The accident occurred shortly after the pilot, a family friend of the group members, reported an issue with the autopilot and a loss of control.

ADS-B data shows that the trip—which ultimately covered three time zones—originated at 9:24 a.m. EDT from Georgia Regional Airport (KCTJ), stopped at Nebraska City Municipal Airport (KAFK), where a local news outlet reported it took on 200 to 300 gallons of fuel, and departed for Billings Logan International Airport in Montana at noon CDT.

About two hours into the flight, while cruising at 26,000 feet, tracking data shows a series of altitude, speed, and heading fluctuations. The pilot reportedly told controllers he had an autopilot issue and was losing control.

At one point, the ADS-B data recorded on FlightAware showed a descent rate of 5,545 feet per minute. The airplane crashed near the town of Gillette, Wyoming, about 1 p.m. MDT, sparking a small fire that was reportedly quickly contained. No one on the ground was injured.

The pilot was identified as Larry Haynie, board chairman of the Georgia Department of Corrections. The 2010 model, 11-seat PC-12/47E (N357HE) was registered to Haynie Enterprises of Henderson, Nevada, on August 31, 2020. Haynie’s wife, Melissa Haynie, was also on board.

Among the other passengers were three members of the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame quartet, The Nelons, as reported to the Associated Press by the fourth member of the group. The victims included Kelly Nelon Clark, co-founder of the group, and her husband and band member, Jason Clark. Their daughter, Amber Nelon Kistler, also a member of the group, was killed, as was her husband, Nathan Kistler. Melodi Hodges, identified as a family friend, was the seventh victim. The fourth member of the quartet, daughter Autumn Nelon Streetman, confirmed the identities to AP.

“As many of you have heard by now, my father and mother, Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, along with my sister, Amber and brother-in-law, Nathan, as well as our dear friends Melodi Hodges, Larry and Melissa Haynie were involved in a tragic plane crash on Friday,” Autumn Nelon Streetman said in a statement. “Thank you for the prayers that have been extended already to me, my husband, Jamie, and our soon-to-be-born baby boy, as well as Jason’s parents, Dan and Linda Clark. We appreciate your continued prayers, love, and support as we navigate the coming days.”

According to a statement from the Gaither Music Group, which features a number of gospel performers including the Nelons, the final destination was Seattle, where the group was to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska.

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

The post PC-12 Crash Claims Members of Prominent Gospel Singing Group appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1999 Pilatus PC-12​/​45.

The PC-12 single-engine turboprop was a revolutionary concept when Swiss aerospace company Pilatus developed it in the late 1980s. Most large, pressurized turboprop transports were twin-engine designs such as the popular Beechcraft King Air. Pilatus sought to demonstrate that a single-engine aircraft could provide similar reliability and performance while also operating from short,  unpaved strips.

The airplane grew to be known as a jack-of-all-trades, becoming a standard in corporate fleets, charter and air-taxi operations and in air-ambulance and other special missions. Quite a few pilots own PC-12s for personal use, often mixing business-related travel with family vacation trips. I know of at least a couple of PC-12 pilots who regularly take their families to destinations in Florida on weekends, noting how the aircraft’s speed and pressurized comfort make the trip reasonably easy compared with long-distance travel in the typical high-performance piston single.

This Pilatus PC-12-45 has 15,665 hours on the airframe, including 9,679 landings, 1,100 hours and 798 cycles on its Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67P engine, and zero time since overhaul on its five-blade propeller. The aircraft’s useful load is 3,309 pounds.

The panel includes Garmin GNS 430W and GNS 530W nav/com radios, Garmin GTX 345 and Bendix/King KT 70 transponders, Honeywell KMD-850 MFD and KRA-405B radar altimeter, Bendix/King KAC-501 WX radar, KDR-610 datalink weather receiver, Bendix King KHF-950 high-frequency com system,  

Bendix King KA-44B ADF, Bendix/King 325 autopilot, and Honeywell DME.

Additional equipment includes supplemental air conditioning, FD200CPU-7 flight display, and True Blue Power dual USB charging ports.

