Girl Killed in Angel Flight Unrestrained

CJones

CJones

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I thought this accident was discussed last year on PoA, but I couldn't find it via search.

http://www.kcci.com/news/19922340/detail.html said:
The National Transportation Safety Board said a 2-year-old girl killed in a plane crash in June 2008 in Iowa City was not properly restrained.
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http://www.kcci.com/news/19922340/detail.html

Sad indeed...
 
And who removed her restraints? Normally a parent/guardian is required to accompany minors on Angel Flights.
 
TMetzinger said:
And who removed her restraints? Normally a parent/guardian is required to accompany minors on Angel Flights.
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Article said she was sitting in her mother's lap. Her mother was strapped in, but the little girl wasn't.
 
CJones said:
Article said she was sitting in her mother's lap. Her mother was strapped in, but the little girl wasn't.
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How old was she? That could be legal if she's young enough.
 
CJones said:
2yo..
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What phase of the flight did the accident occur in? (and by that I mean the loss of control). Restraints are only required for pax during takeoff and landing, right? And a two year old is probably within the FAR on the lap, though it's NEVER a good idea to have anyone unrestrained - there's just no way that you can hold on to an infant/child in a crash.

I wish the FAA would require proper restraining systems on all aircraft and do away with the lap option, but it would deprive quite a few poor folk of the ability to travel by air (and some tightwad not-poor folk too).

We ain't rich, but we always put Ciara in a rear-facing, then front-facing four point restraint system until she was over 40 lbs. Even though it meant buying the seat for the infant.
 
Infants (<4) don't fly on Angel flights with me without a car seat. The FAR that they can be held on laps is nothing but sucking up to the airliners. Not only is it not safe it's a royal pain to get stuck next to them in a revenue seat.

Joe
 
TMetzinger said:
What phase of the flight did the accident occur in? (and by that I mean the loss of control). Restraints are only required for pax during takeoff and landing, right? And a two year old is probably within the FAR on the lap, though it's NEVER a good idea to have anyone unrestrained - there's just no way that you can hold on to an infant/child in a crash.

I wish the FAA would require proper restraining systems on all aircraft and do away with the lap option, but it would deprive quite a few poor folk of the ability to travel by air (and some tightwad not-poor folk too).

We ain't rich, but we always put Ciara in a rear-facing, then front-facing four point restraint system until she was over 40 lbs. Even though it meant buying the seat for the infant.
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A 2 year old is NOT with within the FAR on the lap. The exception allows children who have not reach the age of 2 to be held.
 
kkoran said:
A 2 year old is NOT with within the FAR on the lap. The exception allows children who have not reach the age of 2 to be held.
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True, but I can see the press identifying a 23 month old child as a two year old.
 
Those probable cause reports are always sobering. What's the old saying? "What will the accident report say?"
 
CJones said:
I thought this accident was discussed last year on PoA, but I couldn't find it via search.
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http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20080611X00836&key=1


The private pilot arrived at the accident airport as part of an Angel Flight volunteer program to provide transportation of a passenger who had undergone medical treatment at a local hospital. About 0937, the airplane landed on runway 30 (3,900 feet by 150 feet) with winds from 073-080 degrees and 5-6 knots, which continued to increase due to an atmospheric pressure gradient. The pilot met the passengers and departed the terminal about 1003, with winds at 101-103 degrees and 23-36 knots. About 1005 the airplane was near the approach end of runway 30 with wind from 089-096 degrees and 21-31 knots. The pilot stated that he began rotating the airplane about 3,000 feet down the runway. About 1006, the airplane was approximately 3,553 feet down the runway while flying about 30 feet above the runway. The airplane experienced an aerodynamic stall, and the left wing dropped before it impacted the ground. No mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane were noted during the investigation. The fatally injured passenger, who had received medical treatment, was 2 years and 10 months of age at the time of the accident. She was held by her mother during the flight, as she had been on previous Angel Flights, but was otherwise unrestrained. According to 14 CFR 91.107(3), each person on board a U.S.-registered civil aircraft must occupy an approved seat with a safety belt properly secured during takeoff, and only unrestrained children who are under the age of 2 may be held by a restrained adult. Although the accident was survivable (both the pilot and the adult passenger survived with non-life-threatening injuries), an autopsy performed on the child revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma of the head.

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

The pilot's improper decision to depart with a preexisting tailwind and failure to abort takeoff. Contributing to the severity of the injuries was the failure to properly restrain (FAA-required) the child passenger.
 
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