Pilatus PC-12/47E N617BG

Summary

On 12 September 2013 at about 21:00 local time, a Pilatus PC-12/47E registered N617BG, operated by FlighTime Business Jets, LLC, was involved in an incident near Austin, Texas, United States. 10 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 September 2013 at 21:00

Classification

Incident

Location

Austin, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS)

Coordinates

30.1804, -97.6797

Aircraft

Pilatus PC-12/47E

Registration

N617BG

Category

Airplane

Year built

2010

Engines

1

Operator

FlighTime Business Jets, LLC

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Austin → Lubbock

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13IA563

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper weight and balance calculations, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its weight and center-of-gravity limits and led to a loss of pitch control during takeoff, and the operator’s failure to obtain required weight information and to ensure that the flight was properly loaded. 

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Immediately after the airplane lifted off the runway, the pilot lost pitch control, which resulted in a series of pitch oscillations and cockpit stall warnings. The pilot aborted the takeoff, and the airplane subsequently impacted the departure runway. The pilot subsequently stopped the airplane on the remaining runway. The flight was being operated as a commercial on-demand passenger flight. According to the operator's operations specifications, actual passenger and carry-on baggage weights were required to be used to determine a flight's weight and balance; however, the trip schedule that the operator provided to the pilot before the flight did not include the actual passenger weights nor the carry-on baggage weights. A postincident review of weight and balance information revealed that the pilot failed to identify that the baggage weights were not included on the trip schedule and that he subsequently improperly calculated the airplane's weight and balance, which resulted in the exceedance of the aft center-of-gravity and weight limits for the flight. Further, the operator did not ensure that the airplane was loaded properly. Examination of recorded flight data from the onboard lightweight data recorder (LDR) and postincident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The LDR also recorded cockpit audio; however, download of the cockpit audio revealed that 2 hours of the recording, which included the incident flight, had been overwritten before the National Transportation Safety Board received the LDR.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.