Catastrophic Takeoff at Arkansas Memorial Field Airport - American Eagle Metroliner Crash
Вставка
- Опубліковано 17 гру 2024
- On Tuesday 25 August 1992, a Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III registration N342AE, was performing a test flight at Hot Sprongs after undergoing maintenance, with a unsuspected result. Support the channel and subscribe.
![Extremely Heavy, Overload B747 Crashes Immediately Right After Take Off [XP11]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tG0qeC0S0iA/mqdefault.jpg)
Retired USAF maintenance guy here...this is a kindergarten-level screw-up! How in the world did no one do a function check of every flight control surface? It is nearly unbelievable that three levels failed to do that: Maintenance tech, QC inspector, and the pilot. WTF? At the very least the pilot should have run the flight controls through their full travel with an observer reporting the movement and direction of each control surface. Especially prior to a functional check flight for a major remove/replace procedure on the flight control system. Just incredible negligence by all involved, in my humble opinion.
You are presuming an awful lot there. Your comment is about as inaccurate as the video. Read my comment on this video.
Post-maintenance check flights demand some of the most critical inspections and critical thinking by the PMCF pilot. Visual inspection for proper movement of all control surfaces by all involved should have been MANDATORY on this check flight. Former PMCF pilot here.
@@SteveD328 You questioned this poster as being inaccurate yet in your post below you even said : " there was a brand new checklist of about 35-40 minutes worth of checks to be done with one guy on the controls and the other guy outside of the airplane, then swap positions and do those same checks again.." So does this mean those checks were not required prior to this accident? This is precisely what this poster was pointing out.
@@my-yt-inputs2580 The new checklist was developed because of this accident, and if I remember correctly (it was more than 30 years ago), we got it in the printout from dispatch with the rest of the paperwork for the test flight. Not saying there wasn’t a checklist in the maintenance manuals, but, like i said, fatigue played a big roll here, when the airplane was finally ready for the test flight, the rush was on to get it done and get out of there…something obviously got overlooked.
I worked at the factory at Fairchild aircraft there in San Antonio for 14 years. I was a quality engineer but I still maintaind my inspection stamp privileges the whole time I was there.
We had a very simple procedure, all flight controls required a double inspection sign off on both initial installation and any maintenance action that was undertaken in the production release flight hanger.
When I was working at swearingen aircraft (SJ30 jet) I was asked to sign off on a pilot control yoke change. The two mechanics said they installed it correctly and ran a functional check. So there was "no need for me to run the stabilizer trim" Guess what, they installed the pitch trim rocker switch on the control yoke upside down. That's right, when you activated the switch for nose down the leading edge of the stabilizer went down (meaning the pitch of the aircraft would actually increase). It was astonishing that two season mechanics screwed this up, and then had the nerve to ask me to buy it off without running the functional test.
I'm a retired American Airlines Airbus Captain (1988-2018, age 65 rule retirement) who started out with Nashville Eagle, the first wholly owned Eaglets, and I was on the Metroliner, both 226 and 227 until the MD80 as my first jet .. nice plane but I always was very careful doing "test flights" ........ thanks for sharing.
I’m sure we passed each other in the crew room. 12/4 89 DOH N. E.
Same here. BNA Eagle LCA.
AA DOH 3/92
I'm a retired pilot who once had a bad accident as we took off, my pants did not survive, it smelled up the plane but thank god we made it. God bless you all I'm sure you smelled the plane out there and now you know the secret.
Sorry guys, even as a private pilot, the chances of me flying the plane after "the control cables had been replaced" without having been on the ground, on the outside, with two people and a walkie-talkie with one guy at the controls, observing the control surfaces as they were run through their movements, would be zero - absolutely zero. No chance. It would take 10 minutes - just to be safe - to do all the combinations. And, check the flaps while you're at it. I'm sorry these guys died, but seriously, no maintenance guy is getting near the control cables and expecting me to fly the plane without first checking it thoroughly.
Heck I won't even fly an RC airplane without making a visual check that control surfaces are moving correct way. And if I am acting as a timer for another pilot, I will not let him (or her) launch until they have demonstrated correct control movement.
