CHI08FA027

An in-flight collision with at least one Canada goose, and the resulting damage to the left stabilator that caused the airplane to become uncontrollable. Contributing to the accident was the night lighting condition, which precluded any possibility of the flight crew seeing the bird(s) prior to impact.

The accident flight was the third of a three-leg dual instructional night cross-country flight. The airplane was established in normal cruise flight at 4,500 feet mean sea level (msl) when the airplane abruptly departed controlled flight and impacted a bog. The bog was about 15 to 20 feet deep, with a thin layer of vegetation floating on the surface. The airplane came to rest inverted, and damage to the airframe was consistent with an inverted impact to the surface of the bog. Data recovered from the airplane's flight display system indicated that the airplane was in stable flight on a 320-degree magnetic heading, at 4,500 feet msl, and approximately 160 knots true airspeed prior to the accident, when it abruptly departed from controlled flight. The airplane rolled approximately 20 degrees left wing down, yawed to the left about 30 degrees, and simultaneously pitched nose-down about 40 degrees. It then reversed and immediately entered a descending, right roll for the duration of the flight. The airplane impacted the bog within 30 seconds of the upset. The post accident examination noted that the left half of the horizontal stabilator was bent upward approximately 90 degrees, inconsistent with the damage to the remainder of the airframe. This damage was consistent with the initial left yaw and nose down pitch recorded during the upset. In addition, a depression and tear were observed on the upper wing skin near the left wing tip. Microscopic examination and DNA testing of material on the inside surface of the wing skin was identified as remains of a Canada goose. The natural history of this species was consistent with the location, time, and date of the accident.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 23, 2007, about 2212 central daylight time, a twin-engine Piper PA-44-180, N327ND, operated by the University of North Dakota, was substantially damaged during an in-flight collision with terrain near Browerville, Minnesota. The dual instructional flight was being conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 on a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan. The private pilot and flight instructor were fatally injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The cross-country flight departed St. Paul Downtown Airport (STP), St. Paul, Minnesota, at 2115. The intended destination was Grand Forks International Airport (GFK), Grand Forks, North Dakota. The pilot and flight instructor planned a three-leg, dual instructional, cross-country night flight as part of the University of North Dakota (UND) commercial/instrument flight program. The initial leg was from GFK to Hutson Field Airport (GAF), Grafton, North Dakota. From GAF, the flight planned to fly to STP before returning to GFK. The pilot contacted flight service at 1711 and filed two VFR flight plans. The first was for a flight from GAF to STP, with a proposed departure time of 1815. The second was for the return flight from STP to GFK, with a proposed time off of 2115. A Direct User Access Terminal (DUAT) session attributed to the flight was initiated at 1713. The flight departed GFK about 1745, and made an intermediate stop at GAF before continuing to STP. At 1825, the flight crew contacted Grand Forks Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) and requested that their VFR flight plan to STP be activated. The flight arrived at STP at 2000, and it subsequently departed on the accident flight at 2115. At 2125, the flight crew contacted Princeton AFSS and requested that their VFR flight plan from STP to GFK be activated. According to employees at the fixed base operator (FBO) at STP, the arrival and departure of the UND flight was uneventful. The flight crew seemed relaxed. The FBO customer service representative recalled that the pilots borrowed the crew car in order to get something to eat. At the request of the flight instructor, the airplane was topped-off with 41.8 gallons of 100 low-lead aviation fuel. At 2118, after departure from STP, the flight crew contacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Minneapolis Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility and requested VFR flight-following services en route to GFK. Handling of the flight was subsequently transferred to Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), which provided flight-following services until 2155. At that time, the flight was approaching the extent of normal radar coverage and the flight-following services were terminated. The airplane was approximately 13 miles north of St Cloud, Minnesota, at 4,500 feet mean sea level (msl). During the time flight-following services were