According to The FAA National Airspace System status webpage, 11 airports remained closed to commercial traffic Thursday, with most requiring prior permission (PPR) for emergency and relief aircraft.

Airport maintenance crews throughout the Sunshine State inspected facilities for damage, as did the FAA.

• READ MORE: Here’s How the FAA Prepares Year-Round for Hurricanes 

Tampa International Airport (KTPA) remained closed midday Thursday, but said it would soon announce its plans to resume flights? “The TPA team is hard at work assessing and cleaning up the damage left in Hurricane Milton’s wake. We remain closed at this time and are working toward sharing reopening plans later today,” it said.

CLEANUP UNDERWAY: The TPA team is hard at work assessing and cleaning up the damage left in Hurricane Milton’s wake. We remain closed at this time and are working toward sharing reopening plans later today. Stay tuned to our social media for the latest updates. pic.twitter.com/A8KSk25NyS

— Tampa International Airport (@FlyTPA) October 10, 2024

Daytona Beach International Airport, which closed to commercial flights Wednesday morning, said its reopening on Friday would be determined after post-storm inspections. 

At least one Florida airport reported damage. Melbourne Orlando International Airport (KMLB) lost a 30-by-40-foot section of roof and part of a skylight in its center terminal, USA Today reported. The airport was closed at the time and no injuries were reported.

• READ MORE: ‘Hurricane Hunters’ Fly Into the Eye of Hurricane Milton

According to the National Hurricane Center, the remnants of Milton continued to pose a risk as the storm moved offshore. “A storm surge warning remains in effect for portions of the east coast of Florida and southern coast of Georgia,” as the risk of “considerable urban flooding” lingered across the east central portion of the state, it said at 11 a.m. EST. 

The post Florida Airports Assess Hurricane Milton Damage appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Wednesday afternoon, the Category 4 hurricane had wind speeds of about 145 mph and was predicted to create a storm surge of more than 10 feet along west-central coast of Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The NAFI Summit was scheduled for October 15-17 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus. The event is touted as an opportunity for flight instructors of all levels to increase their skills through mentorship, presentations, and peer support. 

“Our top priority is to keep everyone safe,” NAFI said in a statement to FLYING. “The aftermath of this storm will likely cause transportation issues for attendees and exhibitors. Also, we want to free up resources like hotels and rental cars for Florida residents impacted by this hurricane. We have therefore decided to postpone NAFI Summit.”

NAFI officials said they are in touch with the staff at Embry-Riddle in regard to alternative dates.

The post Hurricane Milton Prompts NAFI to Postpone Summit appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Major airports throughout the state have halted operations completely, including Tampa International Airport (KTPA), which shut down on Tuesday morning. Orlando International Airport (KMCO) remains open but has paused all commercial operations.

Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (KSRQ) also closed on Tuesday afternoon.

‘Batten Down the Hatches’

Tampa is among the cities set to be hit the hardest by Milton. The city’s main airport—Florida’s fourth busiest—shut down early to prepare facilities for the storm. John Tiliacos, the airport’s executive vice president of airport operations, said this process takes up to 24 hours.

“Our team has been planning and executing all of the preparation that we need to take for Hurricane Milton’s arrival,” Tiliacos said during a press conference.

In a Facebook post, the airport said its team has been working around the clock to “batten down the hatches.” The airport has 58 jet bridges, each of which needs to be chained down, which can take around an hour each to complete.

Aircraft and other airfield equipment also need to be secured in advance of the storm.

“Tampa International Airport is extremely close to Tampa Bay and storm surge and flooding are a top concern for us.…If you consider that we may potentially face 10 to 15 feet of storm surge, we are talking about a lot of water that will find its way onto the airport,” Tiliacos said.

The airport said it will reopen after a damage assessment is conducted.

Roughly 85 miles away, Orlando International Airport says it is also preparing for the storm, securing jet bridges and sand-bagging doors.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

The post How Airports Are Preparing for Hurricane Milton appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

• READ MORE: Here’s How the FAA Prepares Year-Round for Hurricanes

Video from on board the four-engine turboprop has been trending on the internet.

Bumpy ride into Hurricane #Milton on @NOAA WP-3D Orion #NOAA43 "Miss Piggy" to collect data to help improve the forecast and support hurricane research.

Visit https://t.co/3phpgKNx0q for the latest forecasts and advisories
Visit https://t.co/UoRa967zK0 for information that you… pic.twitter.com/ezmXu2Zqta

— NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (@NOAA_HurrHunter) October 8, 2024

Members of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps struggled with severe turbulence aboard the Orion as scientists gathered data on wind speed, temperature, record-low pressure, and humidity.

