Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 19, 1994 TAG: 9403180159
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Kulwicki, 38, was killed along with the pilot - Charlie Campbell - and two others when the twin-engine Fairchild Merlin IIIC plunged into a rural hillside outside Blountville, Tenn., at 9:28 p.m.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the probable cause of the accident was Campbell's failure to follow procedures for the use of the anti-icing and de-icing systems for the engines.
As a result, the engines probably ingested ice, the NTSB report said. Both engines flamed out and shut down. And when that happened, Campbell was unable to maintain sufficient air speed while he tried to get the engines restarted. The plane stalled and plunged to the ground, exploding in flames in a grassy Tennessee pasture.
In the end, the NTSB ruling of pilot error as the probable cause of the crash was based largely on circumstantial evidence.
There never was a hint of trouble from Campbell. His last radio transmission, one minute before the crash, was routine as the 48-year-old pilot checked in with the tower controller at Tri-City Airport outside Bristol. And he knew of the potential for icing conditions that night, having reported "light to moderate" icing on a takeoff several hours earlier.
The NTSB investigation determined that neither Garrett turboprop engine on the plane was operating when it crashed. It found that Campbell had feathered the propellers to reduce drag as he tried to keep the powerless plane in the air.
The report included statements from three pilots saying they had encountered icing on their descent into the Tri-City Airport. One of them, Winston Cup car owner, D.K. Ulrich, said he had to de-ice his plane to remove a half-inch of accumulation.
The NTSB also cited a report from the engine manufacturer, Garrett, warning that engine flameouts had been occuring in aircraft during or just after icing conditions, sometimes after the plane descended into warmer air, when the ice melted and chunks were sucked into the engines.
The investigation found that a control-panel light was lit, indicating the engine inlet's anti-ice systems were turned on.
That shows Campbell knew he had an icing problem, but he apparently activated the de-icing system too late, said NTSB spokesman Mike Benson, and chunks of ice probably came off and went into the engine inlets, causing the flameouts. In any event, the NTSB found no evidence of mechanical failure in the engines, propellers or de-icing systems.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING FATALITY
by CNB