Navajo Down in Ankeny, IA

[Jay Honeck]

2 guys killed in an attempt to return to the airport on a single
engine.

http://www.kcci.com/news/5281008/detail.html#

My condolences to the families.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Flyingmonk]

Jay:
>My condolences to the families.

Tragic. My sincerest codolences to families and friends.

Bryan "The Monk" Chaisone

[Jay Honeck]

>From the Des Moines Register on-line edition:

Two people killed in plane crash near Ankeny airport
By TOM ALEX, JEFF ECKHOFF AND LAURA PIEPER
REGISTER STAFF WRITERS

November 8, 2005

Two people died this morning when the twin-engine aircraft they were in
crashed in a field about three miles northeast of the Ankeny Regional
Airport.

The crash was reported shortly after 10 a.m. in the 8800 block of NE
38th Street. Witnesses said the Piper Navaho went down amid windy
conditions.

Polk County sheriff's deputies confirmed that two people inside the
aircraft were killed.

The pilot was Doug Dority, 63, of Des Moines. His only passenger was
Harold Miller, 56, of Des Moines.

Miller worked at Snyder and Associates in Ankeny. Snyder is a design
and engineering firm.

Stephen Rowe, president of Snyder, said Miller was traveling to
Emmetsburg to work on an aviation project for that city.

Snyder chartered the plane from Exec 1 Aviation in Ankeny, Rowe said.

"We are obviously going to be grieving for our team member and his
family," Rowe said, "and our condolences of course go out to the family
of the pilot."

Sheriff's Sgt. Joe Simon said the plane had just taken off from the
Ankeny airport.

"They were having engine problems and they tried to get back to the
airport," he said.

Witnesses said the plane quickly lost altitude and went down in a
freshly plowed field.

Federal Aviation Administration records show the aircraft is registered
to Magic Aviation in Ankeny and owned by Exec 1 Aviation Inc. in
Newton. The aircraft could hold six passengers and cruises at about 160
mph.

Lee Walker, an attorney for one of the owners of Exec 1, said the plane
was on a charter flight.

"All I know is, it's one of our planes," Walker said.

According to the company web site, Exec 1 Aviation specializes in
passenger, freight, and air ambulance aircraft charters. The company
also does aircraft maintenance and pilot training.

No flames were visible at the crash scene, but the back of the plane
was blackened and pointing skyward.

Simon said officials were notified of the crash by a 911 call. People
on the scene estimated the crash happened just before 10 a.m.

"It was a pretty severe crash," Simon said. "The plane has a lot of
damage upfront in the cockpit area."

The plane landed in the field of John Jensen, 8889 N.E. 38th St.

Jensen said he was in his office when he heard a plane go over his farm
and he looked out the window.

''Boy, that plane was awful low, about level with my house, maybe a
little higher,'' he said. ''I followed it as it went over my
field, just gradually kept getting lower and lower and it hit my plowed
ground.''

Jensen said the plane flipped.

''No smoke, no nothing,'' he said.''It was a puff of dust
when it hit.''

After the plane went down, his wife, Karen, called the authorities and
he jumped on his four-wheeler and went to the crash site, which is less
than half a mile from his home.

''I climbed up on the tanks. The tanks were leaking fuel, no fire,
but they were leaking fuel,'' he said.

Jensen said the plane appeared to be losing altitute when it went over
his home.

''It didn't do any nose-diving until it hit the ground. Just one
flip, that was it,'' he said.

He said he saw two men inside the plane and both were dead.

Leroy Cornwell of Marshalltown farms land near the crash site. He was
on his way back from a meeting in Slater, Cornwell said, when he saw
the plane in the field.

Cornwell said he couldn't figure out why the plane landed where it did.
Ankeny Regional Airport is roughly two miles southwest of the crash
site.

"I don't understand," he said. "That's not the approach to the
airport today."

The crash scene is in a mostly rural area, but there are a few homes in
the area. Residents were being questioned this morning about what they
heard prior to the crash.

Before Tuesday, Iowa already had had more than its annual average of
five small-plane fatalities, according to Department of Transportation
records. It marked the fourth fatal crash in Iowa this year. Eight
people have died.

Three small-plane crashes in March claimed six lives in Iowa in two
days, one of the deadliest stretches of such accidents since at least
1990.

The most small-plane deaths in a year in Iowa was 16, in 1993.

"This is very definitely an anomaly," Gary Fisher, a Monticello
optometrist and past president of the Associated Pilots of Iowa, said
after the March crashes.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[John Doe]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>2 guys killed in an attempt to return to the airport on a single
> engine.
>
> http://www.kcci.com/news/5281008/detail.html#
>

Sad.