• READ MORE: ‘Hurricane Hunters’ Fly Into the Eye of Hurricane Milton

As of Tuesday afternoon, the hurricane was downgraded to Category 4 status from Category 5.

Still, the 155 mph winds represent a significant threat to the west-central coastal area of Florida with storm surges of 10 feet or more expected upon landfall, which is expected Wednesday.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post Hurricane-Hunting P-3 Experiences Severe Turbulence appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Tuesday morning, the storm was categorized as a Category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds around 150 mph and hurricane-force winds extending up to 30 miles from its center.

“A large area of destructive storm surge, with highest inundations of 10 feet or greater, is expected along a portion of the west-central coast of the Florida Peninsula,” the National Weather Service said Tuesday, calling it “an extremely life-threatening situation.”

Here are the Tuesday 10 am CDT #Hurricane #Milton Key Messages – The latest full advisory is at https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ pic.twitter.com/rNlYvXT3XV

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 8, 2024

Tampa International Airport (KTPA) suspended all commercial and cargo operations as of 9 a.m. EST Tuesday. 

“The airport will remain closed to the public until it can assess any damage after the storm,” the airport said in a statement.

The airport’s parking garages were also closed, and officials said it could not be used as a shelter because it is located in the “A” mandatory zone and “will not be staffed to assist others with supplies or assistance, nor will emergency services be able to respond to calls or transport individuals to or from the airport.”

• READ MORE: NASA Postpones Europa Clipper Launch as Hurricane Milton Takes Aim at Cape Canaveral

Airport staff have been scrambling to prepare the airfield to minimize the damage from the storm. The airport is managed by the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, which is also closing Peter O. Knight (KTPF), Tampa Executive (KVDF), and Plant City (KPCM).

St. Pete-Clearwater International (KPIE) in Pinellas County is also located in a mandatory evacuation zone. The airport said it would close after the last flight departed Tuesday and would remain shuttered Wednesday and Thursday because of the storm.

Hurricane Milton Update – The airport terminal will close after the last flight on Tuesday and remain closed Wednesday and Thursday. The airport is in a mandatory evacuation zone and is not a public shelter. Prepare and stay safe.

— St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (@iflypie) October 7, 2024

Orlando International Airport (KMCO) said it will stop operations Wednesday at 8 a.m. EST, although, according to a press release from the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA), the airport will remain open to emergency/aid and relief flights. The airport is not a shelter, and officials said commercial flights will resume when it is deemed safe to do so pending damage assessment and weather.

Operational Update/4 – Hurricane Milton
On Wednesday, at 8 a.m., commercial operations will cease at our airport. We'll continue to monitor the hurricane's path and we'll post updates as they become available. Please continue to work with your airline in regards to your flight. pic.twitter.com/lM8qaL8s7v

— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) October 7, 2024

At Miami International Airport (KMIA), the largest and busiest airport in the Sunshine State, officials said they were “closely monitoring” the storm and encouraged travelers to check with the airlines to confirm flight status before venturing to the airport.

Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (KSRQ) said it would close at 4 p.m. Tuesday EST, however, many flights had already been canceled.  

The FAA’s full list of  current airport closures may be found here.

SRQ is open until 4pm today and many flights have already been canceled.

We urge you to check with your airline directly to confirm if your flight is operating.

The airport will be closed tomorrow, October 9th and Thursday, October 10th.

#FlySRQ pic.twitter.com/B2x1NDFegK

— SRQ Airport (@SRQAirport) October 8, 2024

Milton is also impacting recreational flying. In Lakeland, Florida, the Flightoberfest festivities scheduled for Saturday on the Sun ’n Fun campus have been postponed, per a statement on the website.

“Our primary concern is the safety of our staff and guests,” event organizers said. The event has been rescheduled for November 16. 

The post Hurricane Milton Triggers Florida Airport Closures appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Answer: Whether in the form of a METAR or by the ground-to-air radio broadcasts, every pilot uses surface observations to make many routine operational decisions during any particular flight. As we listen to the broadcast prior to taxi, it provides us with an altimeter setting and will likely determine the runway we use for departure.

When approaching an airport under instrument flight rules (IFR), it will help us determine if we’ll be flying a visual approach or need to execute a standard instrument approach procedure. And when Mother Nature is at her worst, it will let us know when we should skip the airport altogether and fly to our alternate destination.

