Conquest Air Cargo

Rockwell Shrike Commander 500

On August 28, 2020, about 0902 eastern daylight time, an Aero Commander Aircraft 500-S, N900DT, was destroyed when it impacted a building near Pembroke Park, Florida. The commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business flight. According to preliminary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ADS-B and audio information, after takeoff from Pompano Beach Airpark about 0852, the flight proceeded in a southeast direction to the shore, then flew in a south-southwest direction just offshore. About 0858, when the flight was about 13 nautical miles northeast from Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF), which was the destination, an occupant onboard the airplane contacted the OPF air traffic control tower (ATCT) and advised the controller that the flight was inbound. The flight was radar identified and continued in a south-southwest direction while climbing to 1,100 ft mean sea level (msl). At about 0859:49, or 1 minute 49 seconds after the initial contact with the OPF ATCT, an occupant advised the controller, "and uh november delta tango ah we have uh an engine problem, we [are going] to North Perry [Airport]." The OPF ATCT initially coordinated with Miami Approach and advised the facility that the flight was descending, with a last reported altitude of 300 ft. The controller then attempted to coordinate with North Perry ATCT. About 0859:53, the airplane turned to a southwest direction, climbed to about 1250 ft msl. About that time a witness who was located about 2.8 nautical miles east-southeast of the flightpath when the airplane was flying in the southwest direction reported hearing the engines accelerating and decelerating which changed to a popping sound. The airplane continued flying and went out of his earshot. The ADS-B data reflected that about 0900:47, the airplane turned and flew in a west-northwesterly direction until about 0901:58, when the flight proceeded in a north-northwest direction until near the accident site. Witnesses who were on a golf course north of the accident site reported seeing the airplane flying in a westerly direction with no reported engine sound. They then noted the airplane banked left and then descended. The airplane collided with the east face of a storage building in a densely populated area, then fell to the parking lot of the building. There were no reported ground injuries. Preliminary examination of the accident site revealed an impact mark on the building which reflected the airplane being in a right bank. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of pre or postimpact fire.

Convair C-131 Samaritan

According to the first officer, during the first cargo flight of the day, the left engine propeller control was not working properly and the captain indicated that they would shut down the airplane and contact maintenance if the left engine propeller control could not be reset before the return flight. For the return flight, the engines started normally, and both propellers were cycled. The captain and the first officer were able to reset the left propeller control, so the airplane departed with the first officer as the pilot flying. The takeoff and initial climb were normal; however, as the airplane climbed through 4,000 ft, the left engine propeller control stopped working and the power was stuck at 2,400 rpm. The captain tried to adjust the propeller control and inadvertently increased power to 2,700 rpm. The captain then took control of the airplane and tried to stabilize the power on both engines. He leveled the airplane at 4,500 ft, canceled the instrument flight rules flight plan, and flew via visual flight rules direct toward the destination airport. The first officer suggested that they return to the departure airport, but the captain elected to continue as planned (The destination airport was located about 160 nautical miles from the departure airport). The first officer's postaccident statements indicated that he did not challenge the captain's decision. When the flight began the descent to 1,500 ft, the right engine began to surge and lose power. The captain and the first officer performed the engine failure checklist, and the captain feathered the propeller and shut down the engine. Shortly afterward, the left engine began to surge and lose power. The captain told the first officer to declare an emergency. The airplane continued to descend, and the airplane impacted the water "violently," about 32 miles east of the destination airport. The captain was unresponsive after the impact and the first officer was unable to lift the captain from his seat. Because the cockpit was filling rapidly with water, the first officer grabbed the life raft and exited the airplane from where the tail section had separated from the empennage. The first officer did not know what caused both engines to lose power. The airplane was not recovered from the ocean, so examination and testing to determine the cause of the engine failures could not be performed. According to the operator, the flight crew should have landed as soon as practical after the first sign of a mechanical issue. Thus, the crew should have diverted to the closest airport when the left engine propeller control stopped working and not continued the flight toward the destination airport.