DC-3 Down in Ohio

Other reports are suggesting an engine failure and failure to clear power lines.

I didn't realize that there were any stateside operators still using the DC-3.
 
upload_2019-1-21_13-59-41.png
...are there really "thousands" still flying of these things?
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Looks like a Basler turbine converted DC3 if I had to guess?
Click to expand...

Not Basler, but a Preferred Turbine-3: http://preferredturbine-3.com/
They do the conversions at Stoltzfus Airfield in OH where the crash occurred.

One of the crew members was a friend from church. I don't know if he was PIC on this flight, but he had worked on the certification program last year.

Here' s 467KS on a happier day, at an open house at Stoltzfus airfield in 2012

IMG_1528.JPG
 
Last edited:
Went down right across the street from the airport. Photo is looking southeast.

Untitled2.jpg
 
Man that's heartbreaking.

RIP
 
Yellowbird said:
Not Basler, but a Preferred Turbine-3: http://preferredturbine-3.com/
They do the conversions at Stoltzfus Airfield in OH where the crash occurred.

One of the crew members was a friend from church. I don't know if he was PIC on this flight, but he had worked on the certification program last year.

Here' s 467KS on a happier day, at an open house at Stoltzfus airfield in 2012

View attachment 70916
Click to expand...

Thanks for the additional information. What a tragic loss of souls and airplane.
 
3400 ft runway, cold day and turbine, you’d think it would had the performance for this to have averted with an engine failure.
 
I sprung for a ride in 467KS at their open house back in 2012. The fellow in the left seat here might be Brian Stoltzfus, the PIC for the accident flight and one of the founders of the operations at Stoltzfus Airfield.

IMG_1522.JPG
 
I could wonder about the runway conditions. Don't know what Preferred has for snow removal equipment, but they're just down the road a piece, and KBJJ is still NOTAMd closed due to snow, last I checked. 11" from the storm. Whatever the cause, a sad, sad day!

Jim
 
The according folding of the wings and the destroyed cockpit point to a significant nose down at impact.

That's hard to square with a turbine powered lightly loaded DC-3.

RIP
 
Yellowbird said:
I sprung for a ride in 467KS at their open house back in 2012. The fellow in the left seat here might be Brian Stoltzfus, the PIC for the accident flight and one of the founders of the operations at Stoltzfus Airfield.
Click to expand...
Damn.. that brings it home. Sucks and sad to see this

The mind boggles at what could have happened, the DC3 should be able to climb single engine, especially with what I'm presuming was a light load that day, and with the turbine conversion it *should* have had plenty of power. Either way, very sad. RIP
 
Knowing the weather this weekend here in Ohio... Contaminated wing and never really got any lift??
 
FormerHangie said:
I didn't realize that there were any stateside operators still using the DC-3.
Click to expand...

There are a few being used in the mapping industry still. Not thus crash plane though. We had this mapping bird below at DAY a few months ago.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20180927_161004336_HDR.jpg
    IMG_20180927_161004336_HDR.jpg
    191.9 KB · Views: 71
GRG55 said:
Could be. It sliced right through the power pole just above the yellow structure in the pic.
Click to expand...

It appears to me it knocked down the pole located in front of the building circled in red. You can see the splintered stub and the pole is down in the street.

I can't tell for certain, but it looks like the first ground contact was on the street, and the plane rotated 180 degrees when it hit the higher ground on the other side of the road.
 
3393RP said:
The according folding of the wings and the destroyed cockpit point to a significant nose down at impact.

That's hard to square with a turbine powered lightly loaded DC-3.

RIP
Click to expand...
Gust lock?
 
Kenny Phillips said:
Gust lock?
Click to expand...
Crossed my mind too. When I was at OSH I noticed that some of the DC3 had gust lucks that kept the flight controls level, and others that kept the flight controls offset.. I had asked one of the care takers there the reason for this and the explanation was that it helps reduce the risk of taking off with the gust locks in place.. if you notice the rudder pedals offset and you try to push them to level you'll notice they're locked.. if everything is level you may forget until it is too late

That would be a shame if that was the cause.. but I assume something that would also be easy to discover pretty readily

Was a beautiful airplane, that cockpit is very clean and sharp!
 
Seems to have hit kinda hard where I work. My boss sold a similar turbo-converted DC-3 in 2017 to the late PIC in this incident. I think he mentioned yesterday that this was a great pilot. Mood seemed kinda down yesterday around the hangars. I guess it makes ya think...

RIP
 
NTSB preliminary report is out: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/R...tID=20190121X14953&AKey=1&RType=HTML&IType=LA

On January 21, 2019, about 0912 eastern standard time, a Douglas DC3C airplane, N467KS, impacted terrain while departing from Stoltzfus Airfield (OH22), Kidron, Ohio. The captain and first officer were fatally injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to Priority Air Charter LLC and operated by AFM Hardware Inc. under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the positioning flight, which was destined for Akron-Canton Regional Airport (CAK), North Canton, Ohio.

A witness at OH22 noticed the airplane lift off about a third of the way down runway 19. Soon after becoming airborne, white smoke was noticed coming out of the left engine. The airplane began to veer to the left and did not climb normally. The witness watched the airplane descend over a building until he lost sight of it.

The airplane struck power lines and trees before impacting the ground and came to rest about 200 yards from the end of runway 19. The main wreckage was upright and oriented on a northwesterly heading, with the fuselage separated forward of the wings. The left wing was broken aft and upward and the inboard leading edge of the right wing was crushed aft. The left engine was broken aft and outboard of the wing's leading edge. The right engine was broken downward at the nacelle. The nose of the airplane was located forward and left of the airplane main wreckage.

The airplane wreckage, to include both engines, the cockpit voice recorder, and the aircraft data acquisition module, was retained for further examination.
Click to expand...
 
FormerHangie said:
Other reports are suggesting an engine failure and failure to clear power lines.

I didn't realize that there were any stateside operators still using the DC-3.
Click to expand...
At Hook Field in Middletown Ohio, there was a large operator with seven or eight of 'em, as well as five or six Twin Beeches. Quite a nice lot of silver, tail dragging, radial powered twins. If you look at imagery ~2004 you can see them parked. Sad that they are gone (perhaps still flying, just gone from my area!)
 
My boss was at the funeral. Did not have any more insight into what caused this.
 
alfadog said:
My boss was at the funeral. Did not have any more insight into what caused this.
Click to expand...

The report of smoke coming from one of the engines and then the aircraft not being able to maintain altitude make me wonder if it have been misfueled with avgas.
 
FormerHangie said:
The report of smoke coming from one of the engines and then the aircraft not being able to maintain altitude make me wonder if it have been misfueled with avgas.
Click to expand...
Not likely.

A turbine engine will still run if misfueled with avgas, just runs hotter and is not good for the longevity of the engine. But, it will still run.

It’s not like putting Jet-A in a piston airplane.
 
FormerHangie said:
Other reports are suggesting an engine failure and failure to clear power lines.

I didn't realize that there were any stateside operators still using the DC-3.
Click to expand...
Missionary Flights International at FPR has 2 and is in the process of restoring and converting 2 more.
42306159662_fefed2ec7e_k.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top