Surface observations are one of those data points that we often take for granted. The truth is that they play a monumental role in many of our most routine decisions. They are not just used by pilots, however, as they also provide air traffic controllers, dispatchers, and weather forecasters with a reasonable depiction of the weather conditions at an airport.

Even with something as ubiquitous as a surface observation, there are some nuances you should understand.

Pilots at all experience levels should be familiar with the two primary automated observing systems deployed at many airports throughout the United States. This includes the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) and the Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS). Both of these automated systems consist of a collection of electronic sensors that measure the environment and then process the data to create an observation once every minute.

Sampling the Atmosphere

While many high-impact airports throughout the U.S. still rely on a trained weather observer to construct the routine or special observation (SPECI), automated systems supply them with uniform and objective data for the observation.

However, automated systems measure only the weather that passes directly through the sensor array so it is not able to report what’s happening outside the airport’s runway complex or what is referred to as the airport’s vicinity. Weather observers can certainly augment the observation to add these details.

At airports without a trained observer, pilots must completely rely on the “raw” automated observation. This, however, isn’t as raw as you might think. In order to provide a representative observation, the automated hardware must continuously collect the sensor’s real-time data over a period of time. The automated system applies an algorithm to the collected data to extrapolate the weather to cover a wider area referred to as the terminal area.

When the weather is sampled over a specified period, it will tend to “smooth out” the conditions but also will account for the normal meteorological variations that we see in the weather. Each of the various weather elements shown in the table below identifies the required sample times for its algorithms and provides a summary of where the data are considered valid.

For example, 30 minutes of data provides a fairly reasonable description of sky conditions. This means that the system will detect and process all the clouds (if any) passing over the sensor in the past 30 minutes.

To account for the latest sky conditions, the result is biased by double weighting (counting twice) the last 10 minutes of data. Using the last 30 minutes of data in this way will allow the system to determine the cloud base height and sky coverage included in the surface observation and becomes a reasonable estimate of the sky conditions over a three to 5 sm radius around the location of the sensor (usually sited on the field). 

Beware of Rapidly Changing Weather

Even though an ASOS creates a completely new observation every minute, automated systems must have adequate sensor samples to develop an accurate observation. Therefore, in rapidly changing conditions, pilots should expect that most of the weather elements from the automated observations to trend slightly behind the actual weather.

For example, if skies are clear and a sudden broken sky appears on the sensors, ASOS will take only two minutes to report a scattered deck of clouds even though a trained observer may report a broken sky cover. It will take nearly 10 minutes before the observation system will catch up and indicate a broken cloud layer. 

This may or may not trigger a SPECI (special observation) for an ASOS (most AWOSs cannot report a special observation). It depends on the height of the broken layer. In other words, a sudden broken ceiling at 600 feet has a significant operational impact and will generate a SPECI since the flight category changed from VFR to IFR. But it will take nearly 10 minutes before the SPECI is issued given the discussion above.  

Each minute an ASOS processes the most recent 10 minutes of visibility sensor data to obtain a representative value. Therefore, when visibility drops suddenly (in one minute) from 7 sm to 1 sm, the ASOS needs about four minutes before the 10-minute mean values reach the 3 statute mile criteria. This criterion forces SPECI to alert pilots to a significant change in visibility in this instance. A total of nine minutes will pass before the ASOS will report the 1 sm visibility.

On the other hand, when the visibility rapidly improves from 1 mile to 7 miles, the ASOS generates a SPECI four minutes after reaching the 1.5 sm threshold. In about 11 minutes, the ASOS will report 7 sm. The system is intentionally designed to raise surface visibility more slowly than to lower it.  This design provides a margin of safety and buffers rapid changes when the visibility is widely fluctuating over a short period.

Hourly and special observations are the only ones created by human observers. In contrast, ASOS relentlessly measures the weather and could inundate pilots with more frequent special observations than a human observer when the weather is changing rapidly.

Thus, the system is purposely throttled to only provide SPECIs at no more than a five-minute interval to limit the number of observations that can be transmitted during the hour. An even slower response is seen at controlled airports where only the hourly and special observations must be prepared and broadcast on the Airport Terminal Information System (ATIS). At uncontrolled airports pilots can also receive the one-minute weather by calling the voice phone link or by the ground-to-air radio broadcasts. 

The FAA has created a Google map presentation online showing the locations of all automated weather systems across the country, which may be found here. This includes the frequency and phone numbers for each ASOS and AWOS currently in operation.  

