Ontario International Airport, Ontario, CA

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Airport Area Accident History:
Accident occurred Tuesday, December 25, 2007 in Ontario, CA
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83, registration: N943AS
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor, 112 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On December 25, 2007, about 0918 Pacific standard time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83, N943AS, encountered severe turbulence during descent for landing at Ontario International Airport (ONT), Ontario, California . The airplane, which was being operated under 14 CFR Part 121 by Alaska Airlines as flight 464, was not damaged. One flight attendant sustained a serious injury and another flight attendant received minor injuries. The third flight attendant, the two flight crew members and the 109 passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight. The flight departed from Seattle, Washington, about 0703, and the intended destination was Ontario . Following the turbulence encounter, the airplane landed at ONT without further incident at 0925.

According to information provided by Alaska Airlines, the flight was descending on the ONT ZIGGY 4 arrival in the vicinity of ZIGGY at an altitude of 8,300 to 8,500 feet above mean sea level when it encountered severe turbulence. The two flight attendants who sustained injuries were both standing, completing final cabin duties in preparation for landing, when they were both knocked to the floor during the turbulence encounter.

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Accident occurred Saturday, July 29, 2006 in Ontario, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/29/2006
Aircraft: Cessna 414A, registration: N805PR
Injuries: 4 Uninjured.
The pilot inadvertently retracted the landing gear during the landing rollout. The pilot intended to retract the flaps, but instead he moved the landing gear lever to the retracted position. After the aural alarm activated, the pilot reversed the gear handle to the down position; however, the nosewheel partially retracted and the firewall sustained damage. There were no mechanical malfunctions or failures during the flight.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

the pilot's inadvertent retraction of the landing gear during the landing roll.

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Accident occurred Saturday, December 11, 2004 in Ontario, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 5/30/2006
Aircraft: Schweizer 269C, registration: N130JS
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The helicopter rolled over during an autorotation following a loss of engine power. During a practical flight test examination for a private pilot certificate , the Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) simulated a loss of engine power by retarding the throttle to idle. The student pilot lowered the collective and was performing an autorotation to the ground. The DPE noticed loss of engine noise then detected that the engine had lost power. The student pilot unsuccessfully attempted to restart the engine. During the landing sequence, the tail rotor stinger and blades impacted the ground. As the helicopter was sliding to a stop, it veered to the left and rolled over. Examination of the aircraft systems and the engine failed to disclose any abnormality, and an engine operational run test was conducted. After the engine was started, the cockpit mounted oil pressure gauge displayed an oil pressure indication within the normal operating range, and proper operation
of the electrical fuel boost pump and engine driven fuel pump were verified. Once the engine was operating at temperature, the throttle was advanced to about 2,500 rpm, at which time the magnetos were checked utilizing the cockpit mounted ignition switch. Both magnetos operated within manufacturer's specifications. The engine ran smoothly during the operational check and exhibited no unusual indications and no fuel or oil leaks. The Rotorcraft Flight Manual for the Schweizer 300C Helicopter Model 269C provides the following procedure for practice autorotations: "Split the needles by lowering the collective while maintaining throttle setting. The throttle correlation will establish a high idle rpm (approximately 2,500 rpm), which will aid in preventing the engine from loading up or stalling during recovery."

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

a loss of engine power due to the Designated Pilot Examiner's failure to follow the flight manual procedures and directives regarding throttle settings to be used for practice autorotations.

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Accident occurred Sunday, July 25, 2004 in Ontario, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 6/8/2005
Aircraft: Piper PA-32RT-300, registration: N5GC
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The airplane collided with a berm during a forced landing in an open field about 3/4-mile from an airport following a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that initially during the flight the engine had operated normally. However, after flying for several minutes, the engine started running rough, and oil appeared on the front windshield. Thereafter, all engine power was lost. During the subsequent examination of the engine about 10 quarts of oil were found in the sump, and a hole was found in the engine's case next to the oil dipstick port. The teardown examination of the engine revealed that, for undetermined reasons, the connecting rod bearing on rod number 5 had overheated to failure, and the connecting rod broke. The engine had been operated 40 hours since its last inspection and 806 hours since last receiving a major overhaul. The airplane's total time was about 6,325 hours.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

a catastrophic engine failure due to the overheating of a connecting rod bearing, and the resulting failure of the rod, for undetermined reasons.

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Accident occurred Tuesday, June 25, 2002 in Ontario, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 6/8/2005
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas 369E, registration: N40NT
Injuries: 2 Serious.
The helicopter landed hard during an autorotation following a catastrophic engine failure in the takeoff initial climb. The engine lost all power during the initial climb out on a test flight following the completion of a 100-hour inspection. The pilot initiated an autorotative descent. While he maneuvered to avoid automobile traffic and power lines, the main rotor rpm decayed. The helicopter touched down hard on a street and was destroyed by an intense fuel-fed ground fire. The accident occurred during the first flight following maintenance performed by the on-board passenger, a mechanic employed by the operator. The helicopter's airframe was examined and no evidence of preimpact anomalies were found. Upon splitting the engine's case halves, all of the compressor blades on stages 1 through 6 were found either damaged or missing. A piece of a wire tie wrap was noted adhering to one of the case halves in the 6th stage area . Additionally, metallic debris
was found in the outer combustion case (OCC). The metallurgical examination of the OCC debris revealed it was composed of an aluminum-magnesium-silicon alloy, which was foreign to components used in the engine. Wire tie wraps, similar to the tie wrap found in the engine, were also found in the accident site debris field. Similar wire tie wraps were additionally observed in storage at the operator's maintenance facility. The air intake to the engine's compressor is enclosed in a plenum chamber on the top of the helicopter. Prior to the accident, the mechanic had been observed performing maintenance in this area.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The mechanic's improper maintenance procedures (FOD prevention) during a 100-hour inspection, which resulted in foreign object damage (FOD) to the compressor section and catastrophic engine failure. Factors were the presence of vehicles and power lines partially obstructing the forced landing site that necessitated the pilot's use of rotor system energy to avoid, which resulted in a hard landing.



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