Pilots seeking a higher level of single-engine utility and performance, from short-field operations to high-altitude, long-distance travel, should consider this 1999 Pilatus PC-12-45, which  is available for $3.2 million on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Pilatus PC-12 Fleet Logs 10 Million Flight Hours
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• AVweb: AirVenture 2023: Honeywell Anthem Pilatus PC-12 Tour

The post This 1999 Pilatus PC-12-45 Is a Multimission ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The company said the new propeller has a number of advantages over the five-blade designs used on many turboprop aircraft. The PC-12’s certified takeoff performance improved by 20 percent with the Silent 7. The seven-blade design runs smoothly and reduces noise outside and in the cabin, MT said.

MT-Propeller offers 30 certified propeller models ranging from two to seven blades with hydraulically controlled variable pitch designs for engines generating up to 5,000 horsepower, and two- to four-blade models with electric pitch control for engines of up to 350 horsepower.

MT’s propellers can be used on piston and turboprop airplanes, airships, hovercraft, and in wind tunnels. They are available for airplanes from motor gliders to regional airliners, MT said. The company holds more than 220 STCs worldwide and is an OEM supplier for more than 90 percent of the European aircraft industry and 30 percent of the U.S. aircraft industry. 

The post Pilatus PC-12 Aircraft Meet European Noise Regs with 7-Blade Prop appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The roots of Pilatus Business Aircraft, also known as PilBAL, sprouted with the help of Chris Finnoff, alongtime turboprop sales guru who founded Turbo West Aviation, and sold various types of aircraft before turning his focus on the Pilatus PC-12. The first PC-12 was brought to the U.S. in 1994—the same year it achieved both Swiss and FAA certification—and the Broomfield facility opened in 1996 as a parts and distribution source for North American dealers.

By 1997, PilBAL started interior installations, and in 2001, avionics options were installed in Broomfield.The capability allowed customers to make their final avionics selections later in the purchasing process, and, in those days, there was a wide variety of choices through field approvals.

When I first stepped foot in PilBAL’s facilities in 2017, the administrative offices were located in the airport terminal, while the avionics, parts inventory, flight operations, and interior fabrication and installation were spread across 14 hangars. Pilatus Business Aircraft clearly needed a new home. While the company considered other cities, the management settled on a piece of land across the runway, and the new facility opened its doors in 2018.

“A lot of us felt like fish out of water for a while having such a nice facility to work in,” said Mike Rector,vice president of production. “I worked on about six iterations of this building over a period of 15 to 16 years before we finally got the board convinced to build it herein this final configuration.”

When the PC-12 was first introduced, Pilatus expected a total production run of about 300 units. Finnoff’s vision and the continuous expansion in Broomfield have certainly contributed to Pilatus’ success in business aviation. The company will soon celebrate its 2,000th PC-12 and 200th PC-24 delivery.

The Main Event

Stepping through the entrance of the 118,000-square-foot main building, you’ll find offices for marketing, customer support, technical support, warranty administration, parts sales, engineering, and quality management. The office areas have a clean European feel, with a dominance of light wood and aluminum materials. Most exterior walls have large windows, bringing in natural light and providing stellar views of the rugged mountains to the west and the Colorado plains to the east. Around the open office spaces are several tall tables where impromptu meetings often lead to good ideas and solutions to problems.

While the main aircraft production is in Stans, Switzerland, all airplanes for North and South American customers are completed in Broomfield. The airplanes are ferried with bare cabins, so a lot of ballast is needed to keep them within their weight and balance envelopes. It’s a great opportunity for transporting equipment between the two headquarters, but other ballast is often used, as I’ll learn later in our visit.

Once in the U.S., the final avionics configuration is completed, with a lot of options for processing cards, software loads, entertainment and communications systems, and hardware. The airplanes then move on to the paint facility before the interior is installed.

An outside vendor produces seat frames and foam. Seat coverings for the worldwide fleet of PC-24s are completed at the Broomfield facility, while those of the PC-12 are outsourced. PC-12 and PC-24 customers have six design lines to choose from, with a mixture of neutral earth tones. Customers can choose a scheme, mix and match, or put their own stamp on the interior design, which can extend a project several months as materials have to meet regulatory requirements, said Marie Marschner, the director of sales administration, who is also a flight instructor. Also, the lines on the seats and sidewalls must remain consistent.

