Air Tahoma Flight 185

Air Tahoma Flight 185

Crash site
Accident
Date	August 13, 2004
Summary	Fuel starvation due to pilot error
Site	World of Sports golf course, Florence, Kentucky, United States 39°00′32″N 84°38′48″W / 39.00889°N 84.64667°W / 39.00889; -84.64667
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident in 1989 in a previous registration
Aircraft type	Convair 580
Operator	Air Tahoma (on behalf of DHL)
Call sign	TAHOMA 185
Registration	N586P
Flight origin	Memphis, Tennessee
Destination	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Occupants	2
Passengers	0
Crew	2
Fatalities	1
Injuries	1
Survivors	1

Air Tahoma Flight 185 was a scheduled cargo flight from Memphis to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport conducted by Air Tahoma as part of a contract to freight parcels for courier firm DHL. On August 13, 2004, the flight crashed during approach to landing just one mile (1.6 km) short of the runway. The Convair 580, which is a twin engine turboprop, was destroyed upon impact. The first officer was killed and the captain received minor injuries.^[1]

The aircraft involved in this accident was a 49 year old Convair 580, manufactured in 1953, serial number 068, with 67,886 flight hours. the accident aircraft was originally meant to be a Convair 340/440. The aircraft featured two Rolls Royce 501-D13D turbopropeller engines.^[1][2]

On board the aircraft were two crew members. Captain Bruno Pichelli was 49 years old, and had been hired by Air Tahoma on 19 July 2004, with 2,500 flight hours, of which, 1,337 hours were on the Convair 580.

First Officer Michael Gelwicks was 37, was hired by Air Tahoma on 5 May 2004, with 2,488 flight hours, 145 of those were on the Convair 580.^[1]

On August 13, 2004, at about 00:49 Eastern Daylight Time, Air Tahoma, Inc., Flight 185 crashed about one mile south of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), in Florence, Kentucky while on approach to runway 36R. The crash was heard by a nearby Florence Police officer. Shortly after, first responders found the plane. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The flight was operating as a cargo flight for DHL Express from Memphis International Airport to CVG. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan.^[1][2]

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of this accident was fuel starvation resulting from the captain's decision not to follow approved fuel crossfeed procedures. Different output pressure settings on the fuel boost pumps coupled with the open crossfeed valve resulted in both engines drawing fuel from the left tank. All of the fuel from the airplane's left tank that was not used by the engines was transferred into the right tank due to the pressure differential between the boost pumps. During the airplane's descent to landing, the fuel in the left fuel tank became exhausted. Both engine-driven fuel pumps drew air from the exhausted left tank into the fuel system, resulting in a dual-engine flameout.^[1]

Contributing to the accident were the captain's inadequate preflight planning, his subsequent distraction during the flight, and his late initiation of the in-range checklist. Further contributing to the accident was the flight crew's failure to monitor the fuel gauges and to recognize that the airplane's changing handling characteristics were caused by a fuel imbalance.^[1]

• Air Tahoma, Inc., Flight 185 Aircraft Accident Report
• NTSB brief DCA04MA068