You'll live to a ripe old age sir! Great comment! I flew garbage all my life, Beech 18s, Lodestars, DC-3s etc. When I put the wheel hard over to the left and right, those ailerons better be in the correct place. If I couldn't see them, I'd tell the co-jock to open his window or climb in the back to look. Your idea of doing it outside is just as good if not better, maybe you'd hear grinding noise too not possible from the cockpit.
I have a Commercial instrument pilots and Airframe/Powerplant mechanic licensee. From my first day of flight training I was taught to watch the controls for correct movement as part of pre-flight. As a side note, in the 1970's I worked as an airplane mechanic at a repair facility and this same thing happened on a Cessna 310 being repaired there. The owner of the repair facility was the test pilot and he did not notice the ailerons were reversed and therefore crashed at take off. He survived but it ensured I always checked my controls during pre-flight.
I thought it ws part of pre-flight to confirm proper working flight controls? Especially after this kind of maintenance. This blows my mind.
That’s why they hit the pilot too.
I have only been done preflights in light aircraft, where all of the control surfaces can be observed from the left seat. I would imagine that it might require two people in radio communication for this aircraft, one pilot performing control inputs in the cockpit, and the other outside confirming proper direction and range of motion of each control surface. There are no excuses for this in my view. The crossed controls should have been caught and corrected in testing following maintenance, and then confirmed in the preflight by the pilots.
It is part of every preflight check list I have ever seen. And with over 55 years as both a certified Air Force C-130 crew chief / mechanic and FAA licensed A&P mechanic and 53 years as a commercial pilot I have gone through about 100 different aircraft check lists. They all have a version of, “Flight Controls” on the check list. With a usual response of, “Free and Correct!”
😊I was working as a firefighter in Hot Springs and on duty that morning, not exactly accurate, plane didn’t make it very high and wreckage was just off side of runway 13..very sad memory I wish I could forget
I was a licensed aircraft mech and Designated Inspector for years in two different Certified Repair Stations.Mistakes like misrouting flight control cables happened more than once.It happens for different reasons,like inexperienced techs,complacency,techs fraternizing with co-workers,and then rushing the work to make up for the time spent bullshitting with their buddies.One time I had to inspect the work of a newer tech,who removed and replaced aileron,elevator and rudder trim actuators.I asked him,did you check proper travel when he finished the aileron actuator,he said yes.I had him run the trim on it,and it was reversed,I showed him what he did wrong,later that day,he asked me to inspect the elevator trim system,again reversed,and the next day he asked for the rudder trim to be inspected,and he managed to reverse that as well.The service manager/director of maintenance asked me if he should fire the guy,as he was still on probation,I said no,give him to me for a few weeks.He learned to be a good tech.This accident here should not have happened,the tech or techs screwed up,the inspector did as well,and the pilot and co-pilot also did.Mistakes do happen.I made mistakes learning,but thank God I had older experienced techs who taught me to pay attention to the smallest details,and take nothing for granted.I had to go on many test flights,and always did a thorough pre-flight on flight controls.Sadly these three guys didn't learn from their mistakes.
In this instance, though, the mistake should have been caught several times. They should have tested the proper movement of the ailerons after they replaced the cables, and the pilot should have tested them for proper movement before taking off. I mean, I work on cars, and if I replace a part the first thing I do on job completion and before giving the car back to the customer is test the part to make sure everything's working right.
82ND AIRBORNE
As a rotary wing Mechanic...we over maintain and have at least 3 to sometimes 4 individuals sign off on All maintenance and repairs. Civilians just can't get their shit together. RIP...
Seams the AD or task cards were poorly written. But you might be right I have had wing a walker signal go until impact.
You are right and great respect to you and the great 82nd Airborne! Civilians probably have money and costs on their minds sometime. Best wishes from an old U.S. Navy guy! 🇺🇸
True as that is, the list of military stupid crashes also extends from here as far as the eye can see. To pluck an example at random, see Fairchild Air Force Base, 24 June 1994. Etc. Etc. Etc. Bad practice is bad practice, regardless who is guilty of it. Aviation is unforgiving and those who think they are above it . . . . well, we know what happens.
