The NTSB has filed a
probable cuase report in the accident of a Goodyear Blimp last June
16th, resulting in the non-injury destruction of the aircraft.
NTSB Identification: ATL05CA100.
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please
contact Public Inquiries
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, June 16, 2005 in Coral Springs,
FL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 9/13/2005
Aircraft: Goodyear GZ-20A, registration: N1A
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
On June 16, 2005, at 1842 eastern daylight time, a Goodyear
GZ-20A airship, N1A, registered to Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.,
and operated by Goodyear Airship Operations, collided with trees,
power lines, and the ground in Coral Springs, Florida. The aerial
display flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR
Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions
prevailed. The commercial pilot and the passenger reported no
injuries, and the airship sustained substantial damage. The local
flight departed Pompano Beach Airpark, Pompano Beach, Florida,
about 1530.
According to the chief pilot of the Pompano Beach base of
Goodyear Airship Operations, the pilot received a weather briefing
from an Automated Flight Service Station about 1245, prior to the
airship's previous flight that day. The pilot stated he departed
Pompano Beach Airpark about 1530 and flew south to the Miami Beach,
Florida, area, and "the weather was good along the coast with a few
isolated showers southwest of Miami." At 1630, the pilot turned the
airship back toward Pompano Beach with an intended landing time of
1800. The pilot stated, "I made radio calls to the home base to
check on the weather status. ... At approximately 1725, we were two
miles northwest of [Pompano Beach Airpark] when the isolated
showers in the area north and south of us appeared to be
strengthening. At this time I made a radio call to the base to ...
state my intention to land as soon as possible."
As the pilot headed the airship toward the airport for landing,
he stated he saw numerous cloud to ground lighting strikes within
one mile of the base. The pilot stated he did not want to expose
the ground crew to the risk of a lightning strike, and he decided
not to land. According to the chief pilot, ground crew operations
include the handling of a tall metal mooring mast, as well as the
handling of the nose lines of the airship. The pilot decided to fly
the airship out of the area to wait for the storms to pass. The
chief pilot stated the airship was equipped with a weather radar
system that was capable of scanning an approximate 45-degree arc
directly in front of the airship. The chief pilot stated he was at
the base monitoring area weather radar, and he maintained radio
communication with the pilot to provide weather updates every few
minutes.
The pilot stated that,
as he flew the airship west to avoid the storm, the weather
deteriorated rapidly, and he encountered "heavy rain, lightning,
and severe outflow and downdrafts." The pilot stated the airship
became "unable to climb, make headway, or maintain directional
control" with full power on the engines, and at one point the
airship was "being pushed backward and down at full-power climb."
The pilot's efforts to regain full control of the airship were
unsuccessful. He stated he attempted to guide it away from
residences, and the airship struck trees and power lines and came
to rest on the ground in an industrial complex.
Witnesses on the ground reported seeing the airship pitching and
rolling before losing sight of it in heavy rain. One witness, who
stated he is a certified storm spotter and HAM radio operator,
observed the airship and the developing weather from before 1815 to
approximately 1835. He stated, "the blimp looked to have been to
have been caught in a very quick developing storm and got stranded
from home base."
Examination of the airship revealed the envelope was torn, the
right propeller was damaged, and the lower fin was damaged. The
pilot reported no mechanical malfunction of the airship.
A review of recorded weather data for Pompano Beach Airpark
revealed at 1553 observations included wind from 140 degrees at 9
knots, visibility 10 statute miles, and scattered clouds at 2,500
feet; at 1730 observations included wind from 160 degrees at 13
knots, visibility 10 statute miles with thunderstorms in the
vicinity, scattered clouds at 2,000 feet, lightning distant south
and northwest; at 1845 observations included wind from 300 degrees
at 10 knots, visibility 2 statute miles, thunderstorm, heavy rain,
mist, ceiling 700 feet broken, 2,100 feet broken, 7,000 feet
overcast, and lightning distant all quadrants.
A review of weather
forecast data revealed Convective SIGMET 20E was issued at 1455 for
an area that included the Miami Beach area and was valid until
1755. Convective SIGMET 20E included the following information:
Developing area of thunderstorms moving little, tops to FL [flight
level] 400. Convective SIGMET 26E was issued at 1755 for an area
that included the accident site and was valid until 1855.
Convective SIGMET 26E included the following information:
Developing area of thunderstorms moving little, tops above FL 450.
A Miami Center Weather Advisory was valid from 1735 until 1935 for
an area that included the accident site. The weather advisory
included the following information: An area of widely scattered
Level 4 and Level 5 thunderstorms with moderate rain moving little,
maximum tops to near FL 450, coverage increasing slightly through
1935.
A review of the published FAA Approved Flight Limitations for
the GZ-20A revealed the airship was certificated for operation in
"extremely turbulent air: 20-30 ft/sec gust." The operating
limitations stated the airship's maximum level flight speed is 50
mph indicated airspeed, and its maximum rate of climb is 2,400 feet
per minute.
The distance from Pompano Beach Airpark to the Miami Beach area
is approximately 28 nautical miles.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the
probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision which
resulted in an in-flight encounter with weather (thunderstorm
outflow), and downdrafts, loss of control and subsequent collision
with trees and transmission wires.