john smith
January 1st 05, 05:20 PM
King Air on Climbout Survives Collision with Obstacle
When investigators inspected a King Air C90 after it collided with a=20
weather station antenna, they found an obstruction light was embedded in =
the right wing, two propeller blades on the right engine were bent, and=20
the right horizontal stabilizer had a five- to six-inch gash starting at =
the leading edge of the stabilizer and continuing aft. According to the=20
FAA, on December 18, at approximately 7 p.m., N55EP, owned and operated=20
by Generation 2000 of Pahrump, Nev., struck the antenna after departing=20
from Runway 35 at Salt Lake City International Airport. Weather was IMC=20
at the time. Subsequently, =93the pilot lost all instrumentation,=94 clim=
bed=20
to VMC and was given vectors to Provo, Utah. The pilot and his passenger =
were not injured. According to officials, the turboprop twin might have=20
hit the antenna as low as 30 to 40 feet agl, but they have not yet said=20
how far away the antenna is from the runway or its position relative to=20
the runway. Reported weather at the time of the incident was wind 130=20
degrees at four knots; visibility one-quarter mile, freezing fog,=20
overcast 200 feet agl and temperature/dewpoint 03/04 degrees C.
When investigators inspected a King Air C90 after it collided with a=20
weather station antenna, they found an obstruction light was embedded in =
the right wing, two propeller blades on the right engine were bent, and=20
the right horizontal stabilizer had a five- to six-inch gash starting at =
the leading edge of the stabilizer and continuing aft. According to the=20
FAA, on December 18, at approximately 7 p.m., N55EP, owned and operated=20
by Generation 2000 of Pahrump, Nev., struck the antenna after departing=20
from Runway 35 at Salt Lake City International Airport. Weather was IMC=20
at the time. Subsequently, =93the pilot lost all instrumentation,=94 clim=
bed=20
to VMC and was given vectors to Provo, Utah. The pilot and his passenger =
were not injured. According to officials, the turboprop twin might have=20
hit the antenna as low as 30 to 40 feet agl, but they have not yet said=20
how far away the antenna is from the runway or its position relative to=20
the runway. Reported weather at the time of the incident was wind 130=20
degrees at four knots; visibility one-quarter mile, freezing fog,=20
overcast 200 feet agl and temperature/dewpoint 03/04 degrees C.