In basic training I moved from one m.o.s., medic, to another: fixed wing, spared myself from death dealing Vietnam, and had a smooth Army Aviation tour as crew chief on a Beech U8-F " fighter sedan," 👉 very very happy that my work was inspected and signed off by someone else, and included plenty free flying over beautiful Alaska.
@@davidshein6886
Eighty Deuce
You are correct Sir... most military aviation accidents occur due The extreme conditions... adverse weather...terrain... night operations. However...it is very rare that accidents were caused by shady barnyard maintenance.
At my first airline I worked for a Herc captain had reversed controls on a flight test. He recognised it immediately and brought it back safely. Rewiring your brain on the go is hard. I still can't believe they didn't do a visual flight control check on the ground. They certainly did after that!
The old San Antonio sewer pipe. Many hours in those.
There is a lot wrong with this simulation. The airplane never truly got airborne as the right wing tip hit the ground at about the same same place where the wheels left the runway. I was the captain on a flight out of KHOT later that same day. We had to takeoff over the wreckage......the maintenance inspector that died in this accident was a very good friend of mine. I've always said that fatigue played a huge roll in this accident as the captain had already flown a full schedule the previous day and then they got him to stick around all night to do this test flight, the airplane was going to "be ready for the test flight in 20 minutes" all night long. The NTSB had already ruled out the control cable issue and released the wreckage when the VP of maintenance went to the wreckage and removed the cover from the back of one of the yokes and found that the half turn was not there, then HE reported that to the NTSB...the NTSB had rather high praise for him for not trying to cover that up. I was the captain on the next control cable swap out test flight and needless to say, there was a brand new checklist of about 35-40 minutes worth of checks to be done with one guy on the controls and the other guy outside of the airplane, then swap positions and do those same checks again.......that was by far the darkest day in Lone Star Airlines history.
Thanks for the info Steve. Sadly, there wasn't much on record. Will do an updated video with this new data.
The aircraft was a FORMER American Eagle aircraft that had not been painted into Lone Star colors is my understanding.
@@bayouflier6641 Part 117 solved this issue. It happened 32 years ago.
@@DanB-dc6gz That is correct.
But it is still a very easy check to make sure the flight controls are moving in the correct direction.
"Free & Correct".....how often taken for granted, overlooked & unconfirmed! This an epic failure, & many guilty
I simply can't fathom the carelessness exhibited here; it is inscrutable... If someone told you to go jump off of a high bridge, would you do it? If someone told you you could breathe underwater in a swimming pool filled with a "special kind of water", would you believe him? This airplane underwent a complete change of flight control cables and rigging, yet no one completed a simple flight control check before they departed? This is simply beyond all reason. It is absolute mindlessness!!
Never assume.
You have no idea how inaccurate you are with that statement. Fatigue played a huge part here and by the way.....3 separate preflights were done.
@@SteveD328 Well, Steve, what's your take on the effectiveness of those 3 "preflights"?
@@hitorque2734 Obviously rushed and not thorough.
Not retired Air Force but 4 years as a Air Force C-130 Crew Chief, and 3 years as an Air Force Reserve C-130 Flight engineer. But I am a retired Commercial pilot and FAA Licensed A&P mechanic. I totally agree with Mcburcke’s original post. It is hard to believe this aircraft got out of the hanger with this mistake. Simply verifying the proper travel of the flight controls prior to putting the aircraft back together would have saved the 3 lives and the aircraft. Even in my own aircraft that I did all the work on I made sure the flight controls moved in the right direction during the preflight and during the run up.
Yes, before everything is bolted back together. I completely agree. It's just common sense. There isn't enough time or money to do things properly the first time through so failures and deaths occur. Then more regulations are passed. Someone once said safety regulation protocols are written in human blood, to paraphrase. Thanks for posting, all the best to you and yours.
@@GarthWatkins-th3jt Thanks. I’m also a retired Locomotive Engineer. Our FRA regulations would weigh as much as the FAA regulations. I have always heard that most of the regulations are, “Written in blood.”
They were test flying a new airplane type here in Utah some years back and the same thing happened. Don't remember if it was the very first flight of the type or not.
Doesn't the preflight checklist include visual confirmation of correct aileron and rudder movement with control input? Excellent video. As a minor point about the sound effects, the engines would not spool down smoothly after this violent crash.
