NTSB says ice, snow a major factor in Chamberlain plane crash that killed 9; takeoff video released
The National Transportation Safety Board released the official docket of information relating to the November 2019 Chamberlain plane crash that killed nine people and seriously injured three people who were flying to Idaho.
Members of a prominent eastern Idaho family were returning home from an annual South Dakota hunting trip when their Pilatus PC-12 crashed minutes after takeoff from the Chamberlain airport on Nov. 30. Passengers' ages ranged from 7 to 81, and the three survivors were transported to South Dakota hospitals.
In the aircraft performance and simulation study, conducted on Sept. 17, 2021, the team found that the pilot of the Pilatus PC-12 made several operational errors from his attempts to remove snow and ice from the aircraft, an overweighed aircraft to the conditions during takeoff that led to the crash — the deadliest in South Dakota since 1968.
Earlier: NTSB report: Warnings sounded seconds after liftoff in Chamberlain plane crash that killed nine
Previous reporting by the Argus found that evidence from the preliminary NTSB report "indicates the airplane was out of control the moment it took off."
Among the victims were Jim Hansen Sr. and his sons, Kirk and Jim Hansen Jr., and six other family members.
The crash also killed Kirk Hansen’s children, Stockton and Logan; his sons-in-law, Kyle Taylor and Tyson Dennert; and Jim Hansen’s son, Jake, and grandson, Houston.
Here's what we learned from the multiple-page report:
Ice and weather conditions were a major factor
Ice on the wings and other parts of the plane were a major factor in the crash, according to the report.
In a photo of the plane before the crash, someone can be seen clearing snow and ice from the left wing.
But the pilot was deicing the plane while snow was falling and "he did not completely remove snow and ice accumulations from the vertical and horizontal stabilizers."
Ten minutes before takeoff, there were visible icicles on the horizontal stab bullet fairing, according to the report. There was also more snow falling than there had been an hour before.
Video from the crash also shows a snowed-over runway.
A transcript from the in-aircraft communication catches someone asking if the runway was in good condition and someone responding that the runway was not entirely clear.
A decision is made anyway to take off with the pilot saying, "I need most of the runway, but, uh I'm — I'll be good."
There were too many people on board
There were only eight passengers and two crew member seats on the Pilatus PC-12, but there were two more people on board than seats, according to the report.
"Passengers 9 and 10 are assumed to be seated in the aisle of the passenger cabin," according to the aircraft performance and simulation study.
The flight was 100 pounds overweight, according to the report.
Seat belts for those who were seated were found buckled, unbuckled and cut. First responders reported that some passengers were buckled into their seats while some were not, according to the factual report.
First responders had to either cut the passengers out of their seat belts or were able to successfully unbuckle them.
The pilot took off too slowly
In the flight simulation study, the pilot took off at 88 knots, with ice pusher mode active, which is four knots slower than recommended.
More: Police identify victim in southeastern Sioux Falls fatal crash
Ice mode on PC-12 is when the propeller heat system is activated to provide additional protection in case the airframe has ice on it, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
Witness told the pilot and family they could stay an extra night
Carey Story, owner of the lodge where the family was staying, said that the pilot and one passenger had worked for three hours to remove ice and snow from the airplane, according to the witness statements.
Story asked the pilot not to leave and that he had room for everyone to stay another night at the lodge, according to the witness statement. But the pilot refused, saying they needed to get home.
"The pilot told him that the airplane was 98% good and the remaining ice would come off during takeoff," according to the statement.
Crash happened less than a minute after takeoff
While the pilot had called the Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center at 12:24 p.m. to notify them of takeoff, it wasn't until 12:31 p.m. that the plane actually took off, according to transcripts.
The pilot hung up with traffic control at 12:28 p.m., saying that he would notify them when he was in the air, according to the transcript.
At 12:31 p.m., the transcript indicates a sound similar to RPM increase and decrease with the pilot first saying "uh oh" but then 20 seconds later saying, "'okay we're set... probes on...condition lever."
Nearly 30 seconds later at 12:32, an automated voice begins to say stall and repeats it for another 30 seconds before a thud is heard at 12:33 and the recording ends.
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This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: NTSB releases report on Chamberlain, South Dakota plane crash
