Pilot Debrief

BEECH 95-A55 near Millville, NJ — 2012-08-29

Final reportERA12LA535
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Date
2012-08-29
Location
Millville, NJ, USA
Airport
MIV
Aircraft
BEECH 95-A55
Registration
N71BM
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot receiving instruction failed to maintain airplane control during the simulated engine-out landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's failure to take timely remedial action.

Contributing factors

Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's failure to take timely remedial action.

NTSB narrative

The pilot receiving instruction was conducting a simulated engine-out emergency landing when the accident occurred. Several eyewitnesses reported that the airplane began to roll to the left while it was in flight. One eyewitness reported hearing the airplane's engines increase in power. During postaccident interviews, the flight instructor stated that the left engine was at the idle power setting to simulate the engine failure for landing; however, he could not recall the events that took place during the accident sequence. Examination of the airframe and engines revealed no anomalies or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Review of the private pilot’s medical history revealed nothing to suggest a medical cause for impairment or incapacitation. Therefore, it is likely that during the landing flare, the pilot receiving instruction added power to the right engine and failed to properly compensate for the increased asymmetrical thrust, which resulted in a loss of control.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
CFI could have aborted the simulated engine-out landing earlier.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ATC audio
  • Photos
  • 17 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents17

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