Years ago I went with my instructor to the Cessna factory to pick up a new plane. First thing he did before takeoff was to visually chk the control surface movements. He told me to never take it for granted that they were connected correctly.
Kind of like the jet engine in "Castaway." I assumed that the ocean would douse it. I was wrong, plus it was pretty scary to watch. Excellent FX. Am I wrong?
When I was learning my FBO was next to a Rockwell Commander that had recent maintenance to the trim tabs, and they too operated in the opposite direction and killed all aboard. Some tycoon in KC, early 80’s.
You can almost bet that after they'd finished the job that one guy was rocking the controls side-to-side while another guy was outside looking at the ailerons and going 'yep....yep', without even considering which way the controls were being moved. Those 'holes in the swiss cheese' lining up again...
I heard of a cessna with that happening and apparently when you “rock” the controls for which our mnemonic used to say “controls full and free and correct sense” which most people say without thinking about it but apparently if you route the cables wrongly the yolk is not full and free and does not have the correct sense if you’re observant to that and in this case it was picked up checked and found out that it is gone round the cables support rollers is the wrong way😮
I heard of a cessna with that happening and apparently when you “rock” the controls for which our mnemonic used to say “controls full and free and correct sense” which most people say without thinking about it but apparently if you route the cables wrongly the yolk is not full and free and does not have the correct sense if you’re observant to that and in this case it was picked up checked and found out that it is gone round the cables support rollers is the wrong way😮 Also when I was doing my pre-flight I would Rolls aileron and look out the wing roll the yoke other way and look out at the other wing you can’t do that for the elevators of course from inside the aircraft and many large craft you can’t see the wings anyway
"Just came out of maintenance " are the five scariest words in aviation.
The sound of the engines whirring down after the plane crashed is chilling... Awesome video as always!❤❤
What about doing a pre-flight check, making sure the flight controls are free and working properly?
"Every time your aircraft comes out of annual, you're a test pilot."
👍
@@antoniobranch That’s why I do my own annuals.
Just curious but if controls were reversed wouldn't there be either over taught cables or slack cables considering that they weren't over the proper pulleys ?
Many words of criticism in these comments, but the one word not mentioned is COMPLACENCY. The maintenance team including the IA that signed the RII had done many cable replacements already. Complacency killed them. As a result of this accident, "Free & Correct" was added to most Metroliner checklists. Also, certification standards were changed so that new designs must have fool-proof control runs- ie: No crossing of control cables such as the Metro's aileron cables crossing over each other inside the control column.
Seriously?!?! That was the very first control cable swap out done by this airline's maintenance department. The VP of maintenance had done several when he had previously worked at another airline, but he was away on another assignment when this happened. And the captain?? That was his first test flight. So many armchair quarterbacks chiming in here that have no clue what they are talking about. I was a very senior captain at this airline when this happened. See my comment above for accurate information.
@@SteveD328 Was the maintenance program copied from Swearingen's? I believe so, and therefore it was not deficient. I say complacency. You say what? Outright disregard for procedures or plain ignorance? If the Captain had not done test flights before, why was he so casual about his duties? Complacency or outright ignorance? This 'armchair quarterback' talked at length about this accident with Joe Rose (you know him?). Perhaps you were a captain, but I was D.O. at another Metro operator.
@@Exuma_Guy I know Joe very well, great guy and one of the very best chief pilots i have ever worked for. Joe did my checkride for my Dornier 328 turboprop type rating. Joe wasn't a Designated Examiner at the time, and our P.O.I. with the FAA wasn't type rated in the 328 at the time, but, he had a letter of authorization to observe Joe administering my checkride and was therefore able to issue me a 328 type rating.
You say complacency, I say fatigue played a huge part in this. See my comment on the video.
What evidence do you have that fatigue was an issue in this crash?
Ok …. I’ve been doing maintenance on corporate jets for over 30 years .
I have done countless complete cable changes on Lear 35’s and many small GA airplanes . Now how in the hell can a maintenance tech AND THE TEST PILOT not notice the ailerons are rigged backwards . WTF ?!?!
It’s in the maintenance manual to check correct directional travel of the control surfaces and the preflight check list says that before take off .
Good lord guys .. wake up and pay attention . This is a common problem and there is no excuse .
