2017 Essendon Airport Beechcraft King Air crash

2017 Essendon Airport Beechcraft King Air crash
VH-ZCR, the aircraft involved in the accident, at Essendon Airport in late 2014
Accident
Date 21 February 2017
Summary Pilot error[1]
Site Direct Factory Outlets shopping complex, Essendon Fields, Victoria, Australia
37°44′04″S 144°54′18″E / 37.734423°S 144.904996°E / -37.734423; 144.904996Coordinates: 37°44′04″S 144°54′18″E / 37.734423°S 144.904996°E / -37.734423; 144.904996
Aircraft
Aircraft type Beechcraft King Air B200
Operator Corporate and Leisure Charters
Registration VH-ZCR
Flight origin Essendon Airport, Essendon Fields
Destination King Island Airport, King Island, Tasmania
Occupants 5
Passengers 4
Crew 1
Fatalities 5
Survivors 0

On 21 February 2017, at 8:59 am local time, a Beechcraft King Air aircraft operating a charter flight, carrying a pilot and four passengers bound for King Island, crashed seconds after taking off from Essendon Airport in Melbourne.[2]

Accident

The pilot made two mayday calls[3] before the aircraft clipped the roof of a building housing the Essendon Direct Factory Outlets (DFO). The aircraft then impacted the ground a few metres away and ignited, starting a fire.[4][5] The Direct Factory Outlets complex, located on the airport grounds, had not yet begun the day's trading.[6] All five people on board were killed in the crash, including the four passengers who were American tourists on their way to King Island to play golf.[5] Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said it was the worst civil aviation accident in Victoria in 30 years.[7]

Media sources reported that the aircraft crashed as a result of an engine failure on take-off.[5]

Some local residents and aviation groups have stated that the crash shows buildings have been constructed too close to the airport.[8][9][10]

The official investigation's initial findings include that there were no pre-existing aircraft faults, that the pilot made a mayday call, that the voice recorder failed, and that witnesses said the take-off took "longer than normal". Engine tear-downs show that both powerplants were free to rotate and both propellers showed evidence of rotation, although only the left propeller left slash damage to the building roof. Further findings will be made public as the investigation is concluded.[11][12]

Four American passengers and the Australian pilot died in the crash.

Aircraft

The aircraft was a Beechcraft King Air B200, serial number BB-1544 and registered as VH-ZCR; it was manufactured in 1996,[2][13] and had 7000 hours of service time. The two engines were Pratt & Whitney PT6 Turboprops with constant-speed propellers.[1]

Aftermath

Smoke plume from the crash site
Smoke plume from the crash site

The Executive Director of the Australian branch of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) criticized the practice of allowing commercial developments, such as the Essendon Direct Factory Outlets complex, at Australian airports, saying these reduced the options available to pilots in emergencies. He stated that AOPA had been calling on governments for two decades to stop such developments.[14] A spokesman for the Australian Federation of Air Pilots also criticised commercial development of land at Essendon Airport.[15] Anti-airport campaigners renewed calls for the airport to be closed.[15]

Summary

An investigation by the ATSB determined the accident was a result of the trim tabs being set incorrectly. Failure of the pilot to realize the trim was fully to the left and down caused a longer than normal takeoff, and experienced a left slip and yaw once airborne. Ultimately the uncorrected configuration caused a loss of control of the aircraft. The checklist used by the pilot did not contain a specific check for the trim tab position before takeoff. The investigation was hindered by the lack of data from the cockpit voice recorder, which was not properly enabled. Furthermore, the aircraft payload was heavier than the acceptable value, but this factor was not determiend to be a contributing factor to the crash.[1][16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 ATSB (24 September 2018). Transport Safety Report, Final Investigation, Loss of control and collision with terrain involving B200 King Air, VH-ZCR (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Investigation: AO-2017-024 - Collision with terrain involving B200 King Air VH-ZCR at Essendon Airport, Victoria on 21 February 2017". Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  3. ↑ Mannix, Liam (22 February 2017). "Essendon air crash: Investigators scour plane wreckage, find 'interesting facets'". The Age. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Plane crashes sparks DFO explosion near Melbourne airport". News.com.au. News Corp. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Wahlquist, Calla (21 February 2017). "Plane crashes into Melbourne Shopping Centre". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "Charter plane crashes at Melbourne's Essendon airport: 'There is constant explosions going off'". NZ Herald. NZME Publishing Limited. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  7. ↑ "Five dead after Victoria's 'worst civil aviation accident in 30 years'". SBS News. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  8. ↑ Chalkley-Rhoden, Stephanie (22 February 2017). "Essendon plane crash: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews defends airport's safety record". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  9. ↑ Powley, Katherine; Masanauskas, John (22 February 2017). "Essendon airport buffer concerns raised by Moonee Valley Council three years ago". Herald Sun. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  10. ↑ Abraham, Claire (23 February 2017). "Essendon airport to re-open two days after plane crash tragedy". Nine News. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  11. ↑ "Investigation finds no evidence of engine failure before Essendon plane crash". abc.net.au. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  12. ↑ Bureau, Australian Transport Safety. "Investigation: AO-2017-024 - Collision with terrain involving B200 King Air VH-ZCR at Essendon Airport, Victoria on 21 February 2017". atsb.gov.au. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  13. ↑ Beechcraft production list, p. 54
  14. ↑ Report in Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio National 7:00am news bulletin, 22 February 2017.
  15. 1 2 Cowan, Jane (22 February 2017). "Essendon crash: Locals say plane smashing into shopping centre 'a tragic mess'". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  16. ↑ "Pilot error blamed in Melbourne plane crash". BBC News. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  • "Serialization [production list] 1945 thru 2016" (PDF). Beechcraft. April 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
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