2010 New Zealand Fletcher FU24 crash
Encyclopedia
The 2010 New Zealand Fletcher FU24 crash occurred on 4 September 2010. A parachuting
flight operating at Fox Glacier
, New Zealand
crashed shortly after take-off, killing all nine people on board.
engine. After being purchased by Skydive New Zealand in early 2010, the aircraft was further modified to carry out parachuting
operations and re-entered service in this configuration on 4 July, two months before the accident.
Eyewitnesses reported the aircraft's take-off roll appeared to be normal, however after lifting off the ground it continued pitching upwards until it was almost vertical. At around 350 feet, the aircraft yawed to the left so the nose was pointing down, and dived towards the ground. The aircraft was observed to be pulling out of the dive, but impacted with the ground at 1:25pm at an almost vertical angle and burst into flames, killing all nine on board.
The victims of the crash were of a number of different nationalities. The pilot and three of the instructors were New Zealanders; the other instructor and one of the tourists were Australian; the other three tourists were an Irishman, an Englishman and a young German woman.
It was the worst aircraft crash in New Zealand in 17 years. In terms of death toll, this was the seventh-deadliest air crash in New Zealand history, and the deadliest since the crash of an Aspiring Air
Britten-Norman Islander
in the Dart Valley in 1989.
(CofG) was outside the aft limit before the take-off commenced. A week after the crash, on 11 September the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority issued an emergency airworthiness directive
(AD), applicable to all FU24s engaged in parachuting operations. The AD limits the number of people that can be carried in the rear of the aircraft; and requires accurate determination of passenger weights and of the CofG. The investigation is continuing.
Parachuting
Parachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...
flight operating at Fox Glacier
Fox Glacier
The Fox Glacier is a long glacier located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
crashed shortly after take-off, killing all nine people on board.
Aircraft
The aircraft was a Fletcher FU24, a type manufactured in New Zealand and usually used for aerial topdressing. The accident aircraft had been modified in 1998 by replacing the original piston engine with a Walter M601 turbopropTurboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
engine. After being purchased by Skydive New Zealand in early 2010, the aircraft was further modified to carry out parachuting
Parachuting
Parachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...
operations and re-entered service in this configuration on 4 July, two months before the accident.
Accident
The pilot had already completed nine parachuting operations that day, before stopping for lunch. At 1:20pm (local time, UTC+12), after the aircraft was refuelled with about 160 litres of fuel, the pilot and passengers - four skydiving instructors and four tourists - boarded the aircraft.Eyewitnesses reported the aircraft's take-off roll appeared to be normal, however after lifting off the ground it continued pitching upwards until it was almost vertical. At around 350 feet, the aircraft yawed to the left so the nose was pointing down, and dived towards the ground. The aircraft was observed to be pulling out of the dive, but impacted with the ground at 1:25pm at an almost vertical angle and burst into flames, killing all nine on board.
The victims of the crash were of a number of different nationalities. The pilot and three of the instructors were New Zealanders; the other instructor and one of the tourists were Australian; the other three tourists were an Irishman, an Englishman and a young German woman.
It was the worst aircraft crash in New Zealand in 17 years. In terms of death toll, this was the seventh-deadliest air crash in New Zealand history, and the deadliest since the crash of an Aspiring Air
Aspiring Air
Aspiring Air is an airline based in Wanaka, New Zealand. It operates charter pleasure flights around New Zealand's Southern Alps and scheduled services three times daily to Queenstown, connecting with Air New Zealand...
Britten-Norman Islander
Britten-Norman Islander
The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a 1960s British light utility aircraft, regional airliner and cargo aircraft designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. The Islander is one of the best-selling commercial aircraft types produced in Europe. Although designed in...
in the Dart Valley in 1989.
Aftermath and investigation
Weather conditions over the area initially delayed the investigators making their way to the crash site. The accident investigators calculated the aircraft's take-off weight based on standard weights for the passengers (that is, without using the actual weight of each passenger) and determined that the aircraft's Maximum Takeoff Weight had been exceeded at the time of the accident. They found that the flight manual for the Fletcher FU24 did not cover loading the aircraft with passengers for skydiving operations. The investigators also determined that, based on standard passenger weights (70kg each) and the procedure normally used by the operator for loading passengers in the aircraft, the aircraft's centre of gravityCenter of gravity of an aircraft
The center-of-gravity is the point at which an aircraft would balance if it were possible to suspend it at that point. It is the mass center of the aircraft, or the theoretical point at which the entire weight of the aircraft is assumed to be concentrated. Its distance from the reference datum is...
(CofG) was outside the aft limit before the take-off commenced. A week after the crash, on 11 September the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority issued an emergency airworthiness directive
Airworthiness Directive
An Airworthiness Directive is a notification to owners and operators of certified aircraft that a known safety deficiency with a particular model of aircraft, engine, avionics or other system exists and must be corrected....
(AD), applicable to all FU24s engaged in parachuting operations. The AD limits the number of people that can be carried in the rear of the aircraft; and requires accurate determination of passenger weights and of the CofG. The investigation is continuing.