Newsstand - Montanna 17 dead in plane crash

A plane (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7958383.stm)has crashed in the northern US state of Montana, aviation officials say, with reports of some fatalities.

US news reports said a small plane crashed as it approached the airport in the town of Butte.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman told the AP news agency that 17 people had been killed, with some children among the dead.

Here's a picture of the ill-fated aircraft:

N128CM (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Pilatus-PC-12-45/0969653&tbl=&photo_nr=0&sok=&sort=&prev_id=&next_id=NEXTID)

"A small plane crashed Sunday as it approached an airport in Montana, killing 17 people, including several children, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said...the Pilatus PC-12 aircraft was manufactured in 2001" (NY TImes) but every source states maximum passenger capacity is 9 with a crew of up to 2. Can the Pilatus be equipped to add another six seats?

The reports are saying children were involved, so it's possible that there were a few young enough to not need seats.

Seems unlikely that on a plane with 9 seats you'd have 6 infants though...

It is suspected that they were going skiing in Bozeman / Big Sky (they diverted to Butte), so even less likely they'd have multiple infants, if any at all.

The flight originated at Brown Field Municipal airport in San Diego on Saturday evening and flew to Redlands, Calif., where it left Sunday morning for Vacaville, Calif., according to Flight Aware, a Web site that tracks air traffic. From there it flew to Oroville, Calif., and then to Butte. The NTSB could not confirm that information.

"We are still gathering the information of the aircraft, it's purpose, what they were doing and where they were going," Dunks said.

In California, Tom Hagler said he saw a group of about a dozen children and four adults Sunday morning at the Oroville Municipal Airport, about 70 miles north of Sacramento.

Hagler, owner of Table Mountain Aviation, described the children as ranging from about 6- to 10 year olds. He let the children into his building to use the restroom.

"There were a lot of kids in the group," he said. "A lot of really cute kids."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/22/national/a154555D93.DTL&tsp=1

Wikipedia writeup says the capacity ranges from 4 pax to 9, depending on configuration, so there were at least 8 people without proper seats.

Max payload is 3500#. Max payload with full fuel is 1189#.

Something tells me there's going to be some fur flying after the investigation.

Wikipedia writeup says the capacity ranges from 4 pax to 9, depending on configuration, so there were at least 8 people without proper seats.

Max payload is 3500#. Max payload with full fuel is 1189#.

Something tells me there's going to be some fur flying after the investigation.

the article tom911 links to says there were only 14 people on board and that max capacity is 12 adults.

I wonder how much weight & balance issues may have contributed to the loss of the aircraft...

Pilatus' specs (http://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/media/Pilatus-PC-12-Fact-Sheet.pdf)put the max payload at 2,283 pounds, but only 1,029 pounds with max. fuel.

14 people + gear < 2,383 pounds?

Pilatus' specs (http://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/media/Pilatus-PC-12-Fact-Sheet.pdf)put the max payload at 2,283 pounds, but only 1,029 pounds with max. fuel.

14 people + gear < 2,383 pounds?

Maximum payload depends on model and equipment - this was a PC-12/45, probably with 9 pass. seats plus 2 upfront. Total useful load for this version (pass.+crew+fuel) is around 3500 lbs. http://www.airplanemart.com/aircraft_type_history/Pilatus-PC-12-Turbo-Prop.html

7 adults @ 175# avg. = 1225
12 bags (ski stuff)@25# = 300
7 children (2yrs to 9 yrs) @50#= 350

The PC12/45 burns 481 lbs. per hour including takeoff, cruise, landing. One needs at least a 45 min. reserve, so total required fuel for say 3 hours x 481 = 1443 lbs. Oroville to Butte should have been about a 2.2 hour flight.

Total is very near maximum - 3318# but a doable flight IF the above weights are accurate. Unexpected strong headwinds, miscalculation of fuel put on board, excess fuel consumption due to a mechanical problem, can all cut short a planned flight.

Icing is another factor that may play a role here.

Victims identified.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11978111

Just hit home for us.

Dr. Vanessa Pullen was a pediatrician who worked for the pediatric medical group where we take our children. While not our primary care pediatrician, she has seen the kids from time to time when their regular doctor is out.

She, along with her husband Michael and their two children (ages 7 & 9) perished in the crash.

:(