What happened
Shortly after takeoff, a Transair cargo flight experienced a sudden loss of power in the right engine. During the initial climb, the crew heard an audible thud and vibration, followed by a drop in the engine pressure ratio for the right engine. The aircraft initially yawed due to the loss of thrust, but the pilot flying corrected the deviation with rudder inputs.
As the flight progressed, the crew's management of the emergency became complicated by errors in engine identification. While the right engine was the source of the power loss, the first officer incorrectly identified the left engine as the failed unit. The captain did not verify this information. During the flight, the first officer also reduced thrust on both engines to near flight idle, a change the captain was unaware of while communicating with air traffic control.
As the aircraft continued to fly, the crew attempted to manage the situation by following the Engine Failure or Shutdown checklist, but they were unable to complete critical steps, such as confirming and shutting down the affected engine. The crew became preoccupied with high exhaust gas temperature readings on the right engine, leading them to believe a total dual-engine failure was imminent.
As the aircraft lost altitude and airspeed, the pilot flying focused on maintaining control. The aircraft eventually descended to a very low altitude, triggering ground proximity warnings. The flight ended when the aircraft impacted the Pacific Ocean approximately two miles offshore. Both crew members survived the impact, with one injury being classified as slight and the other as serious.
Findings
- The crew misidentified the malfunctioning engine, mistakenly believing the left engine had failed when the right engine was actually the source of the issue.
- The captain failed to verify the first officer's incorrect engine identification, which prevented the proper execution of the shutdown checklist.
- The crew did not complete essential steps of the Engine Failure or Shutdown checklist, including the identification and shutdown of the malfunctioning engine.
- The pilot's attempt to maintain airspeed by advancing the right engine thrust lever was ineffective because the left engine remained at near flight idle.