Sometimes a pilot will avoid using the Mark 1 Mod 0 eyeball.
Man the inverted control is scary
Dutch roll at low altitude is not recommended :-b
@@SinergiaAlUnisono yeah
Turbo props sound like that ?
Had they known the reverse inputs problem, could the flight been saved?
I'm confused. The crash point looks to be too close to the runway given the altitude depicted in this video.
So either they were able to circle over the runway or they never got that far off the ground.
That is a very inaccurate depiction in the video. See my other comments here.
@@SteveD328 thanks for your incredible insight. Shocking.
Even in the little Cessna 152 that I flew we checked the controls every single time before takeoff. After maintenance that like I would be even more paranoid to check it however I could.
Every check list I have used had...flight controls free and CORRECT 😮 I think that's an important one seeing that the maintenance was done on the control cables.
That sucks. I flew the Metro for a few years and could easily see myself having to perform this exact same type of proving flight. I like to think that had I known the plane had been re-rigged I would have taken extra care in the pre-flight, flight control check. RIP.
And not only that. I would also make impossible for connectors/cables/etc.. to fit in the wrong position. It's not rocket science. Safety first always.
It doesn't take science to understand that being stupid, lazy, unqualified, and complacent is a cocktail that kills.
may be a wind tunnel (that can show airflow at very low to almost no speed can detect crossed controls before further , more risky testing ) and save lots of lives and planes ... ( I agree with my self already :-b hahha )
@@SinergiaAlUnisono There is no need for a wind tunnel. Just some one from the crew on the ground to observe the correct movement of all flight controls.
When abplanes had repairs isnt there the thing of just one test pilot taking it up
It said controls replaced as part of a flight worthy directive so there werenissues with controls
While the Metro can be flown single-pilot LoneStar was not approved to operate them single-pilot even for Part 91 flights.
@@Exuma_Guy that's mad they should have been registered just for major overall test flights with a test pilot.
Don't airlines do test pilots anymore at all.
Thank you for your reply
@@bunglejoy3645 Only a few very specific procedures require a dedicated test pilot on certificated designs. One example is after replacing the wing leading edges on early Learjets.
Checking control surfaces is literally in the pre-flight checklist. I understand this incident happened thirty years ago. Were any new directives put into place because of it?
Wonder why the pilot and co pilot did not visually check the ailerons on pre flight
Isn’t part of every pre take off “controls free & correct”? It is in a DA20.
Controls free and correct. Checked twice after engines start and before takeoff.
So they didn't bother to visually check the surface movement before committing their lives to it?
Pure genius.
Don't you Fn verify this on the ground?? Not that complicated.
👎 I can't hear the goddamn pilot with all that engine noise filling my 1 good ear. 👎:
Controls "FREE AND CORRECT" on your run up. Roll the yoke to the right, right aileron is up. It's that simple. Takes 2 seconds to check.
@mcburcke got it right. Former Naval Aviator here. If someone worked on my flight controls, the FIRST THING (before flight) I would do is ensure they faithfully followed my inputs. Mistakes were made, but at least the pilot(s) should easily caught this.
I have a few thousand hours flying single pilot in the Metro Liner freight ops. Good plane and pilot should have noticed the controls way before the plane got off the ground. I flew many of the old American Eagles tail numbers "AE"
They didn't the flight controls before the flight? Wow.... i thought that was on a checklist? Especially after maintenance on the flight controls. They just assumed it worked and died. Sad.
I have 2,500 hours PIC in the SA227. Remarkably I have flown 342AE many times out of ksfo, ksjc and klax. Sad.
Me too,I thought that tail number seemed familiar. Good ol' Wings West!
I checked my log book to see that I was PIC in Wings West Metro's during 1987 era. I had about 15 hours in 342AE. Wings had a pretty good fleet in Calif. though. My pilot wife and I did some serious review of our very good fortune at Wings West. Had a good Fathers day with my family. Now age 87. Thanks and praise!
That airplane had a lot of gremlins in it by the time Lone Star got it. It was the only Metro we had that never got painted in Lone Star colors. I know that it was hit by lightning in flight at least once (I wasn't on board when that happened). My only single engine landing since I've been burning kerosene was on that plane....in late 1991, (and I am still burning kerosene today, except without propellors.)
