ARFF Daily News
Published on:
Monday the 7th of April, 2025
Helicopter crash-lands on baseball field in Rockledge
By J.D. Gallop
ROCKLEDGE — Two people were injured after a small, privately owned helicopter crash-landed into a Rockledge baseball field complex Sunday morning.
Several Brevard County Fire Rescue crews and Rockledge Police responded to the site of the crash at the McKnight Family Sports Complex, where the Hiller H-23D helicopter appeared to be on its side. Two of the three people on board were injured and were airlifted to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne. It was not immediately known how many people were on the field at the time.
The incident was reported about 10:30 a.m. at Huntington Lane, near Briarwood Drive on the field. It was not immediately known where the helicopter departed from or where it was going. The Hiller was used primarily as a medevac military helicopter during the Korean War.
Two medical helicopters arrived to transport possible patients. The FAA is investigating the crash.
Aircraft incident at SLO County Airport leaves plane stuck on runway, diverts flights
By: Grace Bennett
An aircraft incident at SLO County Airport (SBP) Sunday afternoon left a small plane stuck on the runway, forcing several flights to divert their landings.
SBP officials say a private, single-engine aircraft experienced a mechanical failure before landing safely at the airport around 2:30 p.m
Although the aircraft sustained some damage, SBP representatives say there were no injuries reported as a result of the incident.
Airport officials tell KSBY that the plane remained stuck on the runway until the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) gave them clearance to move it around 4:15 p.m.
Because of the obstacle in the runway, an Alaska Airlines flight traveling to SBP from Las Vegas was reportedly diverted to Los Angeles.
An American Airlines flight headed to SBP from Phoenix was also diverted to Bakersfield due to the incident, according to airport representatives.
Officials say the NTSB is investigating the incident.
https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/aircraft-incident-at-slo-county-airport-leaves-plane-stuck-on-runway-diverts-flight
Airport to study environmental impacts of new emergency facility
New emergency facility required by feds could require clearing sagebrush
By Christina MacIntosh / Environmental reporter
The Jackson Hole Airport is in the early stages of planning for construction of a new facility to store its firefighting equipment, an upgrade needed to meet Federal Aviation Authority regulations that could potentially disturb more of the sagebrush surrounding the airport.
Though the upgrade has been discussed for about a decade, the facility is still in a “pre-conceptual stage,” said Jim Elwood, the airport’s executive director. The topic arose at a Jackson Hole Airport Board budget session last month because the board needed to approve funding for a study of where the building should be.
“We’re just starting to scratch the surface,” said Bob McLaurin, a member of the airport board.
The project could take another seven to eight years to materialize, McLaurin said. Both Grand Teton National Park and the public will be engaged as the project unfolds, Elwood said.
The facility will need to be large enough to house at least two fire trucks and additional emergency response vehicles. The existing building was built in the 1980s and was constructed for smaller firetrucks than those of today.
“The building’s obsolete,” Elwood said.
The current storage facility is also adjacent to the commercial terminals of the airport, causing concerns about the feasibility of the firefighting unit’s ability to reach an emergency on the runway should there be passengers on the tarmac.
“They could end up rolling out and into active enplaning and deplaning passengers,” Elwood said.
Under FAA regulations, the facility must be located such that emergency responders could reach an emergency in the middle of the runway within three minutes.
“Among hundreds of pages of criteria, that one is at the top,” Elwood said.
The project comes amid a slew of capital improvement projects, behind a project to replace the runway, expand the deicing pad capacity, work on the taxiway and replace the private aviation terminal.
“As it turned out, the other projects had to move ahead of this,” Elwood said.
A “strong possibility” for the project’s location is the sage flats on the west side of the runway, Elwood said. The west side has already been disturbed due to air traffic controllers and asphalt plants used for previous construction projects, though the airport revegetates disturbed areas using seeds purchased from the park.
“It’s not an original condition valley floor of sagebrush and natural grasses,” Elwood said. “It’s already been disturbed for purposes related to the airport.”
But the open-ended nature of the study means that all locations that meet FAA standards will be considered.
“It could be in areas that have already been disturbed; it could be in areas that are native,” Elwood said.
