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King Air 350 Accident Proved to Be Fatal Misstep

A fatal 2019 King Air 350 accident near Dallas exhibited all the signs of a random pilot error.

A fatal King Air 350 accident in 2019 near Dallas exhibited all the signs of a random pilot error. [Glenn Watson]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A Beechcraft King Air 350 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 10 aboard, due to the pilot's incorrect response to a critical left engine power loss.
  • The pilot exacerbated the engine issue by pressing the wrong rudder pedal (left instead of right), leading to an extreme yaw, inverted dive, and loss of control at low altitude.
  • The NTSB speculated the engine power loss was caused by a faulty power lever friction setting and noted the pilot's history of not adhering to checklists and callouts.
  • The article criticizes the NTSB's probable cause as vague, suggesting the fatal error was a specific human mistake rather than solely a consequence of personality traits or lack of checklist use.
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On June 30, 2019, a Beechcraft King Air 350 twin turboprop, leaving Addison Airport (KADS) near Dallas on a flight to Florida, crashed into a hangar beside the runway. Either the impact or the ensuing explosion and fire killed all 10 people aboard.

The catastrophe was recorded by a number of surveillance cameras, some located not far from the point of impact. Video showed the airplane airborne, initially drifting left, then yawing left to an extreme sideslip angle before rapidly rolling into an inverted dive. The sequence took just a few seconds. Once the left wing had dropped, the low altitude made recovery impossible.

Peter Garrison

Peter Garrison taught himself to use a slide rule and tin snips, built an airplane in his backyard, and flew it to Japan. He began contributing to FLYING in 1968, and he continues to share his columns, ""Technicalities"" and ""Aftermath,"" with FLYING readers.

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