Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101

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Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101
Chalks Turbo Mallard at Bimini.jpg

The affected machine in 1989
Accident summary
Accident type Structural failure
place Atlantic Ocean off Miami Beach , Florida , United StatesUnited StatesUnited States 
date December 19, 2005
Fatalities 20th
Survivors 0
Aircraft
Aircraft type United States 48United States Grumman G-73T Mallard turbine
operator United StatesUnited States Chalk's Ocean Airways
Mark United StatesUnited States N2969
Departure airport Fort Lauderdale , United StatesUnited StatesUnited States 
Stopover Watson Island , Miami , Florida , United StatesUnited StatesUnited States 
Destination airport Bimini , BahamasBahamasBahamas 
Passengers 18th
crew 2
Lists of aviation accidents

The Chalk's-Ocean Airways Flight 101 (Flight number: OP101 ) was a scheduled domestic flight of the airline Chalk's Ocean Airways from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini with a scheduled stop at Watson Iceland . On December 19, 2005, an amphibious aircraft of the type Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallard had an accident on this flight , killing all 20 people on board.

Aircraft

The affected machine was a Grumman G-73T Mallard turbine. The machine had been fully assembled in 1947, had the serial number J-27 and was registered with Chalk's Ocean Airways with the aircraft registration N2969 . The twin-engine amphibious aircraft was equipped with two turboprop engines of the type Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 equipped. With its characteristic hull shape, the machine was designed for landings on land as well as on water. At the time of the accident, the machine had a cumulative operating performance of 31,226 operating hours with 39743 take-offs and landings.

Passengers and crew

The captain on board the machine was 37-year-old Michele Marks from Boynton Beach , who was qualified for the position a year before the accident. From Wyomissing , Pennsylvania , 34-year-old First Officer Paul DeSanctis flew for the airline for 8 months. The two pilots had 2820 and 1420 hours of flight experience. For the flight to Bimini, 18 passengers were seated in the plane. No flight attendants were provided for the regional flight .

the accident

The seaplane first flew on the regional flight from Fort Lauderdale to Watson Island. The flight went smoothly. The machine then took off for its onward flight to Bimini in the Bahamas . When the machine was still in sight of Miami Beach , it broke apart in flight and fell from a height of 250 feet into the sea. Before it broke up, eyewitnesses had seen white smoke escape from the machine. A passer-by filmed from the beach how first the machine and shortly afterwards a burning piece of debris, which dragged a cloud of black smoke behind it, fell into the water of the Government Cut shipping canal .

A Grumman G-73 Mallard aircraft of Chalk's Ocean Airways

Victim

Of the 20 victims, 11 passengers came from the Bahamas, seven others and the two pilots were US citizens.

Salvage

For the salvage of the wreck, the shipping channel was closed up to and including December 20, 6:30 p.m. During this time, at least three cruise ships were stuck because of the lockdown. The wreck was lifted, as was the burning debris that had fallen into the water. This could be identified as the right wing of the machine.

Accident investigation

Recovery of the wing

On December 22, 2005, the NTSB published a press release with attached detailed images of the wreckage of the machine. A material failure in the area of ​​the broken wing was reported. As a result of the discovery, Chalk's Ocean Airways temporarily decommissioned all of its remaining aircraft of the affected type for further investigation.

The reason for the accident was found to be a tear off of the right wing in flight. This was caused by a considerable structural weakening as a result of progressive cracking of the historical machine. Specifically, the structural failure was based on a crack in a longitudinal member near the wing root of the right wing.

Prior to the accident, there were repeated reports of leaks in both wing tanks for several months. The aircraft manufacturer Grumman Aerospace Corporation had already issued a letter in 1963, from which it emerged that leaks in the area of ​​the tanks could indicate damage to the aircraft structure. The airline had repeatedly treated the leaks with a sealant that covered the repair area and made it impossible to detect any progressive cracking.

Due to the damaged longitudinal member, an arched crack appeared on the underside of the wing's outer skin in flight. This was initially reinforced by a riveted sheet metal. The crack got bigger and bigger over time, so that longer and longer sheets had to be riveted on. Due to the broken longitudinal member, the wing bent over the permissible extent on each subsequent flight, which weakened the wing structure more and more. On the day of the accident, the structure was so weakened that it finally gave way and the wing tore off the machine.

In their final report, NTSB investigators criticized the aircraft maintenance practices of Chalk's Ocean Airways ground crew. The corrosion damage to the machine and other aircraft of the airline had progressed over a long period of time and should have been noticed by the mechanics.

The NTSB also gave the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) joint responsibility for the accident, as it had not exercised the necessary supervision to identify and identify the operator's maintenance deficits. This was because older aircraft were exempt from strict security checks. In a statement, the FAA said it previously had no evidence to believe that the airline's repair program was questionable. She stressed that on this point, the regulations clearly stipulate that the airline is responsible for the airworthiness of its fleets.

consequences

Although the aircraft accident was the only one in Chalk's Ocean Airways' 90-year history, it led to the company's demise. On September 30, 2007, the United States Department of Transportation revoked Chalk's permission to operate scheduled flights. Shortly afterwards, the airline finally ceased operations.

The accident machine in the media

The machine with the aircraft registration number N2969 was seen several times on the television show Miami Vice , for example in the pilot episode Hot Pavement Florida or at the end of the 14th episode of the fourth season with the title Bomb Deal .

The accident was also filmed under the title Crash before Miami ( Cracks in the System ) in episode 8 of season 9 of Mayday - Alarm in the cockpit .

Sources and Links

Coordinates: 25 ° 45 ′ 38 "  N , 80 ° 7 ′ 26"  W.