Rockwell 500-S N51RF
5 December 2008 · Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 5 December 2008 at about 19:38 local time, a Rockwell 500-S registered N51RF, operated by United States Department of Commerce, was involved in an accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:38
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States
- Nearest airport
- Grand Forks International Airp (GFK)
- Coordinates
- 47.9492, -97.1761
- Aircraft
- Rockwell 500-S
- Registration
- N51RF
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- United States Department of Commerce
- Operating rule
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fargo → Grand Forks
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN09CA156
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear prior to touchdown.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The twin-engine airplane was being operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducting snow survey flights. The airplane initially departed from the Grand Forks International Airport (GFK), Grand Forks, North Dakota, and made a refueling stop at the Fargo International Airport, Fargo, North Dakota. The airplane was on a repositioning flight back to GFK when the accident occurred. During the flight, the airplane was cleared by air traffic control for the runway 17R localizer backcourse approach to GFK. The airplane landed on runway 17R with the landing gear in the retracted position, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. Subsequently, the engines were shut down and the aircraft was evacuated. The minimum descent altitude and visibility requirements for the approach were 1,200 feet above mean sea level (msl) and 1 mile respectively. The ceiling and visibility at the time of the accident were 800 feet (about 1,650 feet msl) and 1 mile respectively. The operator noted that there were no mechanical malfunctions.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Rockwell 500 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug 2007 | Rockwell 500S | Melbourne, VIC, Australia | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 8 Apr 2011 | Rockwell 500-S | Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States | United States Department of Commerce | No injuries | - |
| 19 Mar 2003 | Rockwell 500-S | Chickaloon, Alaska, United States | State of Alaska Division of Forestry | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jan 2002 | Rockwell 500-S | Baker City, Oregon, United States | Richard W. Boehlke | No injuries | - |
| 17 Feb 2002 | Rockwell 500S | Exeter, Rhode Island, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 Jul 2014 | Rockwell 500 S | Willcox, Arizona, United States | American East Airways Corp | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 May 2008 | Piper PA-28-161 | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jun 2008 | Cessna 172C | Nortonville, North Dakota, United States | Duane A. Sand | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Jul 2008 | Grumman G-164D | Esmond, North Dakota, United States | Erickson Aerial Spraying LLC | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Aug 2008 | Robinson R22 BETA | Buffalo, North Dakota, United States | Strategic Air, LLC. | No injuries | - |
| 11 Apr 2008 | Cessna 172K | Roseglen, North Dakota, United States | Jeremy Rustad | Fatal | 2 |
| 10 May 2008 | Kuntz KUNTZ 2000 GTS EFI | Dickinson, North Dakota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |