All
← Back to Squawk list
Plane crashes into Flight Safety building at KICT
Looks like a King Air has crashed into the Flight Safety building in Wichita (www.kake.com) More...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
It's ironic that 3 people died in a Simulator, the very thing you practice and qualify in just so that you don't lose your life in the real world. Not made as a flip comment, having had many quals and checkrides in them myself. It just struck me that you always walk out of a sim no matter how bad (or good) the ride was and you know that even if you do mess up, you won't get hurt. My prayers go out to the families of the victims.
My first thought, and this has happened to me 33 years ago on my first solo king air 200 flight, just out of maintenance. This Airplane just came out of maintenance. Were the frictions loose? You fly everyday and the frictions don't change, then for engine runs, the mechanics loosen all the way and you are not thinking about this. You take off, gear up, and one throttle rolls back. A low time pilot may not catch it in time. Just my thoughts. You Microsoft pilots can say I should have done my preflight better, yes, I should have. Unfortunately, these things do happen and we should learn from them.
Some time ago I took off from SFO pre sun-up in a medium twin I'd just picked up out of maintenance. Took hands off throttles, gear up, frequency changes..and suddenly in the dark noticed visible white caps on the ocean surface...Quick reach for throttles and they weren't there...they had moved back down to idle. Frictions loose. Yup, should have caught that.
I have never flown a 200, are the power levers spring loaded to idle, and is it on the checklist?
The throttles are not spring loaded to idle but do have a tendency to go to idle if the friction lock is not somewhat tight. Same with the props but to a much lesser degree. I would have to pull out the official beech checklist to be sure but the flight safety checklist I have here says on the before takeoff checklist-"friction locks-set"
I have a hard time thinking it was merely a matter of throttles rolling back because of friction locks. A hand should be on the throttle at least through the first couple thousand feet of climb. It might come off to raise gear or frequently change (which should be set up for a single button push) but the hand should immediately return to throttles.
I find it difficult to accept that alone would lead to a competent pilot crashing.
I find it difficult to accept that alone would lead to a competent pilot crashing.
Friction Locks? Diction rocks. pfffft.
I don't always do takeoffs with both hands, but when I do, I put one hand on the yoke and one hand on the power levers until after the climb profile is over.
A 200 lightly loaded should perform just fine asymmetric. Not quite ready to unroll out my trusty jump to conclusions mat, but I'm going to bet on pilot error/poor pilot technique / garbage IFR skill before I bet on MX or any other reason.
I don't always do takeoffs with both hands, but when I do, I put one hand on the yoke and one hand on the power levers until after the climb profile is over.
A 200 lightly loaded should perform just fine asymmetric. Not quite ready to unroll out my trusty jump to conclusions mat, but I'm going to bet on pilot error/poor pilot technique / garbage IFR skill before I bet on MX or any other reason.
I'm not ready to blame the pilot but I'm not going to accept something so simple as friction locks. It seems even silly to throw that out there as a cause. I doubt the NTSB would even write that as a cause but rather something related like the "pilot's likely failure to insure power is applied as necessary". But we're not there yet unless people start coming out of the woodwork questioning the pilot's past skills.
The plane just came out of heavy maintenance. There are a lot of questions and not a single answer at this point.
The plane just came out of heavy maintenance. There are a lot of questions and not a single answer at this point.
I agree with you, I don't buy the friction lock thing. I meant to be replying to everyone above.
I kinda hesitate on the friction lock thing. Were that the case, we would just go to flight idle rather than shut down, wouldn't we?
Ken: did you ever get your business/warehouse moved?
No, I'm still a home-based business. I'll stay here and expand to another building out back. I can't justify the high commercial rates for a business location. The only thing it will cost me is a couple dealerships which want a brick and mortar shop on site at airports.
Can't say as I blame you. I was helping my son build a truck brokerage out of the house here before my surgery. Paralyzed vocal chord, only temporary I hope, has put quietus on sales work for time being. We thought about an office to be together but with phones and Email, this was working good and no need for it.
It has put the "quietus" on more than your sales work! Type more.. talk less... :)