Running Head: ERAU-330RL “Zonk Air Accident” 1

ERAU-330RL “Zonk Air Accident”

FirstName LastName

Institutional Affiliations
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Abstract

The Zonk Air Charters Piper PA-31-310 with tail number N517RL smashed and

brought about a lethal accident leaving no survivors to recount the alarming

story. This accident report is centered around finding any confirmation that may

have clarified why and how did the accident happen. The examination was

conducted by breaking down the proofs and defining the root cause.

This accident report incorporated the examination steps and results the

NTSB group had led. This accident report is done by producing a decision and a

rundown of proposals with a specific end goal to prevent accidents like such

from happening.

Section 1.0 Brief History of Flight

On 7th November, 2010, a touring flight from the Zonk Air Charters left

from Tahoe Airport at sunset time. The climatic report about that day expressed

that clouds were lowering and visual sight was deteriorating. The flight was

carried out under the Visual Flight Rules (VFR), in spite of the approaching

awful climate that obliges pilots to fly under the Instruments Flight Rules (IFR).

Section 1.1 Airport Information and Weather

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The Tahoe Airport (KTVL) is situated in South Lake Tahoe in California

State. The Lake Tahoe Airport is situated at the rise of 6269 ft. (AirNav, 2015).

The air terminal comprises of two runway, Runway 18 and Runway 36.

Runway 18 that was used by the tragic plane was 8541 x 100 ft. in dimension. It

was made of Asphalt and was in fantastic condition. The air terminal was

equipped with instrument approach making use of Localizer-sort Directional

Aid (LDA)/and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) (AirNav, 2015)

Section 1.2 Aircraft Information and Mission

The Airplane on use was 1980 Piper PA-31-310 twin engine. It was

furnished with Lycoming IO-540 on either side of the wings. It had a tail

number N517RL. The plane had over 15,000 hours on the airframe with both

engines having been serviced beforehand, just before the next Time Overhaul

(TBO) which was to take place within 10 hours. The entire plane itself is just 2

hours from the 100-hour investigation. There was one AD that should have been

consented before the 100-hour inspection to examine and get rid of or supplant

the fuel line support brackets.

Section 1.3 Pilot Information

The pilot that was flying was a recently employed pilot with scarcely one

year working background with the Zonk Air Charters. The pilot was evaluated

with a business multi-engine instrument rating. The pilot was significantly new

as he had just 300 hours altogether with 50 hours in twins and 15 hours just with
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the Piper PA-31 sort of plane. It is worth noting that despite that despite the

pilot being accepted to work with the Zonk Air Charters, the pilot logbook was

never found.

Section 1.4 Accident Report

The 1980 Piper PA-31-310 was later on reported to have been crushed 5

miles south of the air terminal by the forest ranger only 10-15 minutes after the

take off. The tragic accident ended the life of the 1 pilot and 4 travellers that had

boarded it. A witness said that he saw the plane hit the tip of a 100-foot

communication tower, crashing to the ground after other several impacts. The

plane itself was lessened into pieces as it thrashed the ground hard and then

burning from the post fire accident.

The tragic plane first hit a 100-foot correspondence tower, then had its

left wing hit the ground only 400 feet from the tower. The plane then hit its left-

wing tip unto the ground in the accompanying 100 feet from the past impact,

stopping 50 feet after that. This numerous hard effect came about with

destruction; bent, partially burning, and crushing.

Section 1.5 Survivability Chance

The accident was then considered as a fatal with no survival chance as the

rubble was found. The pilot's and the passengers' bodies were analysed and
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came in with a report that they died because of immense blunt trauma which

might have caused by hard impact the plane experienced when falling.

Section 1.6 Wreckage Investigations

The investigation on the destruction was carried out immediately. The

NTSB group recorded the accident scene with standard methods, for example,

pictures and record the climate condition amid and before the accident. The

destruction of the plane was researched thoroughly to discover any imperfection

preceding the effect.

The NTSB group decided the soot trails and the pressure heading

presumed that the plane was flying at a particular angle indicating descending

after the contact with the 100-foot correspondence tower.

The NTSB crew additionally found that the left engine's propeller was

twisted toward the back of the plane and was situated in feathered position

before the crash. The left engine's condition was not in its best condition, as the

crew found that the left engine's fuel framework supporting sections were

creating splits along the boltholes that connected it to the firewall. Taking after

the past discoveries on the left engine, the NTSB group moved both motor from

the accident site into the lab and examined it all the more altogether. All

through the lab review, the group discovered that while the correct motor was

building up some power at the season of the effect, the left motor demonstrated
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no confirmation of critical power by means of marks from rigging, cooled metal

fumes ducting, and investigation to the props (Dillion, 2010).

The instruments and the throttle quadrant were likewise reviewed

although it was resolved too difficult to investigate the instruments as they all

were crushed. Nonetheless, while the throttle quadrant was additionally

extremely harmed, it demonstrated that all props, levers, blend, throttle and

feathering levers were pushed forward toward the cockpit of the plane.

Section 1.7 Interview Investigations

The accident examination group required more confirmation to conclude

the main cause of the accident. There were 3 airplane terminal representatives,

4 onlookers encompassing the air terminals and 6 different workers from the

Zonk Air Charters were interviewed to gather as more evidence as possible.

