Beechcraft C90 N14CP

Summary

On 10 May 2012, a Beechcraft C90 registered N14CP, operated by DOI Bureau of Land Management, was involved in an accident near Boise, Idaho, 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

10 May 2012

Classification

Accident

Location

Boise, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

43.5658, -116.2217

Aircraft

Beechcraft C90

Registration

N14CP

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

DOI Bureau of Land Management

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

Unk

Light

Not Reported

NTSB number

WPR12TA445

Nobody was injured.

Excessive loading on the left wing, which occurred over a period of time. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel’s failure to adequately inspect and document the left wing damage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had been contracted to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for 6 months, and it was primarily used in fire management activities in low-level lead airplane and air attack missions; these type of operations were susceptible to turbulent conditions. BLM provided the pilots, and the contract company provided the airplane and maintenance personnel. During a postcontract inspection, maintenance personnel found substantial damage to the outer left wing. The BLM reported that, about 1 month into the 6-month contract period, a BLM pilot and contract mechanic noted deformation and wrinkling damage to the left wing; the mechanic inspected the area, and it was subsequently monitored for further damage. Three months later, the BLM pilot reported to a relief mechanic that he had encountered moderate turbulence. The mechanic subsequently completed a turbulent air inspection but noted no damage and considered the airplane airworthy. When the contract mechanic returned to work, he inspected the airplane and told the pilot that the wrinkle appeared to be "a little worse"; however, no actions were taken. The airplane was subsequently flown until the contract expired without incident. A review of the maintenance logbooks found no entries related to any maintenance actions or inspections of the damaged left wing. About 2 months after the contract expired, the contract company's maintenance personnel observed that the damage had worsened. The damage was consistent with the wing assembly having experienced loading in excess of its normal operating limits, likely during turbulent conditions. The airplane was then taken out of service for repairs. The damage was likely cumulative as the airplane was flown in turbulent conditions. If the maintenance inspections had been documented in the logbooks, it likely would have necessitated further inspection by maintenance personnel and resulted in the airplane's removal from service at an earlier date.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.