As a passenger that has flown on my share of “commuters”, the Metroliner was my least favorite. Back in that era, I thought they were a sleek, fast looking plane - kinda sexy. But they felt like they flew way squirrelier than things like the Brasilia or the Beech 1900. I recall joking with someone (after landing at the North Bend airport in Oregon) that if was ever going to get air sick, it would probably be on a Metro.
Wings West Airlines. San Jose, Ca. 1989 on Metroliners.
Your name? I too was based there and flew 342AE. I am Terry Wallace.
@@meggieturi Terry. Vince Lawrence. We expanded the maintenance hub from Oakland to San Jose. Worked out of a mobile trailer on the tarmac until we acquired a hanger at the other end of the field.
I'm unable to understand how it was that the pilots didn't pick up on this error prior to the flight. On straight-winged aircraft such as this, with ailerons fully visible, it's (to my mind) standard procedure to look out at the ailerons and when pulling down on the yoke to one side, see the aileron move up and vice-versa..every flight. Whenever called in to carry out a maintenance check-flight you can be absolutely, 100% certain that I would have paid even more special attention to such a detail.
The only possible factor of this crash that I would be able to understand and relate to is the remote possibility that the pilots did in fact do the required flight control check before takeoff but were suffering from fatigue (it was an early morning takeoff...) and didn't really think about WHICH WAY the ailerons were moving when they commenced the check. Sometimes we ourselves operate on 'autopilot' without concentrating on what we're doing. But this is only an educated guess... In any case, I think you are absolutely correct; most of us would have been on high alert knowing that the airplane had just undergone a complete change of flight control cables and hardware.
@@megadavis5377 We tend to develop simple memory item checks.. pilots are really quite simple people, something is either right or it isn't. My own personal aide memoire for this check would be, 'Down is Up'... difficult to get that wrong... Yes, I noticed the early start, they may well have had to be up and about by 03:00.. but that's not untypical of a pilot's life.. we get to bed by 9.. at least I would.
You can't see the ailerons from the cockpit in a Metroliner.
@@SteveD328 Interesting, I've never flown the Metro.. thank you for that.
How about putting an "X" on the map to show us the crash site?
If you look at the photo at toward the end of the video, you are looking down runway 23. At that time Lone Star's maintenance hanger was at the north end of the crossing runway, Runway 13. It was the small hanger there in the photo closest to the 2 lane highway just north of the boundary fence. When this happened, runway 5/23 was closed for maintenance and we were restricted to using the shorter runway. They took off to the south on runway 13. The airplane left the runway about where the 90 degree taxiway meets the runway toward the south end there (it never truly got airborne, unlike the video simulation depicts) and ended up upside down, and on fire in a low area where the pad with all the airplanes parked on it is. The pad, and the divided highway off the south end were not there at that time. A new, larger maintenance hanger was built in 1993.
I remember flying in those. It was Southern airways or the later incarnation Republic, can't remember which.
Probably 1977 or thereabouts. An aisle with on seat on either side, rows. Thunderstorms had the plane bouncing all over the place.
I was on the last row, leaning over so I could watch the pilots (the cutains were not drawn). Landing in Nashville I could see the runway,
then I couldn't, then I could, then I couldn’t...plane was pointing in every direction. Up, down, left, right. People were getting upset.
Testing the controls and control surfaces on the ground first before flying would have been a great idea.
Something I do every time before I take the model airplane up. Radio range check, battery state, and make sure flight control surfaces move in the intended direction of input.
Is there a lot of good old Metroliner pilots out there as shocker as I was?
No matter what, always blame the pilot. FAA rule #1.
So sorry for the crew etc. and familys..
I fly RC aircraft. I never take off without checking all control surfaces. Even when no maintenance is performed.
Good Lord...
I check my turn signals every time I hook a trailer up to my truck. This accident was truly inexcusable.
It is the pilots responsibility to make sure the aircraft and every system is fully functional before flight. This is inexcusable.
There are many pilots flying airplanes that are great at WHAT to do with an airplane. However many lack fundamental knowledge of HOW airplanes do what they do.
Nice aircraft,the Metro.l have always considered it bit of a looker.Shame about the demise of this one....