There are other restrictions as well. For example, the lower sidewalls in the cabin in the PC-12 can be covered with leather; however, the PC-24’s can’t. “The cows aren’t big enough,” said Marschner. Attention to detail with the leather materials is extremely high. Every square inch of a hide is carefully examined before putting it into the Zund cutting machine—another Swiss piece of perfection that maximizes the use of each hide. Then the pieces are meticulously fitted around the seats.

Despite the diligence that goes into each stage of the process, several inspections are conducted before the customer is brought in for the official delivery, accounting for why most airplanes have zero squawks.

Continuing the European theme, there is a large focus on sustainability. Tom Aniello, vice president of marketing at Pilatus Business Aircraft, said there are plans to power the buildings completely with solar. The cabinetry is transported from a company in Austria in large wooden containers specifically designed to minimize damage. Those containers are shipped back and reused. Leftover aluminum from production in Stans is used as ballast and then sold to recycling companies. “It pays for our company holiday party,” said Aniello.

Paint Facility

The newest phase of PilBAL is the paint hangar, which opened last year, with the first painted airplane rolling out at the end of October. PilBAL previously outsourced the paint projects to two shops. While the company was happy with the finished product, the outsourcing required additional project managers and pilots to fly the airplanes back and forth. So, bringing the process in house made sense.

The base coat is painted on prior to the transatlantic ferry flight. It is generally white, but it doesn’t have to be. Stripping down and repainting the base can take five to six weeks, said Marschner, so it’s best if the preferred base color is applied in Switzerland.

The final design is completed using CAD software. The 3D design is applied to each side of the airplane with a laser system, ensuring perfect symmetry. Paint technicians tape each line before applying the paint. “Even with the laser, there is still a fair amount of artistry that comes into bending tape,” said Marschner. For example, lines might have to be modified where there are interruptions in the fuselage, such as air vents.

The paint that covers the walls in the three paint bays can be peeled off as dirt is introduced. Every six months, the paint on the walls is replaced to ensure total cleanliness. Filtration systems also keep dust out. A mixing room will soon be available for mixing colors on-site rather than buying each particular color.

Just as with the interior completion, attention to detail is high. Any blemishes are sanded down and fixed. “We’ve had a very high expectation, setting the bar for what Pilatus aircraft look like when they come out of the paint shop,” Marschner said. “It’s a completely different standard than some of our competitors. So, with the new paint shop, we’re trying to achieve close to perfection with a very new shop, a new team, and new procedures. They’re doing a really outstanding job.”

This article was originally published in the March 2023 Issue 935 of  FLYING.

The post Behind the Scenes: Pilatus Business Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Air-Dynamic said it plans to operate and manage the Lilium Jets for customers in Switzerland and Italy, offering them access to premium versions of the aircraft, including the planned Pioneer Edition model. For Lilium, the deal helps it enter the luxury European business travel and tourism markets currently served by helicopters and jets.

Air-Dynamic boasts nearly 20 years of experience in the jet and helicopter charter business and focuses on routes that include destinations across Italy, Switzerland, the Côte d’Azur, and French Alps. The company operates two Pilatus PC-12s based at Lugano Airport in Bioggio, Switzerland, and manages a number of jets and helicopters for private owners and other air transport operators.

• READ MORE: Lilium Teams With Collins To Design, Build eVTOL Control Systems

“This partnership represents an important step for Air-Dynamic SA and the entire aviation industry. We are excited to work with Lilium to develop innovative and sustainable solutions for the future of aviation,” said Air-Dynamic CEO Raffaella Meledandri. “The first project’s goal is to connect Lugano directly with Milan City Center and in parallel to establish a good connection in Italy for the most touristic destinations, such as Lake Como and Capri.”

“With today’s partnership, Lilium deepens its reach into Europe’s premium travel market,” said Sebastien Borel, Lilium’s COO. “We’re leveraging Air-Dynamic’s innovative and entrepreneurial approach to operating and managing private jets and helicopters in the region.”

• READ MORE: Lilium Phoenix 2 Demonstrator Reaches Top Speed During Flight Test

Lilium has announced several agreements potentially amounting to hundreds of aircraft, including one with airline Saudia for up to 100 eVTOLs and another with U.K. helicopter and jet operator Volare Aviation. The company has said it plans to begin commercial service in 2025.