Lockout Period

If you pay attention to the issuance time on METARs, you will notice that many are issued a few minutes before the top of each hour. This allows the observation to be transmitted and ingested into other computer systems such as numerical weather prediction models.

Some models get executed at the top of the hour or shortly thereafter. Starting at 47:20 past the hour, the ASOS begins to make its routine observation. By 53:20, the hourly observation has been prepared and edited and should be ready for transmission.

This period of time between 47:20 and 53:20 minutes after the hour is known as the lockout period. During this time, the ASOS is prevented from issuing any other reports, including SPECIs. The ASOS still continuously monitors and records the weather during the lockout period.

However, it just can’t issue a formal surface observation. This does not affect the one-minute weather you receive by calling the voice phone link or by the ground-to-air radio broadcasts, but it will affect any formal observations that are transmitted that you may see on your datalink weather broadcast.  

Can I Trust Automated Observations?

All observations, whether automated or taken by human observers, should be used with care.

Pilots must be aware of how long ago the observation was taken, under what conditions, and whether or not they are special observations. Even though automated systems are totally objective and maintain a certain uniformity among all sites, it does not mean they match what a pilot sees out the windscreen.

ASOS may occasionally report cloud decks lower than what is actually encountered. Sometimes precipitation, lower cloud fragments, or fog triggers these lower values. Pilots have said that these “lower” reported values often indicated the height below which they had to fly before gaining enough forward visibility to see an airport and land.

The key lesson here is to evaluate all reports closely before dismissing them as inaccurate.

Even though the visibility sensor is designed to objectively represent the visibility of the atmosphere over a wide range of weather conditions, day or night, it occasionally reports a visibility more optimistic than what a human perceives.

During the day, the human eye can be overwhelmed by bright light reflected in clouds, light precipitation, fog, or haze. Many pilots will resort to wearing sunglasses to obtain some relief from the glare.

The ASOS visibility sensor is not as sensitive to this condition and sometimes reports a visibility approximately twice as high as what an individual may determine. Be alert for these bright conditions and expect a more optimistic value from the automated system.

What Will Automation Not Provide?

We can easily become complacent when it comes to automation. We learn to trust automation and sometimes don’t acknowledge that it has real limitations.

 Therefore, to finish this discussion, it is just as important to know what automation will not provide.

Automation systems can only report the weather that passes through the sensor array. They do not provide a horizon-to-horizon evaluation of the weather. This means that weather in the vicinity of the airport will not be measured. A rain shower that passes just to north of the airport, for instance, may reduce visibility in that immediate area but will not be reported by the automated system.

Next, the ASOS only reports clouds that are below 12,000 feet. This means that an overcast cloud deck at 14,000 feet will be reported as clear. Effectively, a clear sky report from an automated station means clear below 12,000 feet.

For airports with a human observer, this report can be augmented to include clouds above 12,000 feet. Some of the new AWOSs being installed can automatically report clouds above 12,000 feet up to and including 30,000 feet.  

Automated systems can only report one precipitation type at a time. For instance, if freezing rain and snow are detected, snow is reported. Certainly, weather observers can edit the observation before transmission to include additional precipitation types. 

Lastly, the ASOS is not designed to report virga, tornadoes, funnel clouds, ice crystals, snow pellets, ice pellets, drizzle, freezing drizzle, and blowing obstructions such as dust or sand. All of these elements can be provided at locations that employ a trained observer. Often with drizzle, freezing drizzle, ice pellets, or a mixture, you will see the automated system report an unknown precipitation type (UP). 

Nevertheless, automated reporting is in its infancy, so it’s likely new sensors will be added to measure some of these other weather elements in the future.

The post Are Surface Observations Based on Instantaneous Measurements? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

SA-097 emphasized that “as little as 1/4-inch of wing-leading edge ice accumulation can increase the stall speed by 25 to 40 knots and cause sudden departure from controlled flight.”

The alert also warned that ice buildup on pitot tubes can lead to instrument failure, impacting readings for airspeed, altitude, and vertical speed.

The NTSB acknowledged that some pilots have been taught to wait for a certain amount of ice to accumulate on the leading edges before using deice boots due to concerns about ice bridging. However, the FAA’s recent tests show that modern deicing boots, from aircraft manufactured after 1960, are not prone to ice bridging.

The agency warned that performance issues may arise if deice boots are not engaged promptly when icing begins and advises pilots to refer to their operating handbooks for specific procedures on boot activation and use.

