History of Flight
On September 26, 2008, at approximately 2003 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 402C, registration N770CA, was destroyed when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Martha's Vineyard Airport (MVY), Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. The pilot, the sole occupant, was killed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the positioning flight to General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts. The flight was operated by Hyannis Air Service, doing business as Cape Air, under the call sign "care ten fifty five" and conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to air traffic control information, the pilot reported ready for taxi at 1958 and was initially instructed to taxi to runway 24, but subsequently requested and was cleared to taxi to runway 33. The airplane took off from runway 33 at 1959:50. After takeoff, the pilot was instructed to climb to 4,000 feet and make a right turn to a heading of 360 degrees. Acknowledgment was received at 2001:53, and at 2002:03 the pilot transmitted "and ten fifty five." No further communications were received.
Radar data showed the airplane climbing at 400 feet and accelerating to a ground speed of 120 knots shortly after takeoff. It made a slight left turn before entering a right turn that continued until radar contact was lost at 700 feet and a ground speed of 160 knots.
A witness near the accident site reported hearing a low-flying airplane with engine noise described as "very loud, like the airplane was at full-throttle," followed by a loud crashing sound. The airplane struck approximately 50-foot-tall trees before impacting in a wooded area between two houses, about 3 miles northwest of MVY.
Pilot Information
The pilot, aged 61, held an airline transport pilot certificate with a multiengine land rating and commercial pilot certificates for single-engine land and instrument airplane. He also held type ratings for Boeing 747, Douglas DC-8, and Lockheed L-382 airplanes. He was hired by Cape Air on May 2, 2005, and based at MVY. At the time of the accident, he had accumulated approximately 16,746 total flight hours, including 2,330 hours in the same make and model. His most recent regulatory checkride was conducted on August 2, 2008.
Company flight records indicated that the pilot had not logged any instrument meteorological flight experience in the 12 months preceding the accident, and 0.2 hours in the 24 months preceding the accident. He had logged 168 instrument approaches in the 12 months before the accident. In the 90 days prior, he had flown about 200 hours and 35 instrument approaches. A Cape Air representative noted that the pilot may have underlogged instrument flight experience due to his age and experience. The pilot's most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued on September 16, 2008.
Aircraft Information
The ten-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane, serial number 402C0432, was manufactured in 1981. It was powered by two Teledyne Continental Motors TSIO-520-VB series 325-horsepower engines, each equipped with a McCauley propeller. The airplane had accumulated about 26,810 hours at the time of the accident and had been operated for about 40 hours since its most recent phase inspection on September 17, 2008. The most recent pitot-static system test was conducted on March 7, 2007.
The left engine was manufactured on May 29, 2006, and had operated about 2,520 hours since new. The right engine was manufactured on September 25, 2006, and had operated about 1,930 hours since new. Pilots who flew the accident airplane on the day of the accident and during the preceding week reported no performance or operational abnormalities.
Meteorological Information
A weather observation at MVY at 1953 reported wind from 110 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 5 statute miles with light rain and mist, overcast ceiling at 400 feet, temperature 19°C, dew point 18°C, and altimeter 30.17 inches of mercury. A rawinsonde sounding from Chatham, Massachusetts, indicated a surface wind from 125 degrees true at 9 knots, veering south with height, and a low-level wind maximum of 135 degrees at 39 knots at 1,300 feet. The sounding indicated a greater than 90% chance of severe turbulence below 2,000 feet. A Cessna 402 that departed from runway 24 about one minute after the accident flight did not report unusual weather and described turbulence below 1,000 feet as "light."
Wreckage and Impact Information
All major portions of the airplane were accounted for. The wreckage was strewn along a 305-foot-long debris path oriented on a heading of about 285 degrees magnetic. Three propeller strike cuts were observed on a rooftop 60 feet from the initial tree strike. An impact crater measuring 9 feet wide by 20 feet long was found just beyond a tree with a 3-foot-long vertical cut containing black paint transfer. A second crater, 6 feet by 20 feet, was located 137 feet from the initial tree strike. The fuselage came to rest vertically, partially wrapped around a tree 160 feet from the initial tree strike. The cabin, cockpit, nose section, and instrument panel were destroyed. The left wing showed its landing gear extended about 30 degrees; the right landing gear was retracted. Flight control cable continuity was confirmed from the main wing spar to the elevator and rudder control bellcranks; aileron continuity could not be confirmed due to impact damage.
The left engine was found inverted about 175 feet beyond the initial tree strike; the left propeller assembly was partially buried in the second crater. The right engine was upright about 530 feet beyond the initial tree strike; the right propeller was near the first crater. Both propellers exhibited "s" bending, chordwise scratches, and leading edge damage. One blade was separated from the left hub; all other blades were loose. Examination of both engines and propellers revealed no catastrophic failures. Both engines' crankshafts rotated normally. The right vacuum pump body was missing but its drive coupling was undamaged; the left vacuum pump was separated but its coupling was undamaged and the vanes and rotor were intact.
Tests and Research
On January 13–14, 2009, both engines and turbochargers were disassembled and examined at Teledyne Continental Motors. No abnormalities precluding normal operation were found. Propeller disassembly at McCauley Propeller Systems revealed no preimpact failures. All blades showed evidence of rotation and operation under power at impact. The exact blade angle could not be determined, but the piston rod damage location indicated both propellers were at approximately the same blade angle at impact.
Gyros from the pilot's attitude indicator, horizontal situation indicator, and the copilot's attitude indicator and directional gyro were examined at the NTSB Materials Laboratory. No evidence of rotational scoring was found on the pilot's gyros; minor circumferential scratches were noted on the copilot's gyros. It was not possible to determine if they were operating at impact.
A performance simulation created using radar data indicated that the airplane's initial climb performance between 2000:58 and 2001:28 corresponded to about one engine at 75% efficiency, but the rate of climb between 2002:08 and 2002:25 was consistent with full power on both engines. Airspeeds remained above the minimum controllable airspeed throughout the simulation.
Additional Information
An autopsy performed on September 28, 2008, listed the cause of death as blunt trauma with multiple traumatic injuries. Toxicological testing detected Quinine in the pilot's blood. The pilot's wife reported he was not taking any medications; he had begun taking a multivitamin about one month prior that did not contain Quinine.
The airplane was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder, nor was it required to be.
Cape Air, based in Hyannis, Massachusetts, began service in 1989. At the time of the accident, it operated 51 Cessna 402 series and 2 ATR-42 series airplanes under Part 135 and Part 121 certificates.