But once again, another twin that fails to make it back to an airport. Why
is it again they have two?

[Cecil Chapman]

> Why is it again they have two?

Basically two fans give ya more 'zoom' WHEN both engines are running.

Beyond the cost, I've never found twins the least bit enticing (obviously
I'm talking about an airplane here <grin/wink>) - when you lose an engine in
a twin you have TWO emergencies; one is an engine out emergency, and the
other is the one created by the asymmetrical thrust when only one engine is
operating (God forbid it should be what they refer to as the critical engine
that goes out - will produce a REALLY nasty yaw among other things).

"John Doe" >

BTW,,, how's Jane Doe???? :0) LOL
--
--
=-----
Good Flights!

Cecil E. Chapman
CP-ASEL-IA

Student - C.F.I.

Check out my personal flying adventures from my first flight to the
checkride AND the continuing adventures beyond!
Complete with pictures and text at: www.bayareapilot.com

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery -

"We who fly, do so for the love of flying. We are alive in the air with
this miracle that lies in our hands and beneath our feet"
- Cecil Day Lewis -

[.Blueskies.]

"John Doe" > wrote in message news:pMbcf.1625$om5.644@dukeread04...

>
> But once again, another twin that fails to make it back to an airport. Why is it again they have two?
>

As they say, to get you to the scene of the crash...

[Bob Gardner]

There aren't any statistics on how many twins land safely after losing an
engine, so you have no basis for comparison. A Navajo should be controllable
with one feathered, but you and I weren't there and have no idea what the
pilot was facing.

Bob Gardner

"John Doe" > wrote in message
news:pMbcf.1625$om5.644@dukeread04...
>
> "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>>2 guys killed in an attempt to return to the airport on a single
>> engine.
>>
>> http://www.kcci.com/news/5281008/detail.html#
>>
>
> Sad.
>
> But once again, another twin that fails to make it back to an airport.
> Why is it again they have two?
>

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Cecil Chapman wrote:
>> Why is it again they have two?
>
> Basically two fans give ya more 'zoom' WHEN both engines are running.
>
> Beyond the cost, I've never found twins the least bit enticing (obviously
> I'm talking about an airplane here <grin/wink>) - when you lose an engine in
> a twin you have TWO emergencies; one is an engine out emergency, and the
> other is the one created by the asymmetrical thrust when only one engine is
> operating (God forbid it should be what they refer to as the critical engine
> that goes out - will produce a REALLY nasty yaw among other things).


Timing is everything. Losing an engine in cruise or landing phase is no big
deal. You can trim the rudder pressure out easily enough. The airplane is easy
to control unless you get slow. Then you get to demonstrate Vmc.

Losing an engine in a twin is an emergency only if you're too low and too
slow... such as during take off or during climbout before you get any altitude
to speak of. Once you've got altitude and airspeed you're not in too bad a
shape. Will it get your attention? Of course. You will pucker a bit... but
it's not a real emergency. It's a cause for concern.

When I was flying part 135 we were expected to continue on to our destination if
we were within 100 miles of it. I wasn't too thrilled with the policy but I
wasn't the one who set it.

And yes, I've landed twins with one mill only. They're a real PITA to taxi.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

[George Patterson]

John Doe wrote:

> But once again, another twin that fails to make it back to an airport. Why
> is it again they have two?

'Cause nobody makes single engines with that much power.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.

[Matt Whiting]

Cecil Chapman wrote:

>>Why is it again they have two?
>
>
> Basically two fans give ya more 'zoom' WHEN both engines are running.
>
> Beyond the cost, I've never found twins the least bit enticing (obviously
> I'm talking about an airplane here <grin/wink>) - when you lose an engine in
> a twin you have TWO emergencies; one is an engine out emergency, and the
> other is the one created by the asymmetrical thrust when only one engine is
> operating (God forbid it should be what they refer to as the critical engine
> that goes out - will produce a REALLY nasty yaw among other things).

How much twin time do you have?

Matt

[Jim Burns]

The accounts that I've read do not mention any roll or "Vmc" roll, they all
seem to indicate that the airplane was upright and controlled until impact.
Successful single engine operation in twins requires both control and
performance. Usually a configuration that increases control decreases
performance and vise versa. I did not read anything about of loss of
control, only lack of performance. Whether their airplane was configured
properly to obtain the performance required and whether it was capable of
obtaining the required performance, I think, are the questions.

The Navajo, configured properly, "should" be controllable and capable of a
climb of around 250 fpm with full power on the good engine, sea level,
standard conditions, at full gross weight. Ankeny is about 900 feet, temps
were in the 50's, accounts say only two people on board, no mention of
weight or baggage.