This is not as uncommon as you might think. DEN83LA036 12-20-1982... Metro III Swearingen.... I was the co-pilot on this aircraft which had major modifications on it, such as removing the anti-skid system. The captain, we'll call him capt nimrodbuzzcalvin... knew something was wrong as we taxied out after sundown... but attributed it to the aircraft being new or some such foolishness. After we landed in Gillette Wyoming and got ready for the flight to Williston ND, it was my turn to fly. On takeoff we had a slight breeze from the right front quarter. I applied the correct aileron and applied power ... the aircraft drifted to the right so I tapped the left brake, which made the situation worse... I then applied more power to the right engine and actually split the distance the full width of my hand.... with the drift getting worse to the point that I called REJECT... and I told captain nimrod that it was his airplane.... 2 props, and structural damage to the brand new maiden flight airplane... because the maintenance people (4 of them) reversed the brake lines.
At that time I had almost 5000 hours with over 1000 in that airplane... my ATP and my CFIAIM.
We didn't know what had happened until weeks later after the repairs... but capt clueless... (nimrod) asked me to lie about the events... I declined... he lied through his teeth about how he pulled the engines into full reverse thrust, but some how still ended up 30 feet off the runway in the mud and over 80 feet down & parallel to the runway. Eventually he was fired and was fired from the next 2 jobs he got.... I went on with my career with a major carrier accumulating 8 type ratings and 30,000 hours of accident free flying, retiring in 2014 on the B-777.
That this wasn't done by maintenance with walkie-talkies and someone outside and someone at the controls saying up? Down? Left? Right?
Moronic!!!!
A very unnecessary tragedy but as a passenger I'm sure thankful for test flights after maintenance. Would have been a greater tragedy without it.
I am a RC turbine jet pilot.......I have seen the same thing happen in my hobby......only once have I ever seen a pilot recognize the problem and reverse his aileron input and safe the plane.
Because of electronic glitches, we have to check our surface directions every time before we pull out on to the runway. Just too anti intuitive to make that change in the air.....
RC ..... remote control ?
@@joeharris3878 Yes Radio Control........needs the same discipline as the full scale aircraft when in comes to preflight checkout to insure a successful flight
@@shelleibach20 I'd like a RC Metroliner. LAWL ...
An outfit at our local municipal airport usedti rebuild old metoliner passenger planes for cargo ...lengthened.
Out of business now.....
@@joeharris3878 That would be a cool model.....I had a 70" wingspan Cessna 410....kind of looks like a metroliner LOL
420 not 410 DAAAAAA
Right now, there is an acute shortage of qualified A & P mechanics. Forget about that English or business major
you were thinking of pursuing. Work in the aircraft industry, and make a good living. But be prepared to be a stickler for detail and procedure. Don't screw it up.
Two things for me, #1, twenty-five year old pilot, NOT getting on, #2 propellers, DOUBLE not getting on, end of story!
Ive NEVER & WILL NEVER take a flight where TEST & FLIGHT ARE IN SAME SENTENCE!
This is stupid. The error could EASILY have been discovered on the ground. Post maintenance and preflight checks BOTH missed it.
This is a sorting process. Three less unqualified people around airplanes now. =PC=
I'm with @mcburcke - because of the nature of the maintenance I'd think the visual inspection would have been a no brainer.
When a pilot, or mechanic or whomever is found to be responsible for the accident, are they held liable & law suits follow?
Rigging mistake would have been found during preflight control check. This was a stupid mess that cost two lives needlessly!!
Sad... And easily preventable.
Before I flew a plane like that after such maintenance, I'd have someone stand outside and watch the ailerons to see if they go the appropriate directions. Probably be on walkie talkies. In a small panes it's part of preflight checks just as important to me as checking for water in gas. But of course we'd just move the ailerons by hand and watch the yoke moving. You can't do that as easily on bigger planes.
Pre-flight? Check proper control surface movement? This level of incompetency is why I no longer fly commercial.
Once the aircraft left the ground he would have been in trouble, once the wing dropped, his action to pick up the wing would have led to the wing dropping further .
You would have thought that someone would have tested the proper control and movement of the ailerons on the ground right after replacing the cables, as well as the pilot before flight. This was a major screw up which should have been caught.
