Final report on DA40 Accident in Kulusuk, Greenland published

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EKRK

Final report on DA40 Accident in Kulusuk, Greenland published

Post by EKRK »

The Danish Accident Investigation Board has published the final report on the accident involving N39SE near Kulusuk (BGKK) on 11-09-2014.

Quote from the summary:

"During a VFR approach in IMC, the aircraft impacted high mountainous terrain.
The aircraft was most likely exposed to a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT)."

Source: Danish Accident Investigation Board report no. HCLJ510-2014-278.

The report can be downloaded from: http://www.havarikommissionen.dk

Regards,

LH Larsen
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Kai
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Re: Final report on DA40 Accident in Kulusuk, Greenland published

Post by Kai »

"It has not been possible for the AIB to reveal why the pilot filed a VFR ATC flight plan and not an
IFR ATC flight plan, and why the pilot during the approach mentally failed to include the abovementioned
available resources in his mental risk assessment and decision making process."


With severe icing at the flight levels where he could have switched to an IFR-approach, it was not really an option. He sure did not file IFR from the beginning knowing that at IFR-levels, he would have encountered icing.

To another point, with the given range, he would have had to file an alternate aerodrome which was not in reach with the given range of the plane.
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Re: Final report on DA40 Accident in Kulusuk, Greenland published

Post by Colin »

I assume the terrain database is of no help in those remote locations.
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Re: Final report on DA40 Accident in Kulusuk, Greenland published

Post by CFIDave »

If the DA40 had been equipped with a G1000 current international database, the pilot could have avoided terrain. Here's a photo I took of our MFD when ferrying our DA42 across the southern Greenland icecap from Iceland. Note that the highest terrain goes above 14,000 feet!! :shock:

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Re: Final report on DA40 Accident in Kulusuk, Greenland published

Post by CFIDave »

Disregard the previous comment -- the DA40 was a 2003 model so it didn't have a G1000 or terrain database.
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Re: Final report on DA40 Accident in Kulusuk, Greenland published

Post by Rich »

CFIDave wrote:Disregard the previous comment -- the DA40 was a 2003 model so it didn't have a G1000 or terrain database.
It could still have had a terrain database. Though a more primitive display, the 530 and 430 in my 2002 have terrain databases. And of course, FF on my iPads also has had terrain for years.

No way to know without more information.
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Re: Final report on DA40 Accident in Kulusuk, Greenland published

Post by Charles »

I think that's because you had them upgraded to WAAS.
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Re: Final report on DA40 Accident in Kulusuk, Greenland published

Post by Rich »

Charles wrote:I think that's because you had them upgraded to WAAS.
This is an incorrect statement. The terrain option preceded the availability of WAAS, and we did so a couple of years before the upgrade to WAAS was available. But it was an upgrade you had to pay for.

So one can not assume this plane did or did not have terrain available save the apparent obliviousness of the pilot to the danger.
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Re: Final report on DA40 Accident in Kulusuk, Greenland published

Post by Charles »

Thank you, I learned something today. Terrain came with the WAAS upgrade in my case.
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Re: Final report on DA40 Accident in Kulusuk, Greenland published

Post by carym »

I don't know if this makes any difference, but I have always had terrain in my non-WAAS G1000.
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