provided, communications were routine. The pilots did not communicate any difficulties or anomalies prior to the accident. The FAA was notified that the flight was overdue about 0016 on October 24th. An Alert Notice was issued at 0146 when initial attempts to locate the airplane were unsuccessful. The airplane was subsequently located about 1810 that evening after a search by local authorities and the Civil Air Patrol. FAA radar track data indicated that the flight departed STP and proceeded on course toward GFK. The initial radar data point was recorded at 2117:21 (HHMM:SS), with a Mode-C transponder altitude of 900 feet. According to the track data, the airplane climbed to a cruise altitude of 4,500 feet and was established on a course to GFK. About 2155 when flight-following was terminated, the flight changed from the assigned discrete transponder beacon code to a 1200 VFR transponder code. Based on VFR transponder returns correlated to the accident airplane, the flight remained within radar coverage until 2203:24 when it left the normal radar coverage area. It was approximately 2 miles west of Little Falls, Minnesota, at 4,600 feet at that time. No further radar data was recorded related to the accident flight. The accident site was located 16.5 miles northwest of the final radar data point. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot was enrolled in the Commercial/Instrument Pilot Airplane training program at the University of North Dakota – Grand Forks. A university flight instructor accompanied the pilot on the night cross-country flight. The flight instructor was a former student of the university flight program. The flight instructor, age 22, held a Commercial Pilot certificate with single and multi-engine land airplane, and instrument airplane ratings. She held a Flight Instructor certificate with single and multi-engine airplane, and instrument airplane ratings. She was issued a Second-Class Airman Medical certificate on July 27, 2007. The medical certificate included a limitation that corrective lenses be worn. A review of the flight instructor’s logbook revealed that her most recent logged flight was dated October 1, 2007. University records indicated 9 additional flights between October 1st and October 23rd. According to the logbook and university records, the flight instructor had accumulated 647.1 hours total flight time, with 128.8 hours in multi-engine airplanes. Of that total, 80.4 hours were at night, 6.0 hours were in actual instrument conditions, and 56.0 hours were in simulated instrument conditions. She had accumulated at least 121.5 hours in Piper PA-44-180 (Seminole) airplanes. The pilot, age 20, held a Private Pilot certificate with a single-engine land airplane rating. He was issued a Second-Class Airman Medical certificate on July 27, 2007. The medical certificate was issued without limitations. According to university records, the pilot had accumulated 171.5 hours total flight time, with 13.0 hours in multi-engine airplanes. All of the multi-engine flight time was as dual instruction in a Piper PA-44-180. He had accumulated 18.4 hours of night and 50.9 hours of cross-country flight time. The records indicated that the pilot had 37.6 hours of instrument flight time. In addition, the pilot had acquired 10.7 hours of time in a multi-engine flight-training device. Of that total, 5.8 hours were on instrument flight procedures. The two flights prior to the accident flight (GFK to GAF, and GAF to STP) and the accident flight totaled approximately 2.8 hours of additional flight time. This was split with about 1.2 hours under day/dusk lighting conditions and 1.6 hours of night conditions. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The accident airplane was a 2003 Piper PA-44-180 Seminole, serial number 4496174, certificated by the FAA under Type Certificate A19SO. The airplane was a four-place, low-wing, T-tail design, with a retractable, tricycle landing gear configuration. A cockpit/cabin door was located on the right side of the airplane adjacent to the forward passenger’s seat. The left side window adjacent to the pilot’s seat could be separated from the airframe for use as an emergency exit. The airplane was powered by two wing-mounted reciprocating engines. The left engine was a Lycoming O-360-A1H6, serial number L-39103-36A. The right engine was a Lycoming LO-360-A1H6, serial number L-769-71A. They were four-cylinder, normally aspirated, carbureted engines, capable of developing 180 horsepower each. The airplane was equipped with Hartzell HC-C2YR-2CEUF, serial number AU10422B, and HC-C2YR-2CLEUF, serial number AU11265B, adjustable pitch, constant speed propellers. The accident airplane was issued a normal category, standard airworthiness certificate on June 30, 2003. The airplane was subsequently purchased by the University of North Dakota on July 15, 2003, and registered as N327ND. It was placed on an experimental airworthiness certificate on September 7,