No fatalities

1992-08-10: Cessna 441 Conquest (N920C) — Air Travel Services — Gainesville-Lee Gilmer, United States of America

Gainesville-Lee Gilmer, United States of AmericaTakeoff (climb)

On August 10, 1992, a Cessna 441 Conquest (registration N920C) operated by Air Travel Services was involved in an aviation accident near Gainesville-Lee Gilmer, United States of America during takeoff. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The poor inflight decision by the pilot in command in that after a partial loss of power, he shut down the wrong engine, did not follow the emergency checklist, did not raise the flaps, and did not retract the landing gear. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A).

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 1781210811Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported a bird collision after takeoff, resulting in partial power loss in the right engine. The pilot did not retract landing gear or flaps, and the aircraft failed to maintain altitude.

Incident Summary

The pilot reported that immediately after takeoff, the aircraft collided with a flight of birds. Following the collision, the right engine experienced a partial loss of power. The pilot stated that he did not attempt to raise the landing gear or flaps after the loss of engine power, and the aircraft was unable to maintain altitude.

Pilot Actions

According to the pilot's account, he did not raise the landing gear or retract the flaps following the engine power loss. The official findings indicated that the pilot shut down the wrong engine and did not follow the emergency checklist.

Engine Examination

Examination of the aircraft engines revealed rotational scratching on the turbine housing of the right engine, while the left engine's turbine housing showed no such scratching.

Probable Cause

The official probable cause was the poor inflight decision by the pilot in command in that after a partial loss of power, he shut down the wrong engine, did not follow the emergency checklist, did not raise the flaps, and did not retract the landing gear. A factor in the accident was the inflight collision with birds during the takeoff climb.