The post Lilium Agrees To Deliver Up to 5 eVTOLs to Charter Company Air-Dynamic appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The versatile P&WC PT6 turbine engine, which Pratt & Whitney developed between 1958-64, has several model variations in service today with more than 128 applications. The PT6A engine powers airplanes including the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, the Pilatus PC-12, Cessna 208 Caravans, the Beech T-6 Texan II, and Beechcraft King Airs and Super King Airs, among others. Related variations of the PT6 engine power a number of helicopters, boats, and land vehicles. 

• READ MORE: Blackhawk Combines P&WC and Hartzell to Create the World’s Fastest King Air

“We’re certainly very proud of our DOF designation,” said Aaron Abbott, president of Covington Aircraft Engines. “Today marks the third renewal of our agreement with Pratt & Whitney Canada, and we simply could not ask for a better collaborator,” he continued. 

Covington, which celebrates its 50th year in business in 2023, is the only U.S.-owned and operated DOF for P&WC. The company also has a facility in Brazil and is making plans to add another in the United Kingdom. 

In addition to the PT6A, Covington services P&WC R-985 and R-1340 radial engines. The company boasts rapid response mobile repair teams capable of responding to any PTA6A customer worldwide within 24 hours. 

• READ MORE: Pratt & Whitney Hits Milestone with 50,000th PT6 Engine

“Covington’s depth of knowledge, capabilities and strong family values are unique in our industry – and we have had a very harmonious relationship ever since our first agreement with the company was signed close to thirty years ago” said Irene Makris, Vice President, Customer Service at Pratt & Whitney Canada. Renewing our agreement together not only continues a great relationship and success together – but gives all of us a sense of pride and accomplishment – especially on the occasion of Covington’s 50^th Anniversary year.”

The post Covington Engines Keeps Status as P&WC Overhaul Facility appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Innovative Solutions & Support ThrustSense Autothrottles for PC-12s and King Airs

Geoff Hedrick, the late founder of Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S), used to fly a Pilatus PC-12 for business and personal travel. So it was natural that Hedrick would end up working closely with Pilatus Aircraft on integrating into the PC-12 the expertise developed by his company for commercial platforms like the Boeing 757 and 767. IS&S introduced the ThrustSense autothrottle to the series as an aftermarket add-on in 2017, and it became standard on the PC-12 NGX in 2019, paired with the FADEC-equipped Pratt & Whitney PT6E-67XP. Now, more than 30 PC-12s have been retrofitted with the system, according to Tom Grunbeck, director of autothrottle products for IS&S. 

Following that success, IS&S set its sights on the Beechcraft King Air series, with the clear advantages that an autothrottle would give to the beefy twin turboprop when operated single-pilot—especially if one of its PT6As gave up the ghost. 

Hedrick described the experience for the pilot in an interview with FLYING last year. “You’ll see things in the King Air, like throttle balancing automatically, so that when you set your throttle, you just push them up— the slow throttle comes up automatically,” he said. “No buttons, no pushes. It sits quietly behind you [even in manual mode], kind of like a flight engineer moving the throttles for you.” We flew with the ThrustSense system on both the company’s PC-12 and the King Air 200—and we can vouch for that “silent sentry” effect the system has in normal operations—and the ease with which it handles an “engine out in a climb” scenario. 

• READ MORE: Rating a Turboprop’s Power

The kit for the King Air includes a standby control unit, two actuators in series with engine control cables, and two circuit breakers to the breaker panel. The retrofit kit can be installed on King Airs with Pro Line 21 or Pro Line Fusion integrated flight decks. On new production King Air 260s and 360s, the autothrottle started at a block point change when Textron Aviation moved from the 350 series to the 360, Grunbeck says. 

IS&S has proactively positioned itself to weather supply chain ups and downs by keeping six sets of its aftermarket ThrustSense autothrottle kits on the shelf at all times. They want to stay responsive to the demand from the turboprop niche that has discovered the utility—and safety benefit—of introducing an autothrottle’s capabilities. Turnaround time using IS&S’s mobile unit can be as short as five days, and the retrofit can also be accomplished at Textron service centers, as well as independent avionics shops. The company is also expanding into the Cessna Citation 525 series.

