NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On November 27, 2007, about 1815 central standard time, a single-engine Cessna T210M airplane, N3NG, was destroyed upon impact with powerlines and terrain while on approach to the Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport (RVS), near Tulsa, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot was seriously injured and his 2 passengers received fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to Arkansas Aerial Enterprises Inc., Cabot, Arkansas, and operated by the pilot/owner. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 night cross-country flight. The 200-nautical mile cross-country flight departed from RVS around 1800. The flight was destined for the Adams Field Airport (LIT) near Little Rock, Arkansas.

Local authorities reported the airplane was recently purchased from an aircraft broker based at the RVS airport, and the purpose of the flight was for the new owners to take the airplane home to Little Rock. They added that soon after departure, the pilot reported that the airplane had an electrical problem, and needed to return to the airport to land.

During the landing approach to the airfield, the airplane collided with trees and a power-line guide wire, which were located just north of the landing threshold for runway 19L. The airplane came to rest in the inverted position about 100 yards north of the airport perimeter fence. The electrical powerlines ignited a grass fire; however the airplane did not sustain a post-impact fire.

A private pilot witness who was near the runway, said he saw the airplane approach the runway. He reported that the airplane was, "very low on approach" and it appeared that the airplane had "no electrical power, and that the engine was at a low rpm." The witness also reported that it was hard to tell if [the engine] was losing power completely." The witness also reported that the airplane skidded down the top set of wires before contacting the power line tower, and tumbled to the ground.

The pilot submitted a written statement on July 7, 2008. In the narrative section of the NTSB Pilot/Operator Report, form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated that he conducted the pre-flight inspection of the aircraft, noticed no anomalies, and that all fluid levels were "ok." He added that after "6-8 minutes into the flight and at approximately 4,000 feet the entire [instrument] panel flickered and then went blank." The pilot cycled the [electrical] master switch and turned back towards the airport. He added that as he put the gear lever in the down position, the panel went blank again. He reported that he began pumping the gear down manually, before letting his passenger continue to pump the gear into the down position. The pilot commented that he had the runway in sight as he turned onto final approach. The pilot added that he never saw the power poles with the wires, prior to impact.

Prior to its departure, the aircraft was filled with 52.9 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land. His second class Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical was issued October 18, 2007. At which time the pilot reported that he had 1,700 hours flight time. Prior to the accident flight, the pilot received 2-hours of instruction in the aircraft. The flight instructor noted that the pilot had very good technique and that no problems were noted with the aircraft.

AIRPLANE INFORMATION

The airplane was a 1977 model Cessna T210M, which was a single-engine, high-wing airplane, with retractable tricycle landing gear. The airplane was powered by a Continental TSIO-520R reciprocating engine, rated at 285 BHP at 2600 RPM with a maximum rated BHP of 310 at 2700 RPM for 5 minutes. The engine was equipped with a McCauley 3-blade, constant speed propeller.

A review of the airplane's maintenance logbooks revealed that the last annual inspection was performed on September 25, 2007, at total time of 4,264.9 hours and at a tachometer time of 156.9 hours. At the time of the accident the tachometer read 175.1 hours.

The aircraft had just received a "pre-purchased inspection" before the buyer/pilot accepted the aircraft. Several discrepancy items were noted during the inspection, including the co-pilot’s shoulder belt was not available, because the belt had disconnected from its inertia reel.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 1753, the automated weather station at RVS reported winds from 180 degrees at 8 knots, temperature 70-degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 34-degrees Fahrenheit, visibility 10 miles, a clear sky, and an altimeter setting of 30.21 inches of Mercury.

COMMUNICATIONS

Shortly after departure, the pilot reported to air traffic control that he had an electrical problem, and that he needed to return to the airport.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

The Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. airport (RVS) is a public-use airport located near Tulsa, Oklahoma. The airport features a control tower and has three runways. Runway 1R-19L is 4,208 feet long and 100 feet wide, runway 1L-19R is 5,102 feet long by 100 feet wide, and runway 13-31 is 2,641 feet long by 50 feet wide.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The airplane wreckage was examined at the site on November 28-29, 2007. The airplane came to rest inverted on a magnetic heading of approximately 15 degrees, just off airport property and north of runway 19L-01R. All major components of the airplane were accounted for at the scene. On the airplane’s approach path to the runway, the initial impact point was the top of a tree, the aircraft then traveled southward, before contacting a wire/cable; the aircraft then impacted the ground. The left and right wings, and engine remained attached to the fuselage. Both wings were damaged and the airplane’s fuel tanks were breached; no fuel was found in the tanks. Aviation fuel odor was present in the area of the wreckage. The nose landing gear had separated from the front of the airplane, and the front of the airplane was crushed rearward. The main landing gear moved freely. The landing-gear handle was in the down position, and the emergency gear handle was extended. The empennage was still attached to the fuselage; the left horizontal stabilizer exhibited a cable/wire impact in the leading edge.

The engine received minor impact damage. Pilot controls to the fuel servo and propeller governor were in-place. The valve covers and the top spark plugs were removed, and the crankshaft was rotated. Continuity was confirmed to all of the cylinders and to the rear of the engine. Thumb compression was established on all of the cylinders. Both magnetos were in place and impulse coupling was heard when the engine was rotated. The propeller hub was broken, but remained bolted to the engine crankshaft flange. One propeller blade had a cable strike on its leading edge. The battery (resting inverted) read 6.2 volts and was leaking acid. The main lead (wire) to the alternator had separated from the alternator. The alternator wire and the insulated terminal end had disconnected with the terminal ring remaining on the alternator. An inspection of the terminal ring and wire revealed that the terminal had a single pointed style crimp, and the (multi-strand) wire-end that had separated from the terminal ring appeared "weathered."

The on-site examination of the aircraft did not reveal any additional pre-impact mechanical anomalies.

The wreckage was recovered to Air Salvage of Dallas (ASOD), near Lancaster, Texas, for further examination.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

On February 11-13th, 2008, at the TCM engine test facility, the aircraft engine was examined under the supervision of the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC), along with technical representatives from Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) and Cessna Aircraft Company.

The engine which had been removed from the airframe was placed in an engine test cell. The engine's exhaust system was crushed by the accident and was replaced. Additionally, in order to run the engine, several minor components were either replaced or removed. Those items mainly consisted of the turbocharger, oil cooler, oil filter, intercooler, #5 & #2 intake tubes (and balance tube). The engine was fitted with a test propeller. The engine was then started and ran for several minutes at various (idle to full) power settings. Additional engine runs were conducted, including engine runs that included the airplane’s turbocharger. During the tests, the engine was able to produce rated horsepower.

On March 12, 2008, under the supervision of a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, the propeller was examined at McCauley Propeller Systems, Wichita, Kansas. After the examination, it was reported that the propeller damage was the result of the accident, with no indications of propeller failure prior to impact. Additionally, the report stated that he propeller was turning at a high speed with [engine] power at the time of impact, however; the amount of power was not determined.

With reference to crimp on terminal lugs and splices; FAA Advisory Circular AC 43-13 states; "It is essential that the crimp depth be appropriate for each wire size. If the crimp is too deep or not deep enough, it may break or cut individual strands, or it may not be tight enough to retain the wire in the terminal or connector. Crimps that are not tight enough are also susceptible to high resistance due to corrosion build-up between the crimped terminal and the wire."

In the section titled "RECOMMENDATION" in the NTSB Pilot/Operator Report, form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated that accident could have been prevented if the poles had been lighted so he could have identified them as an obstacle and avoided them.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the power transmission line(s). Contributing to the accident were the loss of aircraft electrical power, diverted attention, and the night conditions.