Pilatus PC-12/45 N922RG

Summary

On 14 December 2004 at about 18:30 local time, a Pilatus PC-12/45 registered N922RG, operated by Greenhill Aviation Co., LLC, was involved in an accident near South Bend, Indiana, United States. 5 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 December 2004 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

South Bend, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

South Bend Regional (SBN)

Coordinates

41.7086, -86.2506

Aircraft

Pilatus PC-12/45

Registration

N922RG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Greenhill Aviation Co., LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Executive/Corporate

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

South Bend → White Plains

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI05LA045

Nobody was injured.

Failure of the fuel control unit (FCU) bellows which resulted in a significant loss of engine power and the pilot's encounter with unsuitable terrain during the subsequent forced landing. A contributing factor was the pilot's inadvertent exceedence of the engine temperature limitations during use of the manual override (MOR) system. Additional factors were the roadway and the utility poles struck during the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot stated that shortly after takeoff, the engine "abruptly and smoothly rolled back." Movement of the power control lever had no effect. He stated that use of the manual override (MOR) system did not restore engine power. He secured the engine and executed a forced landing on a roadway. The airplane's wing struck two utility poles during rollout. Data downloaded from the accident aircraft indicated that the recorded engine interstage turbine temperature (ITT) exceeded published limits during the event. The post accident engine inspection revealed turbine damage consistent with an over-temperature event. The inspection also revealed a leak in the compressor discharge pressure (CDP) sensor bellows within the fuel control unit (FCU). The leak prevented the bellows assembly from responding to throttle inputs and resulted in the FCU providing minimum fuel flow to the engine regardless of the throttle setting. Following this accident an improved FCU design which incorporated a more robust bellows design was released and retrofited into the entire in-service and production fleet. The airframe manufacturer issued a revision to the pilot's operating handbook to provide an improved procedure for use in the event of an in-flight engine power loss. It also updated information regarding the Manual Override (MOR) system.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.