The alert also cited several accidents where failure to follow operating handbook instructions led to in-flight loss of control, underscoring the critical importance of adhering to recommended deicing practices.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post NTSB Issues Deicing Safety Alert appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Answer: There are many observed cases of lightning strikes to aircraft inside or near clouds that had not previously produced natural lightning. Studies show that about 90 percent of the lightning strikes to aircraft are thought to be initiated by the presence of the aircraft itself. The scary statistic, however, is that 40 percent of all discharges involving airborne aircraft occurred in areas where no thunderstorms were reported.

Apollo 12

One of the more famous cases of aircraft-initiated lightning is the Apollo 12 launch at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, in November 1969. The Saturn V rocket was struck not once but twice on its way into orbit.

According to the 1970 NASA findings, other than these two strikes, there was no other lightning activity reported six hours before or six hours after the launch. At the time of the launch, a cold front was moving south into the launch area. Broken towering cumulus topping out at 23,000 feet with light to moderate rain showers were reported.

Rarely Fatal

Damage to airborne aircraft struck by lightning includes minor pitting or scarring to the aircraft’s skin to complete destruction of the aircraft.

Besides direct damage at the point of entry and/or exit, indirect effects that include the loss of VHF communication, loss of navigation equipment, and loss of instrument panel gauges are also possible.

In 1963, a Pan American Airlines Boeing 707 over Elkton, Maryland, was struck by lightning while in a holding pattern at 5,000 feet. The outermost fuel tank in the left wing exploded causing two other fuel tanks to follow suit. There were no survivors.  

• READ MORE: Does the FAA Punish Pilots for Logbook Mistakes?

It’s certainly true that a catastrophic accident such as this is extremely rare, but lightning strikes to aircraft are more common than you might imagine—most of which are aircraft-initiated strikes.

Based on compiled data it is estimated that in the U.S. a commercial airliner is struck once for every 3,000 hours flown. That’s an equivalent of about one strike each year. 

Melting Level

While aircraft-initiated lightning is still being actively studied, there are a few important characteristics to consider.

Based on the current research, it doesn’t take flying in or near a mature thunderstorm to become the victim of a lightning strike. The mere presence of the aircraft in an environment conducive to an electrical discharge is all that is necessary.

Most of the aircraft-initiated lightning strikes occur when the aircraft is flying at or near the melting level (0 degrees Celsius). The preferred temperatures include a range from plus-3 C to minus-5 C, with the highest number of incidents occurring right at the melting level.  

A few of the strikes down low are the result of an aircraft intercepting a lightning strike in progress. Essentially, this is the case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

On the other hand, aircraft-initiated strikes are observed the most are between 3 km and 5 km or 10,000 to 16,000 feet during the warm season. Once again, temperature is a key factor. The melting level that typically occurs is in this same range of altitudes throughout the summer months.  

Low-Topped Convection

In general, natural lightning in deep, moist convection doesn’t form until the tops of the storm build well above the melting level.

For lightning to form, three ingredients must be simultaneously present. These include vapor-born ice crystals, graupel, and supercooled liquid water. If any one of these three is missing in sufficient quantities, natural lightning doesn’t generally occur, but this not to say the cloud is void of all electrical activity—some still remains.    

Therefore, an aircraft-initiated lightning strike typically occurs within local air mass instability within low-topped convection.

Often low-topped convection doesn’t produce natural lightning. The updrafts are rather weak in comparison to those that do produce lightning. Consequently, the updrafts do not carry enough supercooled liquid water into the upper part of the cloud where it is needed. 

• READ MORE: What Are Echo Tops?

Clouds and Precipitation

An overwhelming number of lightning strikes occur within the cloud itself. Only a very small percentage of strikes occur outside of the cloud boundary or below the cloud.

Here’s the key: A very large percentage of the strikes occur within precipitation to include rain, snow, snow grains, ice pellets, and hail. It is not uncommon to find a mixture of these near the melting level. 

Keep Your Distance?

The FAA encourages all pilots to keep a safe distance from an active thunderstorm for obvious reasons.

Unfortunately, this practice alone isn’t quite enough. Even when thunderstorms (natural lightning) are not occurring or expected to occur, an aircraft-initiated lightning strike can still be a risk.

In order to avoid an encounter with lightning, the best advice is to remain in cloud-free air whenever possible, especially when the atmosphere is conditionally unstable and capable of producing marginally deep, moist convection extending well above the melting level.

While it may be difficult, the best advice is to operate outside of areas of precipitation and minimize your time in clouds and precipitation near the melting level.

