Pilatus PC12 N944BT

Summary

On 24 March 2019 at about 15:01 local time, a Pilatus PC12 registered N944BT was involved in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. 3 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

24 March 2019 at 15:01

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

Coordinates

26.0714, -80.1417

Aircraft

Pilatus PC12

Registration

N944BT

Category

Airplane

Year built

2002

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Lauderdale → Morristown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19LA137

Nobody was injured.

Improper maintenance of the windshield, which resulted in delamination and in-flight depressurization.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the climb to cruise altitude on a cross-country flight, the pilot heard a loud bang and the pilot's side windshield shattered and the cabin began depressurizing. The pilot returned to the departure airport and landed uneventfully, where he noticed that the seal was extruded in two places around the outer pane. The windshield was sent to the manufacturer for a detailed examination, which revealed that 80% of the fiberglass straps were missing, and they were likely removed by maintenance personnel. A combination of missing straps and heavy delamination caused the outboard ply to become detached from the edge attachment. Moisture ingress at the bottom aft edge caused delamination and arcing. There was no record in the airframe logbook of the straps’ removal.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.