If it was an engine out situation would be interesting to know if the bad
engine's prop had been feathered, if the gear and flaps were up or down, and
if the operating engine was making full power. For those in the group that
are not familiar with single engine operations in twins, excess drag created
by a windmilling prop, extended flaps, and extended landing gear can, and
probably will, create more drag than a single engine can overcome. The
airplane may be longitudinally controllable if kept above the Vmc speed for
the conditions and configuration, but the airplane may be so "draggy" that a
climb is not only impossible but it is descending at a abnormally high rate.

Jim

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> 2 guys killed in an attempt to return to the airport on a single
> engine.
>
> http://www.kcci.com/news/5281008/detail.html#
>
> My condolences to the families.
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>

[[email protected]]

>>>Why > is it again they have two?

'Cause nobody makes single engines with that much power.<<<

Of course you're ruling out turboprop singles, right George? : )

I was amused by the original post quoting FAA records saying the Navajo
had a 160mph cruise speed. My pal's PA-31 has no problem maintaining
180kt in cruise, or around 200mph. Feds.... Sheeesh...

[Cecil Chapman]

> How much twin time do you have?

None at all, but some of my flying buddies are CFI-Multi-engine... Also
most of the study (mainly cursory) in my current CFI training, touches on
twins - From both sources I haven't walked away impressed... Seems like
more of a liability just to get there faster...

--
--
=-----
Good Flights!

Cecil E. Chapman
CP-ASEL-IA

Student - C.F.I.

Check out my personal flying adventures from my first flight to the
checkride AND the continuing adventures beyond!
Complete with pictures and text at: www.bayareapilot.com

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery -

"We who fly, do so for the love of flying. We are alive in the air with
this miracle that lies in our hands and beneath our feet"
- Cecil Day Lewis -

[George Patterson]

wrote:

> Of course you're ruling out turboprop singles, right George? : )

Yep.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.

[[email protected]]

Update: Today's (Tu 11/15) Des Moines paper notes the dipstick was
missing from the plane at the crash site and was found at the airport.


Not in the reports yet: whether the dipstick was found on the ramp or
taxiway where it might've rolled if someone forgot and left it on a
cowling during a preflight, or if it was in the mechanic shop. Report
says the engine oil was "dangerously low," with only 1-2 quarts found
by the NTSB investigators. Pilot had reported an oil leak shortly
after takeoff.

Also not in the news reports: any indication, guess or wild
assumptions whether one engine had stopped. For that, I salute the
local reporters. Just the facts.

[Jay Honeck]

> Update: Today's (Tu 11/15) Des Moines paper notes the dipstick was
> missing from the plane at the crash site and was found at the airport.
>
>
> Not in the reports yet: whether the dipstick was found on the ramp or
> taxiway where it might've rolled if someone forgot and left it on a
> cowling during a preflight, or if it was in the mechanic shop. Report
> says the engine oil was "dangerously low," with only 1-2 quarts found
> by the NTSB investigators. Pilot had reported an oil leak shortly
> after takeoff.

Odd. An aircraft engine should run just fine with 1 - 2 quarts of oil,
certainly for at least a few minutes.

How does one get to the dipstick on a Navajo? I presume there's an
access door of some sort?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[[email protected]]

On 15 Nov 2005 12:41:19 -0800, "Jay Honeck" >
wrote:


>Odd. An aircraft engine should run just fine with 1 - 2 quarts of oil,
>certainly for at least a few minutes.
>
>How does one get to the dipstick on a Navajo? I presume there's an
>access door of some sort?

little door on the top cowl, pretty much like your 'plane. depending
on the age of the engine, it could be either a screw-in, or a snap-in
(retained only by the o-ring friction) dipstick.

a Navajo will suck oil out the dipstick opening at a pretty
scary-looking rate. doesn't necessarily mean that the engine is going
to quit, but it sure "looks" like it's going to.

have had a couple make a short trip around the pattern (oh crap, look
at all the blankin' oil) and land with about 5-6 quarts left.

TC

[Jay Honeck]

> a Navajo will suck oil out the dipstick opening at a pretty
> scary-looking rate. doesn't necessarily mean that the engine is going
> to quit, but it sure "looks" like it's going to.
>
> have had a couple make a short trip around the pattern (oh crap, look
> at all the blankin' oil) and land with about 5-6 quarts left.

And a little oil sure looks like a lot of oil. A couple of QUARTS would
scare the crap out of anyone.

I sure hope this accident doesn't turn out to be one of those
"the-pilot-was-distracted-by-the-missing-dipstick-open-access-door" kinda
things. It seems to happen every now and then that someone prangs it
because they were distracted by the door popping open, or what have you.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"