Trans-Talk

The December 20, 2005 crash of a twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2 turboprop in Terrace, British Columbia killed the two pilots who had just taken off on a mail run to Vancouver. The crash was the last in a series of crashes that caused the charter courier airline to suspend operations, shortly before Transport Canada lifted their operating licence.

A Transportation Safety Board (TSB) report on the accident, not yet publicly available on the TSB website, attributes the crash to engine failure caused by a cracked engine combustion chamber. Investigators found the pilot was unable to control the aircraft with Mitsubishi’s operation manual recommendation of a 20 degree flap setting for take-off after the engine flame-out. The TSB noted the flap setting was inappropriate in the event of engine failure and has recommended that pilots of twin-engine aircraft be warned and that they complete a checklist, including flap settings, immediately following any engine failure.

Nav Air has launched a lawsuit against the plane manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Honeywell International, which provided the MU-2 engines. The suit demands damages for costs of replacing the plane and cleaning up the crash site.

The MU-2B went out of production in 1987, after 831 models were produced in several different configurations. It is a turboprop with a pressurized cabin and short take-off and landing (STOL) capability that was built with a short or long fuselage. The aircraft’s flight controls and operation are known to be idiosyncratic in comparison to other light, twin-engine planes. The U.S. FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) undertook a safety review in 2005 because the MU-2B had averaged 2 fatal accidents per year since being introduced. Many of those accidents were caused by the plane’s propensity for icing, but the FAA also criticized its operations manual and noted several other shortcomings. The FAA allowed the plane to remain certified but also recommended some maintenance changes and explicitly encouraged model-specific pilot and maintenance training to address the difficulty and extra attention required to fly it safely. (Sources: Globe and Mail, page A14, “Lawsuit filed over B.C. crash that killed two pilots“; FAA MU-2B Series Airplane Safety Evaluation Report December 2005)

This entry is filed under Transportation, Vancouver Issues. You can follow responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.