceed to runway 17-35. He did not have 2-way radio communications with the airplane, only with the other plow truck and with the office. He exited the runway and waited for the jet to depart.
The chartering passenger said that as the airplane taxied for takeoff, he noticed chunks of slush sliding off the cabin roof and across his window. He estimated there was about an inch of slush on the ground. His son estimated there was about 2 to 2-1/2 inches of slush on the ramp. His son said he notice water running off the airplane's skin, "like it had taken a shower." Neither passenger said they were given a pre-takeoff safety briefing by any of the crew.
At 0954 mst, the pilot contacted Denver Air Route Traffic Control (ARTCC), advised they were ready for takeoff, and was issued an IFR clearance to SBN. The passengers said the airplane lifted off and got about 20 to 50 feet in the air when the left wing dropped abruptly to about the 7 o'clock position. The right wing then dropped to about the 5:30 position, and then the left wing dropped again and struck the ground.
Witnesses located near the departure end of the runway reported hearing a loud "boom" or "whooshing" noise. One witness saw the airplane "slew around" with its tail perpendicular to the runway. The airplane collided with terrain off the right side of the runway, slid approximately 1,400 feet, through the airport perimeter fence, across a road, through an adjacent fence, and came to rest within 200 feet of a dairy farm.
The accident airplane was manufactured by Canadair (now Bombardier) in 1988. It was equipped with two General Electric CF34-3A2 turbojet engines.
According to the Montrose AWOS (Automated Weather Observation Station), the following meteorological conditions were reported surrounding the period:
Montrose weather observation at 0953 MST, wind calm, visibility 1-1/4 statute miles in light snow and mist, a few clouds at 500 feet agl, ceiling overcast at 900 feet, temperature -1 degrees C (30 degrees F), dew point temperature -2 degrees C (28 degrees F), altimeter 29.67 inches. Remarks: automated observation system, sea level pressure 1003.6-mb, hourly precipitation less than 0.01 inches (trace), freezing rain sensor not operating.
Montrose special observation at 1004 MST, wind from 340 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 1 mile in light snow and mist, ceiling overcast at 700 feet, temperature and dew point -2 degrees C (28 degrees F), altimeter 29.67 inches. Remarks: automated observation system, hourly precipitation less than 0.01 inches (trace), freezing rain sensor not operating.
Key Air, based at the Waterbury-Oxford Airport (OXC), Oxford, Connecticut was chartered to make the flight. Investigation showed that Key Air did not have an airplane available, so the charter was sold to Hop-a-Jet, Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Although Hop-a-Jet owned N873G, they leased it to Air Castle Worldwide Executive Jet Charter, Inc., of Millville, New Jersey (both Hop-a-Jet and Air Castle are owned by Winfair Aviation, Toronto, Canada). There are several dba (doing business as) names on the Air Castle certificate, including California Airways, Global Airways, and Global Aviation. The latter shows a Los Angeles, California, business address. Jet Alliance is a dba name of Worldwide Jet Charter.
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief2.asp?ev_id=20041203X01919&ntsbno=DEN05MA029&akey=1