Crystal – Lansing

After landing at the airport, the airplane was taxied to a fixed base operator to pick up a passenger. Rime ice, as thick as two inches was seen on the airplane, and the pilots of the airplane attempted to manually remove the ice. The airplane was topped off with fuel before departure. During departure from runway 31R, the airplane collided with a fence. Numerous areas of ice were found on the airplane following the accident. Both propellers had similar damage. The pilots had reported to the FAA that the left engine had sustained a loss of power. The passenger reported that he did not notice any loss of power from either engine. No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the left engine was found.

Flight / Schedule

Crystal – Lansing

Aircraft

Cessna 401

Registration

N5AS

MSN

401-0208

Year of Manufacture

1969

Operator

Air One - USA

Date

January 22, 1997 at 01:26 PM

Type

CRASH

Flight Type

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Flight Phase

Takeoff (climb)

Crash Site

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Crash Location

Crystal Minnesota

Region

North America • United States of America

Coordinates

45.0318°, -93.3606°

Crash Cause

Human factor

Narrative Report

On January 22, 1997 at 01:26 PM, Crystal – Lansing experienced a crash involving Cessna 401, operated by Air One - USA, with the event recorded near Crystal Minnesota.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

3 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 3 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 2, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 1, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. After landing at the airport, the airplane was taxied to a fixed base operator to pick up a passenger. Rime ice, as thick as two inches was seen on the airplane, and the pilots of the airplane attempted to manually remove the ice. The airplane was topped off with fuel before departure. During departure from runway 31R, the airplane collided with a fence. Numerous areas of ice were found on the airplane following the accident. Both propellers had similar damage. The pilots had reported to the FAA that the left engine had sustained a loss of power. The passenger reported that he did not notice any loss of power from either engine. No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the left engine was found.

Aircraft reference details include registration N5AS, MSN 401-0208, year of manufacture 1969.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 45.0318°, -93.3606°.

Fatalities

Total

0

Crew

0

Passengers

0

Other

0

Crash Summary

After landing at the airport, the airplane was taxied to a fixed base operator to pick up a passenger. Rime ice, as thick as two inches was seen on the airplane, and the pilots of the airplane attempted to manually remove the ice. The airplane was topped off with fuel before departure. During departure from runway 31R, the airplane collided with a fence. Numerous areas of ice were found on the airplane following the accident. Both propellers had similar damage. The pilots had reported to the FAA that the left engine had sustained a loss of power. The passenger reported that he did not notice any loss of power from either engine. No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the left engine was found.

Cause: Human factor

Occupants & Outcome

Crew On Board

2

Passengers On Board

1

Estimated Survivors

3

Fatality Rate

0.0%

Known people on board: 3

Operational Details

Schedule / Flight

Crystal – Lansing

Operator

Air One - USA

Flight Type

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Flight Phase

Takeoff (climb)

Crash Site

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Region / Country

North America • United States of America

Aircraft Details

Aircraft

Cessna 401

Registration

N5AS

MSN

401-0208

Year of Manufacture

1969