Tamarack Active Winglets for King Airs 

The King Air series probably holds the crown for workhorse of the business aircraft fleet, with its flexibility on field length, passenger room, and load-carrying capability. So, what if you paired its range with the ability to milk slow-speed loitering for all it was worth? Then you would have a special mission airplane ranking high among a wide portfolio of customers, from the U.S. Air Force to the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Tamarack Aerospace has installed more than 160 sets of its load-alleviating active winglets on Cessna Citation 525-series jets, and the company reports a range improvement of up to 33 percent through that fleet. Now, it’s translating what it calls its “SmartWing” technology to the King Air series. Answering the call from companies that fulfill military contracts, Tamarack has developed its active winglet tech for King Airs, adding 23 percent improvement in endurance, 18 percent improvement in range, and a reduction in stall speed such that pilots can see takeoff and landing distances reduced by up to 15 percent. 

We flew with the winglets installed on both the 200 and 300 series King Airs to observe them in action. For the 200, since Tamarack aims its product at the military and special ops, the company used a King Air C-12 variant of the 200 for flight testing. On the climb up to 17,000 feet msl, we maintained an indicated airspeed of 110 knots—below the blue line printed on the gauge— and a climb rate of more than 3,500 fpm sustained for a time to climb from near sea level of 6 minutes. 

We performed a series of maneuvers to demonstrate the low-speed handling—and the winglets engaged to mitigate the effects of any turbulence we flew through. Stalls in the landing configuration led to an indicated airspeed of less than 55 knots on the dial. We went on to loiter at that same 110 knots and about 336 pph total, leading to about 7 hours of endurance—optimized for the mission. That translates to the ability to dispatch for a flight in which the lower fuel load and overall reduced takeoff weight can ensure the airplane is able to make any required single-engine climb gradients. 

• READ MORE: The Most Fuel-Efficient Turboprop Singles

Nick Guida, founder and CEO of Tamarack, developed the original load-alleviating technology a little more than 10 years ago. He describes how the system works: “Typically, at really low lift coefficients, you’re not going to get a benefit from [normal] winglets because the induced drag [value] is much lower—so if you had low, low lift coefficients, most of the drag is from form drag rather than induced drag. But as you fly high coefficients, higher altitudes, lower indicated speeds… that’s where winglets really shine. 

“At limit load, in really big gusts or maneuvers, it’s pushing down on the wing, but when you’re pulling Gs, the wing wants to go up,” Guida continues. “So, it’s counteracting the effect of a winglet, but in a very short period of time. A gust typically on this airplane is less than half a second, so for half a second they pop up, kill the load, and you don’t care about efficiency during that one-half a second cause that’s such a [short] occurrence. As soon as you go back to normal, you’re flying straight.” 

The mod adds more than 4 feet of wing, per wing—9 feet total on the King Air. Tamarack is in the process of certifying the SmartWing system on the 200 and 350 models, in both civilian and military variants. 

Garmin Digital Autopilot for TBMs 

You might think the opportunity to trade analog gauges—like a creaky horizontal situation indicator (HSI) and yellowing attitude indicator—for glass primary and multifunction displays would be enough of a reason to consider upgrading a 700-series TBM from its original panel configuration to a Garmin suite. While the Silver Crown nav/com radios, KFC 275 autopilot, King EFIS 40 electronic HSI, and optional loran and RDS-81 weather radar made the panel state of the art at the time it debuted, we’ve come a long way, baby, since 1988. 

But that’s not the real delighter to be found in the transition. 

Actually, the word back from owners who have installed new avionics focuses on their satisfaction with the upgrade to the Garmin GFC 600 digital autopilot, according to Mike Sweeney, avionics specialist for Daher’s award-winning service team in Pompano Beach, Florida. “That’s what pilots are most impressed by,” Sweeney says. While it makes sense that the smoother coupled-approach modes, fly-by turns, and autosequencing during a go-around would top the list, there are other more quotidian features to the GFC 600 operating behind the scenes. 

The brushless servos that drive mechanical inputs to the flight controls offer significantly more power, making for better control over the aircraft than the brush-motor servos in the legacy autopilots, such as the 275 and the then-upgrade, the KFC 325. The GFC 600 requires at least a Garmin G600 or G1000 TXi to couple with in order to gain the most, but a full panel of new glass is not necessary. Or, if the owner opts for a GTN 750 Xi, they can take advantage of new features like Smart Glide—a kind of “autoland lite” that acts as an assistant to the pilot in the event of a power loss. 

