2009 Montana Pilatus PC-12 crash
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| Incident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 22, 2009 |
| Type | Under investigation |
| Site | Butte, Montana, United States |
| Fatalities | 14 |
| Survivors | 0[1] |
| Aircraft type | Pilatus PC-12 |
| Tail number | N128CM |
| Flight origin | Oroville Municipal Airport, Oroville, California[1] |
| Destination | Bozeman, Montana |
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Wikinews has related news: Plane crashes in Montana, 17 killed |
The 2009 Pilatus PC-12 crash occurred in the U.S. state of Montana at approximately 14:27 local time (20:27 GMT[2]) on March 22, 2009. Fourteen people—seven adults and seven children—are reported to have died in the accident.[3][4][5] The children were said to have been going on a ski trip and weather conditions were described as cloudy. The aircraft involved was a Pilatus PC-12, FAA registration number N128CM, a single-engine turboprop[2] which is only certified for a maximum of nine passengers, or eleven people including the pilot and copilot.[6][7]
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[edit] Flight
The pilot, Bud Summerfield of Highland, California, was well known to the passengers, according to the aircraft's owner.[8] The plane departed in the morning from Redlands Municipal Airport in Redlands, picked up two families at Nut Tree Airport in Vacaville and another family at Oroville Municipal Airport in Oroville. The original destination was Bozeman, Montana's Gallatin Field, about 85 miles (136 kilometers) southeast of the city of Butte, Montana.[9] [10][2][8][9] While en route, the pilot canceled his flight plan and diverted towards Butte.[10] Preliminary information suggests no distress call was made.[11]
The weather conditions were partly cloudy in the area with ten miles of visibility at the time of the crash.[12]
It has also been suggested that icing may have played a role in the crash.[13] This comes from a statement in which the plane passed through air saturated with humidity at 1,500 feet.[13] The plane then passed through a freezing layer of air at around 1,000 feet.[13] This possibly affected the aerodynamics of the wings, bringing it down just short of the runway.[13] This idea was bolstered by a statement by an official, where he states that the Pilatus has a powerful engine for its size.[13] This would make it unlikely to be affected by the additional weight of a few children "unless they had an awful lot of baggage."[13]
[edit] Crash
According to a witness, the plane crashed into Holy Cross Cemetery 500 ft (150 m) from Bert Mooney Airport.[2][14]
The FAA has announced that seven adults and seven children died in the crash.[15] Nobody died on the ground.[16]
Onlookers rushed to take photographs of the crash, with one reporting of her attempts, alongside her husband, to help the victims (except that "there was nothing to help"). She also reported that she had watched the plane "take a nosedive right into the cemetery".[14] Photographs show towering orange flames from a burning coniferous tree, with smoke billowing up against a foreground of tombstones.[14] Luggage and plane parts are strewn across the scene.[11]
[edit] Links to other crashes
According to safety experts, the crash is similar to the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash that occured just a month before.[13] This similarity was drawn between the possibility of ice on both planes and the pilot's reactions.[13]
Former NTSB chairman Jim Hall also cited a link between the crash and a March 26, 2005, crash of a Pilatus PC-12, where a pilot and five passengers were killed.[13] It is believed that icing also brought down that plane.[13]
[edit] See also
- FedEx Express Flight 80 crash, which occured on the same day (GMT time)
[edit] References
- ^ a b Tim Trainor (March 23, 2009). "Plane with young children crashes in Butte cemetery : 16 reportedly killed". The Montana Standard. http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2009/03/23/area/hjjajghgjcicfg.txt.
- ^ a b c d "'Children die' in US plane crash". BBC. 2009-03-22. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7958383.stm. Retrieved on 2009-03-22.
- ^ "Small plane crash in Montana kills 14" USA Today March 22, 2009
- ^ "At Least 14 Dead in Montana Crash" NYT, March 22, 2009
- ^ "Up to 17 killed in Montana plane crash, officials say", CNN, March 22, 2009
- ^ European Aviation Safety Agency - Type Certificate Data Sheet A.089 PC-12
- ^ "Crashed US plane 'not certified to carry so many passengers'". Agence France Press. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/23/2524097.htm?section=world.
- ^ a b Kelly, David (March 23, 2009). "Nine members of same family were on Montana plane". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/03/---font-definit.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-23.
- ^ a b "St. Helena family dies in plane crash". Napa Valley Register. March 22, 2009. http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2009/03/22/news/local/doc49c6fa0858866097042590.txt.
- ^ a b "FAA: 17 die in Montana plane crash". MSNBC. 2009-03-22. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29828359/. Retrieved on 2009-03-22.
- ^ a b "FAA: 17 killed in Montana plane crash". CNN. 2009-03-22. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/03/22/montana.plane.crash/index.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-22.
- ^ "California youngsters likely among crash dead". San Francisco Chronicle. 2009-03-23. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/MNT516L8E8.DTL. Retrieved on 2009-03-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Icing, overload probed in Mont. plane crash". MSNBC. 2009-03-23. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29828359/. Retrieved on 2009-03-23.
- ^ a b c "At Least 17 Killed In Montana Plane Crash". Sky News. 2009-03-22. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Plane-Crash-In-Montana-Kills-At-Least-17-People/Article/200903415246913?f=rss. Retrieved on 2009-03-22.
- ^ "Probe launched into Montana crash". BBC. 2009-03-23. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7958472.stm. Retrieved on 2009-03-23.
- ^ "Several killed in Montana plane crash". The Guardian. 2009-03-22. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/22/montana-plane-crash. Retrieved on 2009-03-22.
