Final Report On Bermuda Registered Plane Crash
A final report released a few days ago following an investigation into the crash of a Bermuda registered Cessna Citation 500 in March 2008 stated the lack of black box recording equipment reduced understanding of the cause of the crash, but that four factors contributed.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the private Cessna jet being flown by Mike Roberts was not carrying black box recording equipment as it was exempt from having a recorder because of its low weight and small number of passengers. The lack of black box “meant the investigation was short of critical information which could have provided further insight and a clearer understanding of the factors leading to the loss of the aircraft,” the report said.
The plane, headed from the UK to France, crashed into an empty house shortly after takeoff, killing the two crewmembers and three passengers on board.
The following contributory factors to the crash were identified by the AAIB: mechanical failure within the air cycle machine, missing rivet head on the left engine fuel shut-off lever may have led to an inadvertent shutdown of that engine, approximately 70 seconds prior to impact, neither engine was producing any thrust and a relight attempt on the second engine was probably started before the relit first engine had reached idle speed, resulting in insufficient time for enough thrust to be developed to arrest the aircraft’s rate of descent before ground impact.
The report concluded: “Both the pilot and co-pilot were properly licensed to operate the aircraft for single pilot operation only. “The aircraft was certified, equipped and maintained in accordance with the regulations and approved procedures.”
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