Rockwell 112TC N1154J

Summary

On 21 October 2010 at about 23:15 local time, a Rockwell 112TC registered N1154J, operated by Kalunji Aviation Group, LLC, was involved in an accident near Waynesboro, Georgia, United States. One person was 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

21 October 2010 at 23:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Waynesboro, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Augusta Regional Airport (AGS)

Coordinates

33.1972, -81.9528

Aircraft

Rockwell 112TC

Registration

N1154J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Kalunji Aviation Group, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Covington → Columbia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

ERA11LA033

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s deliberate exiting of the airplane by parachute while in flight following a reported flight control malfunction that could not be verified.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot completed several touch-and-go takeoffs and landings at his home airport before departing on a cross-country flight. While in cruise flight, he declared an emergency due to a lack of elevator and aileron control. He attempted to troubleshoot the problem over the radio with air traffic controllers and other pilots on his assigned frequency. The pilot made multiple approaches but could not complete the landing before he began to run out of daylight and his fuel state became critical. He maneuvered the airplane south of the airport toward a wooded area away from homes. About 1,500 feet above ground level, the airplane's fuel supply was exhausted, the engine stopped producing power, and the pilot parachuted from the airplane, using a recently purchased parachute that he had brought on board. The airplane departed controlled flight and descended to the ground; the pilot suffered no injuries. Four days prior to the accident, the accident pilot appeared at a parachute school with an emergency parachute rig and asked the owner/instructor of the school to teach him how to deploy the parachute. According to the owner/instructor, when he asked the pilot why he needed an emergency parachute, the pilot stated he was a pilot flying out of a nearby Air Force base and that he flew L-39 jets, acting as the “rabbit” for Marine pilots to chase him in dog-fight training. The instructor thought it was strange that the pilot had not gone to jump school, and the pilot stated it was not required. He added that the airplanes he was flying for the Marines did not have ejection seats, and if he needed to get out, he would have to climb out. A detailed examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any binding or restriction of movement of the elevator or elevator trim surfaces, no evidence of cable interference from foreign objects, no evidence of any binding or restriction of movement of the internal pulleys or cables, and the cables, turnbuckles, and cable pulleys were in good condition and moved freely. Examination of the instruments mounted in the instrument panel revealed that the serial numbers on the air pressure instruments matched the serial numbers of the air pressure instruments that the pilot/owner reported stolen in July 2010.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.