Pilatus crashes in US 16 fatalities

[Nevihta]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7958383.stm

A plane has crashed in the northern US state of Montana, killing at least 16 people on board, officials say.

16 persons in a Pilatus, that seems a lot.

[TCAS]

16 persons in a Pilatus, that seems a lot.

From a Weight and Balance (W&B) point of view ......
If each child/kid weights 48kg each (example) it 'roughly' compares to a(ny) 0.6 'normal weight' (80kg) adult passenger. More or less, it's 'always' trading fuel/endurance for payload. The total number of persons (POB) isn't 'necessarily' the 'main' issue. Even with 16 persons on board (POB) the maximum Take-off mass can be within limits.

Center of Gravity (CoG) is also important and load shifting can be extreme dangerous and fatal.
Especially during Low Altititude manoeuvres such as Take-off and landing.
Note: Take-off/Landing forward CoG - Cruise rearward CoG

Disclaimer: § 91.107 Use of safety belts, shoulder harnesses, and child restraint systems - (3) Except as provided in this paragraph, each person on board a U.S.-registered civil aircraft (except a free balloon that incorporates a basket or gondola or an airship type certificated before November 2, 1987) must occupy an approved seat or berth with a safety belt and, if installed, shoulder harness, properly secured about him or her during movement on the surface, takeoff, and landing.

[Nevihta]

Well, there were some children in the aircraft, but Iwas wondering if there were 16 seats with proper seat belts in such an aircraft.

[TCAS]

Well, there were some children in the aircraft, but Iwas wondering if there were 16 seats with proper seat belts in such an aircraft.

I guess not

[LX-LGX]

Well, there were some children in the aircraft, but Iwas wondering if there were 16 seats with proper seat belts in such an aircraft.

Manufacterer fact sheet says:
Executive: 6 to 8 seats
Shuttle: 9 seats

http://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/media/P ... -Facts.pdf

They were going on a skiing holiday - so there was probably also quite some luggage on board.

[TCAS_climb]

Not enough seats, not enough O2 masks... What kind of a company is that ?

Lawyers will have a field day about this. The parents, on the other side, are devastated. Makes the crash news even sadder than it already is.

[TCAS]

Father was pilot in plane crash that killed 14, investigators say (CNN.com)

Note: FAA confirms that 7 children, 7 adults were aboard plane that crashed (CNN.com)

[jan_olieslagers]

And here's one more dubious voice, though wanting formal support:

Aviation officials say the plane did not have a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder and the craft was not certified to carry commercial passengers.

quoted from http://www.weartv.com/template/inews_wi ... .com.shtml

[TCAS]

NTSB press briefing video (NECN.com)

March 24, 2009

By Russ Niles, Editor-in-Chief

Witness reports and the absence of other factors may suggest the crash of a Pilatus PC-12 was the result of nothing more than one of the most common reasons airplanes crash near airports--a low-level stall/spin. The PC-12, loaded with seven adults and seven children, has been described by several witnesses as "nosediving" into a cemetery while on short final for Bert Mooney Airport in Butte, Montana on Sunday. Although there was reportedly the potential for icing in a cloud deck at 1,500, the PC-12 is certified for known icing and Weather Underground saysit was about 45 degrees F with a dewpoint of about 26 on the ground when the accident occurred. Without knowing the baggage load on the aircraft (it was a ski trip) there is nevertheless less emphasis on the possibility of overloading since half the occupants were under 10 years old and some were babies and toddlers, the children of six adults on board who were university classmates and some of whom were part owners of the aircraft.

The three young families were on their way to a ski vacation at Big Sky Resort and their original destination was Bozeman, Montana, which is closer to the resort. Why the pilot, Ellison Summerfield, a 65-year-old ex-Air Force pilot with more than 2,000 hours on the PC-12 diverted to Butte is not known. He did not give a reason in his request to air traffic control and weather conditions didn't seem to exclude an aircraft and pilot of their capabilities. There was no cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder on the aircraft. In addition to Summerfield, the victims, as reported by the New York Times, are: Erin and Amy Jacobson of St. Helena, Calif., and their children, Taylor, 4; Ava, 3, and Jude, 1; Michael and Vanessa Pullen of Lodi, Calif., and their children, Sydney, 9, and Christopher, 7; and Brent and Kristen Ching of Durham, Calif., and their children, Hailey, 5, and Caleb, 3.

Bron: AVweb

[chornedsnorkack]

The 9 official passenger seats do not count the pilot seats - there are two, and PC-12 is flyable by one, so there are a total of 11 seats incl. the pilot seats. And 14 souls.

1 of them was 1. So, we have 11 seats and 13 people requiring their own seats. And 2 children aged 3. Hm, how dangerous or illegal is a 3 year old lap child?

[TCAS]

The 9 official passenger seats do not count the pilot seats - there are two, and PC-12 is flyable by one, so there are a total of 11 seats incl. the pilot seats. And 14 souls.

1 of them was 1. So, we have 11 seats and 13 people requiring their own seats. And 2 children aged 3. Hm, how dangerous or illegal is a 3 year old lap child?

See § 91.107 Use of safety belts, shoulder harnesses, and child restraint systems

[LX-LGX]

Although the plane was overloaded in figures, it probably wasn't in weight. Just take a look above, at the age of the children.

Ice on wings now becomes more obvious, say some investigators:

"... While descending Sunday in preparation for landing at the Bert Mooney Airport in Butte, Mont., the plane passed through a layer of air at about 1,500 feet that was conducive to icing because the temperatures were below freezing and the air "had 100 percent relative humidity or was saturated," according to AccuWeather.com, a forecasting service in State College, Pa. ..."

This is a quote from this article (4 pages in total):
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=7155712

[TCAS]

The PC-12 has a stick pusher.

PC-12 stick pusher overriding can be done by the override button and/or strong pull on the yoke (32kg or more)

It's speculation but this may .... contributing factor.

BTW latest stick pusher Airworthiness Directives; PILATUS AIRCRAFT LTD. Models PC-12, PC- 12/45, PC-12/47, and PC-12/47E Airplanes (PDF)