We flew with the GFC 600 installed in a very early serial number TBM 700—and the smooth nature of the new system is unquestionable, readily complementing the fine handling characteristics and solid control feel of the sleek turboprop. 

An installation of the autopilot alone can be accomplished for roughly $60,000. And while many products are on a four- to six-month backorder from Garmin at press time—supply chain woes continue—a wide range of shops can perform the work. 

Another popular upgrade in the works, according to Sweeney? The Garmin GWX 8000 Doppler weather radar. “It has the same footprint as the [GWX] 75 it replaces,” he says. The high-def, four-color palette shines brightly in comparison to the legacy radars with their glowing green sweeps—providing detailed contouring of storms and automatic threat analysis. 

There’s definitely a new life out there for the trusty turboprops that have carried us through the last 30, 40, 50 years.

The post Upgrades Offer New Life for Legacy Turboprops appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

While the rest of the party was out shooting, the private pilot, 48, and one companion got some isopropyl alcohol de-icing fluid from a hardware store, borrowed a ladder from the hunting lodge at which they had stayed, and spent three hours chipping snow and ice from the wings. The ladder was not tall enough to allow them to reach the upper surface of the T-tail, but the pilot was satisfied that the rest of the airplane was sufficiently clean.

Video of the Pilatus taxiing out showed snow falling heavily and white clumps adhering to parts of the fuselage and vertical tail. A couple of inches of snow (and presumably some ice) lay on the top of the horizontal stabilizer. The takeoff was recorded as well. The Pilatus roared down Runway 31, lifted off, banked to the left, and faded from sight in the snow and mist.

No one at the airport knew it at the time, but it crashed less than a mile from the runway. Of the 12 people aboard, three survived with serious injuries. The pilot was among the nine dead.

Thirty years ago, it would have looked like an open and shut case. Whatever residue of ice remained on the wings must obviously have triggered a premature stall. But we live in a different era now, with flight data and cockpit voice recorders in wide use. They tell accident investigators not what must have happened, but what really did.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s probable cause finding made no mention of snow and ice. It attributed the loss of control after takeoff and the ensuing stall to “the pilot’s improper loading of the airplane, which resulted in reduced static longitudinal stability.” Another contributing factor was “his decision to depart into low instrument meteorological conditions”—although that seems unfair, since the whole point of having an instrument rating and a powerful airplane equipped for flight in known icing is to be able to do exactly that.

The cockpit voice recorder picked up the sounds of passengers boarding the airplane, stomping snow from their shoes, clicking their seat belts. One passenger commented on how many pheasants they had bagged. Another recited a prayer of gratitude for various blessings—it was Thanksgiving weekend—and went on, with eerie prescience, “Father in Heaven, we ask for a special blessing now that we take off in this not-so-great weather and that [Thou wilt] watch over and protect us. Impress upon the mind of [the pilot] that he might know how best to travel this course that we are about to do, and we are thankful for this airplane and ask that You will watch over and protect us.” A collective “Amen” followed.

The pilot and the right-seat occupant radioed the airport manager, who was plowing the runway, to ascertain its condition. Their exchange was somewhat acerbic. The manager frankly told the pilot he must be crazy. The pilot good-naturedly replied that the snow berms on either side of the plowed portion of the strip were not a concern. As it turned out, he was right.

The pilot back-taxied to the approach end of Runway 31 and succeeded in turning the airplane around. The power came up, the Pilatus accelerated, and after 30 seconds it rotated. The pitch angle increased to almost 20 degrees, then eased back to about 10. Practically from the moment of liftoff, the stall warning sounded and an automated voice intoned the word “stall” over and over, no fewer than 19 times. Eleven seconds after rotation, a porpoising motion began, increasing in magnitude and rapidity. The bank angle increased to 64 degrees; the stick pusher actuated and, at a height of 380 feet, the Pilatus stalled.

With granular information from the flight data recorder, the NTSB conducted simulations to ascertain whether the airplane had been controllable and whether the accumulations of snow and ice remaining on it could have been a factor in the accident. The conclusion was that the airplane should have been controllable, and that the snow and ice had not significantly degraded its performance, though they may have affected the elevator control forces.

