Aerostar 601 N601DF

Summary

On 30 December 2004 at about 20:00 local time, a Aerostar 601 registered N601DF, operated by Robert M. Kline, was involved in an accident near Hamilton, Montana, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 December 2004 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Hamilton, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Ravalli Country Airport (6S5)

Coordinates

46.2575, -114.1267

Aircraft

Aerostar 601

Registration

N601DF

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Robert M. Kline

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hamilton → Stevensville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA05LA032

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power due to the lack of lubrication and subsequent failure of the left engine's right turbocharger for undetermined reasons, and subsequent forced landing after takeoff. A factor was the unsuitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Immediately after taking off and raising the landing gear, the pilot noticed the left engine began to lose power. The airplane subsequently veered to the left before impacting up slopping terrain in a left wing low attitude, resulting in a fire breaking out which consumed the left side of the airplane. A postaccident examination revealed that the left engine had sustained thermal but no impact damage, and that the engine's right hand turbocharger had no thermal or impact damage. A further examination indicated that no restrictions were found in the center section of the turbocharger and there was no damage to the housing or the impeller; however, the impeller was frozen in the center section and would not turn. Indications of grooving and scraping from a lack of lubrication to the bearings and drive shaft was observed. No mechanical anomalies with the aircraft were noted by the pilot prior to takeoff which would have prevented normal operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.