KS family die in plane crash

   / KS family die in plane crash #41  
A really sad event considering all the good that was done by family.

In accidents of this type, inflight breakup, it is almost always due to:

1. Weather in the form of thunderstorms or severe turbulence, or
2. Pilot disorientation/vertigo that results in high "g" loads that exceed the airplane design parameters.

A large fully developed thunderstorm has the power to destroy any airplane made.

Low experienced or non-current pilots in high performance airplanes have the potential to become disoriented in low visibility conditions. They typically end up entering a steep spiral and then incurring high load factors trying to recover. This can cause structural failure including wings and control surfaces separating from the aircraft. This is what happened in the JKF Jr. accident
 
   / KS family die in plane crash #42  
I saw a report of the crash right after it happened and the information in the story was limited to say the least.

I should have known to look on TBN for better information. :thumbsup:

The report I saw mentioned that a teenager was found a distance from the crash which was unusual. The photo I saw made the crash look like a wheels up landing and not something that would kill everyone on board. The report also made me wonder if the teenager had jumped out of the plane before it hit the ground which would be odd. Little did I know that the cause of the crash is still unknown. At least I know more from TBN than the media reports I saw.

Later,
Dan
 
   / KS family die in plane crash #43  
Actually what you now know is no more than the rest of the world
for, speaking for myself, my assumptions are just that, assumptions.
Conjuctures, guess's... We will be forced to wait a year before NTSB
will release details. THAT is called job security. If they got the job
done faster they could fire 2/3rds of staff...
 
   / KS family die in plane crash
  • Thread Starter
#45  
   / KS family die in plane crash #46  
The witness report backs up the assumption that the plane could have hit the ground in a flat spin, which explains the way it is damaged.

The altitude excursion they are referring to, was not reflected in the Miami Center data, but was certainly more like what I expected to see. And would also make sense of the sudden extreme change in ground speed.

Improper recovery from a steep, high speed dive could certainly explain what broke the aircraft.

One thing I was not been able to find, was any information on how experienced this pilot was. Anyone see anything related to that?
 
   / KS family die in plane crash
  • Thread Starter
#47  
ray66v said:
One thing I was not been able to find, was any information on how experienced this pilot was. Anyone see anything related to that?
Click to expand...

The original articles mentioned he had been flying for years but made no mention of how many hours he had. Apparently, he (his company, actually) had purchased this aircraft about 3 months before this accident.
 
   / KS family die in plane crash #48  
Actual preliminary NTSB report: ERA12FA385

Interesting development: The flight aware track has been updated, it now shows more weather than it did immediately after the crash. FlightAware > N950KA > 07-Jun-2012 > KFPR - 3JC

The NTSB report referred to a loss of 12,000 feet of altitude in 36 seconds at one point. That equals a hair raising 20,000 feet per minute.
 
   / KS family die in plane crash #49  
Can someone condense what they think happened?
 
   / KS family die in plane crash #50  
I believe this was a loss of control accident. The pilot was trying to avoid weather ahead and began a right turn to avoid the weather. As you read the NTSB report at 1233:37 he began a right decending turn. This turn continued and after 1234:01 it plunged down to 10700 feet. The turn was probably tight and the descent was fast. Also speed was reduced and then increased. This may have lead to a stall and then a right spiral downward. To recover from this flight condition you have to use the proper flight controls. In a downward spiral pulling up on the controls to recover or maintain level will exceed the structural limits of the aircraft and it may break apart by loosing a wing or control surface. The proper recovery is go to wings level, contol airspeed and do a smooth level off to maintain altitude. Doing it wrong can cost you. Each airplane has what is called a maneuvering spreed. This is the speed where you can do a full deflection of the flight controls without exceeding the structural limits of the airframe. In a case like this it is a very important speed limit.

That said, I have to say I have flown into a thunderstorm, dumb move on my part, and lost control of my plane. It does happen quickly. I went from 11,000 to 15000 in a flash and the instuments showed I was out of control. Recovery was in the clouds and by instruments and I turned back to where I came from cause that was where the good weather was. Then I informed ATC what had happened. I landed at a nearby airport to wait the weather out. I also checked the airplane to see if anything was bent and any rivets popped. I have stayed clear of that kind of weather since.

When I read stories like these I alway remember that encounter and remember how fast things happen.

Here is a video of a PC 12 doing stall tests. Stall Tests
 
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