READ MORE: Classic Aftermath

The data recorder stored a number of previous flights, and the NTSB noted that the pilot, who had 1,260 hours in type, habitually rotated somewhat abruptly, tending to slightly overshoot the desired pitch attitude and then correct. Another pilot who regularly flew the airplane used a gentler, more gradual rotation, which the board found made speed control easier.

The board compared the accident flight with the previous day’s trip from Idaho Falls to Chamberlain. The cabin loading had been similar, and there were pitch oscillations after takeoff on that flight as well. The crux of the matter, in the NTSB’s view, was the combination of heavy weight—the airplane was 107 pounds over gross—and the CG location, several inches behind the aft limit, that resulted from 12 people, none of them lap children, and a great many dead pheasants occupying a 10-passenger airplane. An aft CG is associated with diminished stick forces and weak speed stability, conditions that may be difficult to manage on instruments.

The stall warnings that were heard practically from the moment the airplane rotated were due to the design of the Pilatus’s ice protection system. When ice protection is on, the triggering speeds for both the stall warning and the stick pusher increase considerably. According to the flight manual, the target rotation speed at max gross in icing conditions was 92 knots. The pilot rotated at 88, possibly because he wanted to get clear of snow build-up on the partially plowed runway. When the actual stall occurred, however, the indicated airspeed was only 80 knots. 

One can speculate about what passed through the pilot’s mind during the few seconds between the liftoff and the stall. The aural stall warning must have taken him by surprise. Since he had just spent hours removing snow and ice, his first thought may have been that it was caused by some lingering contamination on the wings. But now he was in near-whiteout conditions, and too low to risk pushing the nose down decisively. The airplane may not have responded to a gentle push on the yoke. Pitch oscillations made speed control difficult. There was little time to analyze or adapt—only enough for an exclaimed “Oh no!”

The pilot was the kind of person whom you would expect to follow rules. Yet he ignored the CG limits. Did he feel undue pressure to get his passengers back home? Probably not. There is no indication that he hesitated or considered the takeoff dangerous; in fact, he seemed less concerned than his prayerful passengers were. Did he understand how the extreme aft loading could affect the airplane’s flying qualities? He had made a similar flight the day before. Did he begin this one thinking it would be exactly the same? 

Sometimes you don’t know how near the edge you are until you go over it.

This article is based on the National Transportation Safety Board’s report of the accident and is intended to bring the issues raised to our readers’ attention. It is not intended to judge or to reach any definitive conclusions about the ability or capacity of any person, living or dead, or any aircraft or accessory.

The post A Wing and a Prayer appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

• READ MORE: Discover Kiawah Island

All the Gear: Pilatus PC-12 NGX

If you just can’t bear to leave any gear at home—but you still need more speed than a Cessna Caravan would offer—you might choose the Pilatus PC-12 NGX. The PC-12’s Pratt & Whitney PT6E-67XP turboprop powerplant pulls the aircraft’s max gross weight of 10,450 pounds through the air at speeds up to 290 ktas.

With an up to 2,236-pound payload, the PC-12 can either carry a lot of people—up to 10 plus a pilot—or a lot of stuff, or a combination of both. The large cargo door accommodates things like motorbikes, or a 1,000-pound pallet plus 400 more pounds of cargo with a single pilot on board.

The PC-12 can accommodate a takeoff distance of as little as 2,485 feet under certain conditions, and a 2,170-foot landing distance as well. With a 1,803 nm range (with four passengers) or 1,568 nm (with six people), you can strike for Kiawah from pretty far away—and at a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet.

• READ MORE: Flying to Kiawah Island? Try These Airports on for Size

The updated Honeywell-based integrated flight deck has been branded the Advanced Cockpit Environment by Pilatus, and it features four 10.4-inch displays hosting synthetic vision, weather radar, and other pilot-friendly features. With the Innovative Solutions & Support ThrustSense autothrottle integrated into the power quadrant, engine management is streamlined and efficient as well. When you pull up to the flightline to unload your gear at Charleston, folks will stop to watch what you take out of that big door.

Speed & Style: Daher TBM 960

You may feel the need for speed—and the latest in the line of TBMs from Daher can serve that up for you. With a max cruise of 326 ktas at 28,000 feet, burning roughly 64.9 gph—assuming max gross weight at 7,300 pounds and ISA conditions—the TBM 960 keeps its sweet spot intact for single-engine turboprops.

With the newest model, there’s a significant change up front. The Pratt & Whitney PT6E-66XT engine rated at 895 shp has seen an uptick in its thermodynamic power rating to 1,844 hp. You can seek better economy by pulling the airplane back to 308 ktas at 28,000 feet—the 960 burns roughly 57 gph at this reduced power setting. And the range extends out to 1,730 nm at 252 ktas. Minimum takeoff distance is 2,535 feet under standard conditions, with landing distance roughly the same.

The updated powerplant is managed via a FADEC-style, dual-channel digital engine and propeller electronic control system (EPECS) combined with an autothrottle for ease of engine start and in-flight monitoring.

On the flight deck, the Garmin G3000 avionics suite hosts the HomeSafe autoland system among its safety features, which allows a passenger to initiate an emergency landing function in the event the pilot becomes incapacitated. Underspeed protection and emergency descent management add to the envelope protection available to the pilot.

With a maximum takeoff weight of up to 7,615 pounds, the 960 can carry from 220 to 396 pounds within the pressurized cargo compartment in the cabin—giving loading flexibility for those things you just don’t want to throw in the baggage hold—and up to 1,446 pounds of payload. All of this comes wrapped in a sleek profile that will turn heads on a ramp packed with the snazziest bizjets.

This article was first published in the 2022 Southeast Adventure Guide of FLYING Magazine.

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SOCOM’s initial purchase award is valued up to $170 million for 75 Sky Warden aircraft, with the indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery contract award worth up to $3 billion.

For agricultural aviators, Sky Warden boasts a familiar silhouette. It’s based on the manned, fixed-wing Air Tractor AT-802U platform, a rugged airframe used in crop dusting and firefighting. Its name is an homage to two special operations combat aircraft—the Douglas A-1 Skyraider that provided pivotal close air support during the Vietnam War and the modern-day U-28 Draco that provides intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support from a modified Pilatus PC-12 platform under the callsign “Warden,” L3Harris said.

The light aircraft is slated to replace the Air Force’s fleet of more than two dozen U-28 aircraft.

About the Aircraft

Outfitted with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67F powerplant, the aircraft is the largest single-engine turboprop available, according to Air Tractor. The AT-802 has a 6,000 pound combat payload capacity and is purpose-built for ISR Strike missions. 

The AT-802U is ideal during irregular warfare operations, according to the L3Harris and Air Tractor Sky Warden team. 

“Air Tractor aircraft were developed precisely to operate in austere environments with limited infrastructure,” Jim Hirsch, president of Air Tractor Inc., said in a statement. “Our aircraft are built to offer unparalleled flexibility, essential ingredients for special mission operators.”

Sky Warden features cockpit and engine armor, ALE-47 countermeasure dispensers on its wings, and self-sealing fuel tanks. Inside the cockpit are a hands-on throttle control and stick, a dedicated mission display, multi-sensor HD overlay and control, and a modular open systems architecture that allows for rapid integration of new technology. It can loiter for six hours at 200 nm combat radius.

Armed Overwatch

It’s also available, according to the Sky Warden team. The aircraft is production ready, with delivery in less than a calendar year.

“Sky Warden will bring powerful and affordable close air support, precision strike, armed ISR, and command and control capabilities directly to special operations forces in the battlefield,” Sean Stackley, president of integrated mission systems at L3Harris, said in a statement. “We are ready now to begin work on this modern, multi-mission system for the SOCOM Armed Overwatch program.”

The first production lot of six Armed Overwatch variants of the aircraft will begin at the Air Tractor manufacturing facility in Olney, Texas, with modifications beginning next year at the L3Harris modification center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“Armed Overwatch answers a critical need for U.S. Special Operations Command to conduct a wide range of operations globally in support of the National Defense Strategy,” SOCOM Commander Gen. Richard D. Clarke said in a statement, Air Force Magazine reported. “This rugged, sustainable platform will operate in permissive environments and austere conditions around the world to safeguard our Special Operations Forces on the ground.”

SOCOM’s Sky Warden is expected to reach operational capability by 2026, with full operation three years later, Breaking Defense reported.

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