The post How Can an Aircraft Get Struck by Lightning Without a Close Thunderstorm? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to base officials, the storm produced wind gusts in excess of 50 mph. It came through early in the morning before the crowds had arrived, bringing with it lightning and rain.

The airshow held the day before had attracted more than 65,000 visitors, according to an U.S. Air Force spokesperson.

Of those injured, six were military medical personnel and four were civilian vendors. All were outside on the flight line when the damaging winds occurred. 

“Due to the timing of the inclement weather, spectators had not entered the event area,” the spokesperson said.

Additionally, some vendors reported damage to booths and the wind relocated many portable toilets. One building on base was struck by lightning, but there was no reported damage to the structure.

Because of damages to services, Sunday’s airshow was canceled.

Video of the show area during the storm showed flattened tents and chairs, and aircraft blowing across a water-logged ramp. There were no reports of significant damage to the larger aircraft on display. 

Airmen made several foreign object debris (FOD) walks looking for trash and parts of aircraft deposited on the ramp by the storm.

“Safety is always our first priority at McConnell, especially when it comes to hosting the community for an airshow,” the spokesman told FLYING.

The post Injuries Reported After Severe Storm Strikes Before Airshow appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The antique aircraft’s owners—Dave and Jeanne Allen—were killed in the June 30 accident.

According to the preliminary report released by the agency (below), thick fog was reported by residents in the area at the time of the accident.

The Allens, from Elbert, Colorado, were both accomplished pilots. Dave was a retired airline pilot, and Jeanne flew gliders. The accident airplane, the teal cabin-class model, had been restored by the Allens and was one of the most photographed vintage airplanes at airshows and fly-ins.

• READ MORE: Award-Winning WACO YKC Restorers Killed in Kansas Crash 

What Happened

According to the NTSB preliminary report, on June 30 the Allens were planning to fly from Knox County Airport (4I3) in Mount Vernon, Ohio, to Oberlin Municipal Airport (KOIN) in  Kansas. According to SkyVector, the straight-line distance is approximately 829 nm. 

The Allens made two fuel stops en route—one at the Shelby County Airport (2H0) in Shelbyville, Illinois, around 8:40 a.m. CDT, and another at the Chillicothe Municipal Airport (KCHT) in Missouri, about 11:35 a.m.

The aircraft was not equipped for IFR flight as it was not required to be when it rolled off the assembly line in 1934. The panel of the WACO was period correct with the required original instruments, including an airspeed indicator, altimeter, slip-skid indicator, magnetic compass, and vertical speed indicator.

Investigators also found a hand-held Garmin GPSMAP 496 and an Appareo Stratus 3 in the aircraft. The circuit boards of both were recovered and retained for further examination.

While in Shelbyville, Jeanne Allen made the first of several text messages to the manager of Oberlin Municipal Airport stating that their estimated time of arrival would be around 5 p.m., according to the NTSB report. A second message sent later said that the weather was looking too low for VFR at Oberlin, so they would divert to Phillipsburg Municipal Airport (PHG) in Kansas, approximately 57 nm to the west.

From the ground, Dave Allen made several telephone calls to both the Oberlin Municipal Airport manager and a family friend in Colby, Kansas, to inquire about the weather en route and possible destinations.

According to the NTSB, the airport manager told him that the weather conditions included low ceilings and visibility, and he did not know when or if the weather would improve.

The family friend told investigators that, based on the telephone conversation, he assumed the couple would stay overnight in Colby.

The WACO took off from Chillicothe Municipal Airport at 5:10 p.m.. Approximately six minutes later, the passenger sent a text to the manager in Oberlin stating they were “going to try and go south to get out of this stuff.”

ATC radar data, beginning at 5:46 p.m., showed the airplane making several climbing turns starting at an altitude of 3,025 feet msl. The aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 4,625 feet msl over the accident site, then began descending right bank. Data was lost by 5:49 p.m. The last readout shows the aircraft on a heading of 75 degrees, with a groundspeed of 109 knots and an altitude of 3,800 feet msl, which put it approximately 1,050 feet agl.

The accident site was in a flat agricultural field about 0.10 nm southeast of the last received ATC radar position. The impact marks and debris were consistent with the airplane hitting the ground in about a 90-degree right bank and about 40-degree nose-down attitude. There was a postaccident fire.

NTSB said that an oil rig crew, located about a half mile from the accident site, reported that fog was so dense it could not see the top of its derrick.

The NTSB final report with the probable cause of the accident is expected to be released in about 18 months.

The post NTSB Releases Prelim Report on Vintage WACO YKC Crash appeared first on FLYING Magazine.