Incident Overview

Description
AeroPerlas flight 460, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, force landed following a loss of engine power. The aircraft took off from runway 36 at Panama City Albrook-Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport (PAC) and was cleared to climb to 6000 feet. Almost reaching 6000 feet, at cruise altitude and about 4 NM from Puerto Vacamonte, a loud noise was heard in the front part of the engine, as if something was being shredded very rapidly and strongly; the engine stopped, and the propeller feathered. An emergency was declared, and a forced landing was executed on the road to Puerto Vacamonte. The airplane struck a tree, sustaining substantial damage. CONCLUSIONS The cause of the accident involving the Cessna Caravan 208B aircraft was the sudden stoppage of the engine due to the detachment of a blade from the compressor turbine disc (Compressor Turbine Disc, CTD), which broke several blades and internal parts of the engine. Events that contributed to the accident: a) The sudden stoppage of the engine. b) The lack of a nearby runway relative to the flight altitude. c) The time lost in making the decision to land the aircraft, due to the uncertainty at the moment regarding altitude loss and the aircraft’s gliding. d) The area chosen for the forced landing due to the circumstances, as there were obstacles that were difficult to avoid in order to make contact with the pavement such as automobiles, a tractor, trees, and the narrowness of the pavement necessary to keep the airplane aligned on the landing path and manage to stop it on the two-lane road.
Primary Cause
Sudden stoppage of the engine due to the detachment of a blade from the compressor turbine disc (CTD).Sudden stoppage of the engine due to the detachment of a blade from the compressor turbine disc (CTD).Share on: