NTSB report on Jamestown plane crash that injured Buchheit

Gerald Buchheit, owner of Accent Stripe, a Buffalo-area real estate developer, and a certified pilot, suffered serious injuries when his Cessna Citation X+ 7500 crashed on the runway at Jamestown Regional Airport on August 5.

Photos shared by local media showed dark, sultry smoke rising from the jet, but rescue workers said both Buchheit and his co-pilot were able to exit the burning jet without assistance. Buchheit was released from the hospital on Aug. 16, an ECMC spokesman said.

The NTSB report repeated some of the descriptions given by Chautauqua County officials immediately after the crash, such as that there were communications problems.

Shortly after the jet took off, an air traffic controller in Buffalo received no response after telling Buchheit and his co-pilot that they would be cleared to climb from 10,000 feet to 47,700 feet in 10 minutes. That was the first sign that something was wrong.

Repeated attempts by the air traffic controller to verbally contact the jet's crew were unsuccessful. The air traffic controller then transmitted an emergency frequency, the report said.

The Cessna transmitted an emergency transponder code called Squawk 7700, which alerts air traffic control to an emergency situation during a flight, the report said.

This gave rescue workers at Jamestown Airport a few minutes to prepare for a possible crash landing.

Noel Guttman, director of emergency services for Chautauqua County, said 10 different companies, including special forces, responded to the call on the day of the crash.

Before the crash, communications had been somewhat restored, the NTSB report said, although they were “very garbled.” The flight crew's last transmission, according to the NTSB, was: “We are about to land in Jamestown.”

An interview with the co-pilot, whose identity was withheld, after the crash revealed that the flight crew smelled what the co-pilot described as “electric smoke” at various times during the climb. Then both noticed the smell at about 8,000 feet (2,400 meters). However, they did not see any smoke, the report said.

The copilot said that in addition to the smell of smoke, the jet's systems also failed. The pitch trim, which allows the pilot to adjust the direction of the jet's nose, triggered an emergency alarm, causing the jet to point downward and accelerate to “well over” 288 mph.

The co-pilot said he tried to contact the air traffic controller but noticed that “Comm 2 was down and there were large red Xes on the Garmin 5000,” the report said.

Although the NTSB has neither confirmed nor denied that an electrical fire occurred in the Cessna, such fires are not always easy to detect, at least compared to engine fires.

“The early signs of an electrical fire are much more subtle – a slight burning smell, a higher than normal electrical load or tripped circuit breakers, for example,” says a safety article from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). “Abnormal behavior of electrical components such as avionics – and random failures of multiple components – can also alert you to a fire in a hidden area.”

Buchheit's emergency landing began about 200 feet short of the Jamestown runway. His plane briefly touched the runway and then veered left into a field. Much of the jet was destroyed by the fire caused by the impact with the ground, according to the preliminary report. Guttman, the emergency services director, believed the fire was exacerbated by a “large load of jet fuel.”

The copilot said the jet's cabin was filled with smoke after landing and fire surrounded the plane, but he and Buchheit were able to exit the cabin door. Buchheit's injuries prevented him from discussing what happened immediately after the crash, the NTSB said.

Buchheit was flying from Dunkirk to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on business, Chautauqua County officials said in an Aug. 5 news conference.

Chautauqua County officials believed the flight plan included a stop in Jamestown, but there was no indication of that in the NTSB report. Accent Stripe, a road striping company in business since 1976, is the registered owner of the jet.

The NTSB report said the purpose of the flight was to pick up “aircraft parts and a mechanic for work on another company aircraft” in Dunkirk. Buchheit's Cessna had its final airworthiness check on July 11. The NTSB found no problems with the Cessna's two Rolls-Royce turbofan engines and said weather conditions were suitable for the flight.