Fairchild SA227-TT N500AK

Summary

On 2 April 1993 at about 02:28 local time, a Fairchild SA227-TT registered N500AK was involved in an accident near Blountville, Tennessee, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 April 1993 at 02:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Blountville, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Tri-City Regional (TRI)

Coordinates

36.5307, -82.3191

Aircraft

Fairchild SA227-TT

Registration

N500AK

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Executive/Corporate

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Knoxville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ATL93MA068

4 people died.

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES CONCERNING USE OF THE ENGINE INLET ANTI-ICE SYSTEM AND/OR CONTINUOUS IGNITION WHILE OPERATING IN ICING CONDITIONS, WHICH RESULTED IN PROBABLE ICE INGESTION AND LOSS OF ENGINE POWER; AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED WHILE COPING WITH THE ENGINE PROBLEM, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, ICING CONDITIONS, AND ENGINE INLET (NACELLE) ICE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

N500AK ENCOUNTERED ICING IN FLIGHT BEFORE START OF ILS APPROACH. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT BEFORE REACHING OUTER MARKER, IT SLOWED IN A MANNER THAT WAS CONSISTENT WITH A POWER REDUCTION (OR PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER), THEN IT ENTERED A STEEP DESCENT & CRASHED. EXAMINATION REVEALED ENGINES WERE NOT OPERATING AT IMPACT & THAT PROPELLERS HAD BEEN FEATHERED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF ENGINES, PROPELLERS OR ANTI-ICE SYSTEM WAS FOUND. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT ENGINE INLET ANTI-ICE ANNUNCIATOR LIGHTS & STABILITY AUGMENTATION SYSTEM (SAS) FAULT WARNING LIGHT WERE ILLUMINATED DURING IMPACT. THE ENGINE MANUFACTURER REPORTED THAT FLAMEOUTS HAD OCCURRED IN OTHER AIRCRAFT, DURING OR FOLLOWING OPERATION IN ICING CONDITIONS, SOMETIMES AFTER DESCENT INTO WARMER AIR. FLIGHT MANUAL NOTED THAT IF ICING WAS ENCOUNTERED WITH ANTI-ICE SYSTEM OFF, SELECT CONTINUOUS IGNITION & THEN SELECT ENGINE & PROPELLER HEAT (1 ENGINE AT A TIME, ENSURING FIRST ENGINE WAS OPERATING SATISFACTORILY BEFORE SELECTING SECOND ENGINE) & ENGAGE SAS HEAT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.