Convair C-131E accident near Saint Johns, AZ
On February 5, 1996, a Convair C-131E (airplane) was involved in an accident near Saint Johns, AZ. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 5, 1996
- Place
- Saint Johns, AZ
- Aircraft
- Convair C-131E · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.559°N, 109.331°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X05271
Official records · LAX96FA106
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On February 5, 1996, at 0950 hours mountain standard time, a Convair C-131E, N131T, collided with wires at the departure end of runway 14 and crashed in a residential area of Saint Johns, Arizona. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postimpact fire. Both pilots and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated by Business Air Connection of the Netherlands Antilles as a ferry flight under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated in Saint Johns, and was destined for Brownsville, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a VFR flight plan was filed. According to witnesses, the pilot executed a rolling takeoff from the 5,323-foot-long runway. The airplane used the full length of the runway, and did not climb high enough to clear obstacles located below the obstacle free clear zone at the departure end of runway 14. The terrain off the end of the runway slopes down. Witnesses reported the airplane's altitude along the flight path appeared to contour the terrain. The airplane first struck the top of the airport perimeter fence and a barrier wall for three 10,000 gallon diesel fuel storage tanks. The airplane continued to fly at a low altitude and struck a tree with the right propeller. The airplane then struck residential power transmission wires with the left propeller. The wires became entangled in the airplane's landing gear and were pulled off their poles and dragged through a residential neighborhood to the accident scene. The airplane eventually struck the ground with the left wing tip and cartwheeled into a horse pasture da
Probable cause
inadequate preflight planning and preparation by the first pilot (PIC), his failure to ensure the aircraft was properly loaded within limitations, his failure to use proper flaps for takeoff, his failure to use ADI assisted takeoff, and his resultant failure to attain sufficient airspeed to climb after takeoff. Factors relating to the accident were: the high density altitude, and the PIC's lack of
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Browse: Arizona
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
