Omega Aerial Refueling Services Flight 70
The aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 2004
Accident
DateMay 18, 2011 (2011-05-18)
SummaryEngine separation, runway excursion
SiteNaval Air Station Point Mugu, United States
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 707-321B
OperatorOmega Aerial Refueling Services
RegistrationN707AR
Flight originNaval Air Station Point Mugu, United States
DestinationNaval Air Station Point Mugu, United States
Occupants3
Passengers0
Crew3
Fatalities0
Injuries3 (minor)
Survivors3

Omega Aerial Refueling Services Flight 70 was a flight supposed to provide aerial refueling to US Navy F/A-18 fighter jets. It crashed on take-off following an engine separation.

Aircraft

The aircraft was a modified Boeing 707-321B. It was constructed in 1969 and at the time of the accident it had accumulated 47,856 flight hours with 15,186 flight cycles. The aircraft was previously involved in an incident (under its previous registration N892PA) on February 20, 1969, where it overran the runway at Sydney Airport after suffering a bird strike to the number 2 engine during its takeoff roll.[1] Omega acquired the aircraft on July 29, 1994, before which it was owned by 5 operators. In 1996 it was converted into a tanker.[2]

Crew

The captain (aged 41), had 5,117 flight hours (2,730 hours on the 707). He was hired by Omega in September 2008. At the time of the accident, he had type ratings for the Boeing 707 and 720, Beriev Be-200 and Airbus A320. He was a former Navy pilot and flew on the 707 and E6A. He also flew the Beechcraft King Air in Europe, as well as the Airbus A320 for United Airlines (as a first officer). He reportedly flew some flights with Principal Air 707s.

The co-pilot (aged 45), had 4,052 flight hours (2,900 hours on the 707). He was hired by Omega in October 2008. In the Navy he flew the Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk, Boeing E6 Mercury and Beechcraft C-12 Huron. At Omega he flew the DC-10 and the 707. He had type ratings on the Boeing 707 and 720, Beriev Be-200 and DC-10.

The flight engineer (aged 50), had around 9,000 flight hours (6,500 hours on the 707). He was hired by Omega in November 2002. In the US Air Force he flew the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter. He also flew 707s and 747s. He was qualified on the 707 and DC-10.[2][3]

Accident

The crew, which consisted of the captain, first officer and flight engineer, performed a pre-flight inspection and found nothing out of the ordinary. During taxi, winds were reported from 280° at 24 knots (28 mph; 44 km/h), gusting to 34 knots (39 mph; 63 km/h). The crew calculated the takeoff decision speed to be 141 knots (162 mph; 261 km/h), and the rotation speed to be 147 knots (169 mph; 272 km/h) which the pilots increased by 5 knots (5.8 mph; 9.3 km/h), to compensate for gusts. At 17:23 PDT the flight was cleared for take-off from runway 21 and the crew were instructed to turn left to 160° after departure. The take-off roll was normal and the plane lifted off the runway.

The No. 2 engine laying on runway 21. The runway departure point can also be seen.

Shortly after liftoff, 20 feet (6.1 m) above and 7,000 feet (2,100 m) down the runway, the No. 2 engine separated from the wing and struck No. 1 engine's inlet cowling, causing it to produce drag and reduced thrust. Even with full right aileron and rudder, the plane started to descend and drift to the left. The captain lowered the nose and leveled the wings after which the plane made multiple contacts with the runway. After touchdown, the plane drifted left and departed the runway, crossing a taxiway before coming to rest in a saltwater marsh. A fire erupted and consumed the top of the cabin and the cockpit. All 3 crew members survived.[4][5][6]

The wreckage of flight 70 laying in the marsh

Investigation

Cracking issues

The midspar fitting is of a right-angle configuration in which the vertical tang attaches to the pylon bulkhead and the horizontal upper and lower tangs sandwich the midspar of the pylon. The lug at the center of the fitting is attached to the forward drag support fitting on the underside of the wing. Fractures of the midspar fitting were observed at the upper and lower horizontal tangs at the radius, where the tangs merge with the lug at the fitting's center.[7]

According to Boeing, before the accident, there were 45 reported midspar fitting cracks, including 3 engine separations.

Service bulletins and airworthiness directives

Between 1975 and 1993 a series of Boeing service bulletins and FAA airworthiness directives were published to address the midspar cracks. These included initial inspections on No. 2 and No. 3 engine midspar fittings, followed by repetitive visual inspections. When the fittings were eventually replaced with ones with larger radii in critical areas, the inspections were terminated. Nacelle droop stripes were also to be installed, which were supposed to indicate when a nacelle support structure is broken.

Omega conducted visual inspections from 1996 to 2003, when a records review found that the fittings were replaced by the plane's previous operator in 1983. Because of this they stopped the inspections, however post-crash inspection showed no such replacement took place. Because of this fatigue cracks were allowed to form in the inadequate old fittings.

Probable cause

The NTSB determines that the probable cause of this accident was:

The failure of a midspar fitting, which was susceptible to fatigue cracking and should have been replaced with a newer, more fatigue-resistant version of the fitting as required by an airworthiness directive. Also causal was an erroneus maintenance entry made by a previous aircraft owner, which incorrectly reflected that the newer fitting had been installed.

National Transportation Safety Board

See also

References

  1. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 707-321B N892PA Sydney-Kingsford Smith International Airport, NSW (SYD)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  2. 1 2 "Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Flight 70" (PDF). ntsb.gov. National Transportation Safety Board. 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2022-03-20. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. "National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report" (PDF). reports.aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  4. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 707-321B N707AR Port Hueneme-Point Mugu NAS..." aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  5. "Fire during takeoff of tanker aircraft at Point Mugu Naval Air Station". www.ntsb.gov. National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  6. "Crash of a Boeing 707-321B at Point Mugu Nas". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  7. "Safety in Aviation Metal Fatigue". safetyinndi.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2022-03-23.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Deborah A.P. Hersman. Omega Aerial Refueling Services Flight 70 (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 22 March 2022. (DCA11PA075).

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.