Accident Details
A Hansa 320 corporate turbojet airplane was destroyed when it impacted a river two miles west of the departure airport. The accident occurred at night, following a departure from runway 26L at 1954 central standard time. Radar track data indicated that the airplane climbed to about 900 feet mean sea level at approximately 180 knots before it began losing altitude and subsequently struck the river.
Flight Information
The flight was a maintenance ferry flight conducted under a Special Flight Permit issued by the FAA. The permit included several limitations. Limitation number 6 stipulated: "IFR in VMC conditions approved, provided all equipment required for IFR flight is operational and certified iaw 14 CFR Part 91.413. If this equipment is NOT certified and operational, then VFR in VMC conditions ONLY." Additional limitations required engine power assurance runs, compass swing, functional check of avionics equipment, and appropriate maintenance entries in the aircraft log prior to departure. The pilot was informed that none of these additional limitations had been performed before takeoff.
Before the accident flight, the pilot had aborted a previous takeoff at about 1830 due to no airspeed indications. At the pilot's request, maintenance personnel disconnected the lines to the pitot tubes and blew out the tubes, but no leak check, as required by FAR 91.411, was performed prior to the accident flight. The pilot then performed a high-speed taxi to test the airspeed indicators before takeoff.
Weather Conditions
At the time of the accident, the current weather was reported as: winds 270 degrees at 13 knots gusting to 19 knots, visibility 7 miles, light rain, scattered ceiling at 1,000 feet, broken ceiling at 1,800 feet, overcast ceiling at 2,400 feet, temperature 2 degrees Celsius, dew point 2 degrees Celsius, altimeter 29.90 inches of mercury.
Maintenance Issues
Inspection of the elevator trim system revealed that the elevator trim cables were improperly installed when they were replaced to comply with Airworthiness Directive (AD) 224-01-11. The maintenance manager who inspected the installation of the elevator trim cables did not perform an operational check of the elevator trim tabs. Despite this, the maintenance manager signed the aircraft log stating, "Aircraft is approved for one time ferry flight from SUS to TOL," even though all stipulations of the ferry permit had not been met and a leak check of the pitot-static system had not been performed after the pitot tubes were blown out. Engine teardown inspections indicated that both engines were developing power at the time of impact.
Pilot Information
The copilot did not have any ground school or flight time in a Hansa 320. The second-in-command requirements stated in FAR 61.55 (f)(1) required that the flight be conducted under day VFR or day IFR. Toxicology reports for the pilot detected 0.106 (ug/ml, ug/g) of Diphenhydramine in the blood. Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine commonly used in over-the-counter cold and allergy preparations. In therapeutic doses, the medication commonly results in drowsiness and has measurable effects on performance of complex cognitive and motor tasks (e.g., flying an aircraft). The pilot's currency in the Hansa 320 expired on November 30, 2004, the day of the accident. He would have been required to have an FAA checkride in a Hansa 320 to be a pilot-in-command (PIC) after that date.
Probable Cause
The maintenance facility failed to properly install and inspect the elevator trim system resulting in the reversed elevator trim condition and the pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the terrain. Contributing factors included the dark night and low ceiling.