Safety First, Gravity still in force. Never become complacent.😃
I’m a private pilot and looking out the window as you turn the yolk is part of my preflight.. both ailerons and elevator…
can things like these still happen in 2024 or "we have learned enough" ... ?
A couple of years ago an Airbus or Boeing was released with the same issue. The pilots finally wrestled it down after a long time. I think the plane was written off because the G-load damaged the structure.
You can find this on most of these ATC channels. I don’t remember the airline. But it was a terrifying ride.
I think that it too was a test flight with no paying passengers. Thank goodness.
"Learning" has nothing to do with it; carelessness is a personality trait and the ultimate cause. No amount of educating will matter if people willfully overlook things.
@@MalachiWhite-tw7hl even more so, engineers have to make sure while designing that no human error can occur due to what you say.
MS Flight Simulator?
Flight controls free and correct....check.
Are you sure they pulled on the yoke in a spiral dive?
There was no spiral dive as the airplane never really got airborne. The video depiction is very wrong.
Great video! Kenny Nash A.B.E ENTERTAINMENT
Not a pilot, but I was saying out loud, "try the other way - they have it reversed".
Another AD where what was likely a good airplane was janked up by tearing it apart and half ass put back together. Makes you sick.
Feel awful for crash,LOVE BACKGROUND music. Where can i get it? Thanks!!❤😊
Nothing says "dangerous job" like the experienced pilot chosen for this test flight was only 25 years old.
Look at his number of flight hours. He had plenty of experience.
@@pyme495 obviously he wasn't experienced enough the pic was listed as a contributing factor.
@wjatube
Just about every NTSB report will list "pilot as contributing factor". If there was a pilot on the plane, they'll find a way to tie him into it somehow. Lots of things "contribute" to incidents like this. He was hardly the main or leading factor.
@@pyme495 he wasn't a leading factor but clearly his ascent was "a contributing factor".
I've overseen hundreds of maintenence test flights since the late 80's and can assure you these pilots are not thrown into these cockpits in a vaccuum. They are intimately involved with all the work that was done. They are keenly aware of the types of problems to be aware of and most importantly planning resource management before takeoff is essential.
Instead, this report references both pilots pulling back which seems more of reflex then planned adjustment of an aircraft with replaced flight controls.
My suggestion is a 25 year old pilot may not have done enough of these flights to hone in on what to prepare for as part of their normal preflight CL.
What a tragedy. I had this happen on an RC sailplane (reversed aileron servo) and on launch, your first instinct is to immediately fight the bank and keep doing so until impact. There is no other way that your instincts will allow otherwise. Not as horrible of a result as this, but very relatable.
If only airplanes could talk! "Hey dummy, when you turn the yoke right is my right aileron going up or down? If down 'Houston we have a problem'.
Hopefully by 2024 with all our technology, airline companies are using AI to do test flights instead of still using humans as guinea pigs. Failure to overlook things can be quite common. The ppl in the plane have a 50/50 shot of surviving.
How can AI possibly do a test flight ?
What about full an free movement ! Basic check's.Dont get this one.
After all these years, these mistakes continue to happen. No place for complacency in aviation. Air Astana almost went down after the controls were crossed after major maintenance work and the pilots failed to notice the controls were crossed, despite the fact that there was a warning about flight controls. It's a miracle they managed to survive that flight.
ua-cam.com/video/5ywaMkMTwWk/v-deo.htmlsi=SsJ3diOLI2l3Rrjh
I take it that this is not the Hill and Bilary Clinton airport?
Slick Willie and Hildebeest International Airport is in Little Rock.
correct.This is HOT not LIT.
@@starguy2718 Correct. ATC and us old timers at KLIT still call it Adams Field.
At least they didn't kill a planeload of passengers.
A simple and correct preflight would have prevented this crash. Ni "ifs, ands or buts" about it.
I guess that nobody tested the flight surfaces while the plane was idling on the runway.?.?.?
How in hell can equipment be made that allows interchangeable installation?🤓
Interesting video but it is too dark
It’s dark at 615 in the morning.
most of the mgt and maintenance went to work for Boeing...lol...
That's a dumb thing to say.