Beechcraft C 99 N234AV

Summary

On 2 August 2016 at about 00:50 local time, a Beechcraft C 99 registered N234AV, operated by Ameriflight Inc, was involved in an accident near Spanish Fork, Utah, 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

2 August 2016 at 00:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Spanish Fork, Utah, United States

Coordinates

40.0183, -111.4828

Aircraft

Beechcraft C 99

Registration

N234AV

Category

Airplane

Year built

1986

Engines

2

Operator

Ameriflight Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Price → Salt Lake City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR16LA155

Nobody was injured.

An in-flight collision with power lines.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot of the scheduled cargo flight reported that, during cruise flight about 8,000 ft indicated altitude, he heard a small impact noise and believed that the airplane was struck by a bird. There was no loss of directional control, change in control configuration, or impact shudder. He continued the flight and subsequently landed without further incident. After exiting the airplane, the pilot noticed that about 12 inches of the top of the vertical stabilizer was missing, and that there was substantial damage to the rudder. The separated top of the vertical stabilizer section was not recovered. The fracture surface of the upper section of the remaining vertical stabilizer was in a nearly horizontal plane. The skin was deformed adjacent to the fracture into curled rolls turning downward and aft. Some areas were crushed, consistent with the vertical stabilizer moving forward relative to another object. Sliding contact marks were observed at the leading edges, vertical spars, and deformed faces of the skin panel adjacent to the fracture. No evidence of any biological or manufactured foreign material transfer was observed associated with any of the fracture surfaces either visually or under optical magnification. Closer examination identified deposits of particles consistent with aluminum alloy 2024 and similar metallic element peaks. Other particles had spectra consistent with a low alloy steel, stainless steel, brass, and a nickel-base alloy with iron and chromium. The curling deformation to the skin and the deformation through the airplane structure was consistent with contact with a stationary object, such as a suspended cable. Given the diameter of the impact deformation and the materials found, it is likely that the airplane impacted overhead power transmission lines during a portion of the flight that was conducted at an altitude much lower than reported.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.