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Metroliner Crashes on Golf Course w/53 dogs

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Old 11-18-2022, 08:30 PM
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Default Metroliner Crashes on Golf Course w/53 dogs

The 1985 Fairchild Metro SA227 was being operated by Ameriflight on behalf of Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha. 3 humans received minor injuries and all 53 dogs survived, some of which are being adopted by first responders.
300 gallons of fuel was spilled. The aircraft crashed short of the airport in poor weather. It make contact with several trees as it slid across the golf course.

https://simpleflying.com/ameriflight...se-crash-dogs/
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Old 12-10-2022, 02:05 AM
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I don’t know the particulars of the cockpit avionics, training, experience & currency, but with the benefit of hindsight, I’ll vote for not even a divert, but landing short. They came from TX, so plenty of time to evaluate the weather & options. I thought I read somewhere about abnormalities during the approach?

Yeah, the 53 dogs would require attention with an intermediate stop, so be it. Look at nearby TAFs, maybe better WX a few hours later. It turned out kinda ok, all alive, what’s left of the plane off to the salvage yard.
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Old 12-10-2022, 07:35 AM
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So just to be clear you are projecting your own personal IFR minimums being violated as the cause of the accident?
You might be barking up the wrong tree.
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Old 12-10-2022, 07:46 AM
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Originally Posted by sourdough44 View Post
I don’t know the particulars of the cockpit avionics, training, experience & currency, but with the benefit of hindsight, I’ll vote for not even a divert, but landing short.
It did land short.
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Old 12-22-2022, 06:55 PM
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Airplane rolled right when autopilot was disengaged. They got it back under control just in time to have at least a somewhat controlled crash:

Metroliner Had Autopilot Issues before Crash Landing

The two-person crew of the Metroliner that crashed onto a Wisconsin golf course last month with more than 50 rescue dogs aboard was experiencing autopilot and aircraft control issues while shooting an instrument approach, according to an NTSB preliminary report. The 1985 Fairchild Metro SA227, operated by Ameriflight, crashed 3.2 nm short of the approach to Runway 10 at Wisconsin's Waukesha County Airport on November 15. Weather conditions at the time were reported as one-half mile with snow and fog and a ceiling of 300 feet.

Cleared for the approach, the crew intercepted the localizer and glideslope when they noticed that the “command bars on the airplane’s flight director were indicating a climbing right turn. At that time, the autopilot was in approach mode and was tracking the localizer and glideslope,” according to the NTSB. “The flight crew disconnected the autopilot and continued the approach, manually flying the airplane. Once the autopilot disconnected, the airplane immediately rolled to the right. The flying pilot and the non-flying pilot both got on the controls and increased engine power to attempt to regain control of the airplane. They were able to level the airplane; however, it impacted the ground in a near wings level attitude."

None of the crew, sole human passenger, or the 53 dogs aboard were seriously injured.
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Old 12-22-2022, 09:04 PM
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Originally Posted by AirBear View Post
Weather conditions at the time were reported as one-half mile with snow and fog and a ceiling of 300 feet.
according to the NTSB. “The flight crew disconnected the autopilot and continued the approach, manually flying the airplane. Once the autopilot disconnected, the airplane immediately rolled to the right. The flying pilot and the non-flying pilot both got on the controls and increased engine power to attempt to regain control of the airplane. They were able to level the airplane; however, it impacted the ground in a near wings level attitude."
That sounds a lot like an icing control problem masked by the autopilot...
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