In the late 2010s, the airport had discussed building a shared facility with the U.S. Forest Service and Grand Teton National Park where the interagency helitack base is, north of the commercial terminals, where helicopters launch to do rescues.
David Vela, a previous superintendent of GTNP, did not support the pitch, Elwood said.
“That’s not an option that the Forest Service or the Park Service feels like works for them,” he said.
The prospect of further development of the airport raises concerns amid the airport’s ongoing development.
“Safety is important,” said Kathryn Turner, a fourth-generation valley native who has worried about the environmental impacts of the airport for many years. “I just think everything should be considered carefully there, more carefully than other airports. This one is smack in the middle of one of the gems of the national park system, and it just keeps expanding from what I can see.”
The airport does its best to be a good steward of the environment, McLaurin said.
“I’m very proud of the job the Jackson Hole Airport has done trying to balance these issues,” he said. “The board spends a lot of time and effort and money trying to ameliorate the impacts that we have.”
Turner is “grateful for the attention” the airport devotes to environmental impacts and understands the airport is obligated to abide by FAA regulations.
“Another national mandate is the protection of the natural world in a national park,” she said. “Why does the mandate of the FAA supercede the protection of the natural world?”
NTSB Final Report: Douglas C54D
Loss Of Power Of The No. 1 Engine For Reasons That Could Not Be Determined
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska Accident Number: ANC24FA029
Date & Time: April 23, 2024, 10:03 Local Registration: N3054V
Aircraft: Douglas C54D Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: Explosion (non-impact) Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Other work use
Analysis: The purpose of the flight was to transport fuel and propane tanks in the airplane, which was powered by four radial engines. About three minutes after takeoff, the pilots reported to air traffic control that there was a fire onboard and began a left turn back to the airport.
Eyewitnesses who saw the airplane shortly after takeoff reported that the outboard left (No. 1) engine was not running, and that the engine was trailing a small, white plume of smoke, followed shortly thereafter by visible flames. Surveillance video captured the white smoke and flames emanating from the No. 1 engine. Seconds after flames appeared, a bright white explosion could be seen from aft of the No. 1 engine. The airplane then entered an uncontrolled, descending left turn into terrain.
Review of the airplane’s maintenance records revealed the No.1 engine was replaced with an overhauled engine one week before the accident. According to the director of operations, the outboard left fuel tank, located near the No. 1 engine, was reported in the days before the accident to leak when full. The fuel leaked into a space behind the No.1 engine and dripped out of the wing behind the engine. Although a repair had been made, this repair did not fix the leak.
For several days before the accident, the airplane was parked with full fuel tanks, dripping fuel into the wing space behind the No. 1 engine. The examination of the No.1 engine and portions of the recovered airframe revealed an AN-8 hose resting in the exhaust heat shield area. The hose had burned from the fitting and the threads were in good condition with no apparent mechanical damage. A portion of the firewall, which was separated from the engine, engine mount, and remaining portion of the airframe, had a 90° elbow -8 sized AN bulkhead fitting installed. One end of the fitting had a B-nut and metal hard line installed. The opposing end did not have a B-nut or hose attached. The threads
of the fittings were intact and undamaged. The fitting was part of the propeller feathering system. Oil residue was observed throughout the entire external area of the exhaust system. The outer structure exhibited a light residue of oil on the external side.
Based on the witness statements of the No. 1 engine not running and trailing smoke, it is likely that the No. 1 engine lost power shortly after takeoff; however, due to the extensive thermal and impact damage to the engine, the reason for the loss of power could not be determined based on the available information. Following the loss of engine power, the pilots would have attempted to feather the propeller. It is likely that, when the feathering pump system was activated, the incorrectly installed B-nut near the engine firewall would have produced a spray of high-pressure oil around the hot exhaust system. This would be consistent with the initial white smoke and fire seen in the video, and the oil residue found in the area of the exhaust system. The fuel that had leaked from the outboard left fuel tank into a compartment behind the No. 1 engine subsequently ignited, resulting in the explosion that separated the airplane’s aileron bell housing and resulted in the pilots’ inability to control the airplane and subsequent impact with terrain.
Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- A loss of power of the No. 1 engine for reasons that could not be determined, and the incorrect installation of a B-nut fitting in the propeller feathering system, which allowed engine oil to spray onto the exhaust system when the propeller was feathered following the loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was an incorrectly repaired fuel leak, which resulted in an explosion that separated the aileron bell housing that resulted in a loss of control and subsequent impact with terrain.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
NTSB Final Report: Vans RV8
Loss Of Engine Power Due To The Separation And Ingestion Of An Air Filter Retaining Bracket
Location: Guthrie, Oklahoma Accident Number: CEN24LA317
Date & Time: August 14, 2024, 20:21 Local Registration: N184DC
Aircraft: Vans RV8 Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (total) Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis: The pilot reported that about 40 ft above ground level (agl) during the initial climb from the grass airstrip, engine cylinder Nos. 2 and 3 lost power. About 10 seconds later, engine cylinder Nos. 1 and 4 lost power. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude. He switched fuel tanks in an attempt to regain engine power but noted no change in the engine performance. The airplane impacted trees beyond the departure end of the runway and sustained substantial damage to both wings, fuselage, and empennage.
Postaccident examination of the engine revealed an air filter retaining bracket that was fastened to a fiberglass air snorkel/box had separated and was ingested into the No. 2 cylinder. The separated bracket then jammed the intake valve into the open position, resulting in a loss of engine power. Elongation was noted on the fiberglass where the rivets secured the fabricated retaining bracket.
Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- A loss of engine power due to the separation and ingestion of an air filter retaining bracket into the engine cylinder.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
NTSB Final Report: Dehavilland Beaver DHC-2 MK.1
Airplane’s Fuel Pressure Gauge Began To Fluctuate. Subsequently, The Airplane Experienced A Total Loss Of Engine Power
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska Accident Number: ANC24LA037
Date & Time: May 27, 2024, 16:47 Local Registration: N5343G
Aircraft: Dehavilland Beaver DHC-2 MK.1 Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Fuel starvation Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Positioning
Analysis: The pilot reported that, shortly after takeoff while on a post-maintenance check flight, the airplane’s fuel pressure gauge began to fluctuate. Subsequently, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot performed a forced landing that resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and right elevator, which were both liberated from the airplane during impact.
A post-accident inspection revealed that the pilot had selected a fuel tank containing an inadequate amount of fuel prior to takeoff. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- The pilot’s improper fuel management resulting in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
68 Years ago today: On 7 April 1957 A Varig Curtiss C-46 crashed following a loss of control while on approach to Porto Alegre-Salgado Filho Airport, RS, Brazil , killing all 40 occupants.
Date: Sunday 7 April 1957
Time:
Type: Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando
Owner/operator: Varig
Registration: PP-VCF
MSN: 30283
Year of manufacture: 1978
Engine model: P&W R-2800-51
Fatalities: Fatalities: 40 / Occupants: 40
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Destroyed, written off
Category: Accident
Location: Bagé Airport, RS (BGX) - Brazil
Phase: Approach
Nature: Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport: Bagé-Comandante Gustavo Kraemer Airport, RS (BGX/SBBG)
Destination airport: Porto Alegre-Salgado Filho International Airport, RS (POA/SBPA)
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
A Varig Curtiss C-46 crashed following a loss of control while on approach to Porto Alegre-Salgado Filho Airport, RS, Brazil , killing all 40 occupants.
Soon after takeoff a fire developed in the left main gear wheel well. The pilot however, thought the fire had started in the engine, feathered the no. 1 engine and returned to the traffic pattern for a landing circuit. On finals he tried to lower the gear, but didn't succeed. To avoid a belly landing, the pilot applied full power and tried to go around for another approach to land. Over the runway 05 and 23 intersection the aircraft's left wing separated from the fuselage, causing the plane crash.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "A fire in the undercarriage housing and consequent breaking-off of the left wing in flight.
A contributing cause was an error in judgement. The pilot failed to assess the intensity of the fire in the undercarriage housing, having thought that by applying the procedure prescribed in 'Regulations for C-46', the fire had been extinguished or had become inconsequential."