Before the flight, the "Tahoe FBO Service" fuel tech finished off the fuel

tank inside the plane. He recalled that the pilot approached him for "additional

gas" so he could carry the customers to Burbank if at any time required. The

fuel tech likewise helped the pilot to stack the trunks with each as substantial as

100 pounds without recollecting perpetually securing the pilot. In the course of

their conversation, he noted the pilot was anxious about the changing weather.

The Air Traffic Controller (ATC) on that day expressed that the pilot took

off utilizing about ¾ of aggregate length of the runway. The plane then all of a
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sudden entered a high edge of pitch lastly vanished into the fog. In the

meantime, as indicated by the observers encompassing the airplane terminal, the

right engine burst into flames and smoking preceding the crash.

The investigators at long last met the Zonk Air Charters staffs. The

meetings came about with the finding that the pilot on that flight was one of the

new guys with scarcely a year of work involvement with the organization. The

pilot himself looked exhausted every day. As indicated by various

representatives, they frequently located the new pilot resting in the crew lounge

before the flights and discovered that the new broke up with his girlfriend. He

therefore never wanted to go home. Sad enough, it was discovered that the it

was a last minute and quite urgent flight which would possibly make good

money for the company.

Section 1.8 Company Investigations

The deficiencies in the flight operation drove the investigation team’s

interest to really research the Zonk Air Charters. The group began by examining

the data with respect to the flight operation on that particular plane. The team

were stunned when they found that the plane was flying overweight by 100

pounds with the focal point of gravity behind and outside the datum. The team

concurred this could have been the reason for the plane all of a sudden went into

a high edge pitch subsequent to taking off.

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Zonk Air Charters is situated in Oxnard, CA. Zonk Air Charters' planes

comprises of one 1980 Piper PA-31 and two 1979 Cessna 310s. The

organization is centered around giving attractive flights. The staffs comprised of

secretarial staff, six-part time pilots, and the proprietor himself.

The organization had numerous printed material issues inside its

operation. There was no printed material sealing that the pilot had gone to any

formal flight training from a recognized and confirmed flight safety preparing

organization (Dillion, 2010). There were no records of when was the last time

the pilots had their 135 check rides or line checks. The group directed an audit

on the planes' logbooks and discovered a significant number of the sections are

inadequate or lacking authority marks.

Shockingly, the Zonk Air Charter itself had been available to be

purchased for then 2 years and had records of having hard time paying fuel

charges and doing upkeep inspections (Dillion, 2010). The most exceedingly

bad finding is that, "The organization was in the process of filling for chapter

11, bankruptcy protection" (Dillion, 2010).

Section 1.9 Conclusions

Findings

1. The pilot flying had just 300 hours add up to time with just 15 of

those with Piper PA-31 sort.

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2. The pilot flying was mentally and physically exhausted.

3. The pilot was in rush.

4. The pilot flying had no demonstrated past understanding for flying

close-by mountains.

5. The flight operation should be led with Visual Flight Rules (VFR),

in any case, the climate circumstance calls for utilizing the

Instruments Flight Rules (IFR).

6. There were no flight arrangements, nor climate report given to the

pilot earlier the flight.

7. 15 hours preceding the accident, the right engine was serviced to

curb the ‘seep’ of fuel.

8. The plane's engines were just 10 hours from the Time before

Overhaul (TBO).

9. With excess pounds of 100 pounds, the plane still took off. The

center of gravity too was below the datum.

10.The plane went into a sudden high angle pitch directly after it took

off and vanished into the fog toward the end of the runway.

11.The plane's right engine burst into flames while the left one was

not producing power appropriately.

12.The pilot and four different passengers possibly died due to harsh

blunt trauma as the plane hit the ground.

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13.The destruction of the plane was warped, burning partially and

crushing severely.

Probable Cause

The plane's baggage compartments were not safely secured and may have

brought on an extraordinary change to where the center of gravity is found,

bringing about the plane entering a sudden high edge pitch as it took off.

The pilot had no understanding on traveling to the Lake Tahoe

beforehand nor any experience on flying inside mountain regions, this

circumstance was bothered with the cloudy weather on that day. The pilots were

not able recuperate from the high-edge pitch flight way, leaving the plane

slowing down and wild.

The plane hit the 100-foot correspondence tower, had a few ground

effects harming its wings, losing more lifts from the wings, before it at last

rested on the ground, near the underlying hit area.

Contributing Factors

The following factors could have led to the occurrence of the accident;
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i. The right engine had been worked 15 hours prior to

the flight,

ii. The cracked supporting brackets in the left engine fuel

might have caused the loss of power.

iii. The pilot was probably mentally and physical

fatigued.

iv. The weather conditions greatly reduced the visibility

of the pilot.

Section 2.0 Recommendations

Any company certified for Part 135 and Part 91 should regularly

document the paperwork to FAA for its staffs.

All the pilots should maintain proper reports and records on part 135

check rides.

Any plane with weight above the gross weight of the plane should not be

allowed to take off.

The airplane manufacturing companies to come up with the combustion

resisting fuel tanks to prevent the after-fire accidents.

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References

AirNav: KTVL . (2015, April 30). Retrieved from Lake Tahoe

Airport: http://www.airnav.com/airport/ktvl

Dalton, J. (2010, November 7). Zonk Air Accident. Retrieved May

9, 2015, from https://erau.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-16231009-dt-

content-rid-

98661178_4/institution/Worldwide_Online/SFTY_UG_Courses/SFTY_3

30/Project_docs/Zonk_Air_Accident_Scenario.pdf