The Federal Aviation Administration is expected today or Friday to order enhanced training for pilots of Mitsubishi MU-2 aircraft, which have been involved in a high number of accidents recently, including two fatal crashes near Centennial Airport in Arapahoe County.
In October, the FAA outlined details of an ongoing probe of MU-2 planes, which the agency said had been involved in 11 accidents over the previous 18 months. In all, the crashes resulted in at least 12 fatalities. A little more than a month ago, another MU-2 crashed shortly after takeoff in freezing rain from an airport in Terrace, British Columbia, killing both pilots.
Last year, Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Littleton asked the FAA to ground MU-2 planes after the two Centennial crashes.
But after an extensive investigation into training, maintenance and accidents, the FAA is expected to report there are no inherent problems with the MU-2’s design, but rather with pilot-training procedures that do not adequately account for the challenges of operating the high-performance aircraft safely.
The FAA reportedly has found there is no uniformity in training procedures and that some training is not being done in accordance with the flight manual.
The agency also may recommend improvements to maintenance procedures for the twin-engine turboprop aircraft.
In August, an MU-2 operated by American Check Transport, which is based at Front Range Airport, crashed while making an instrument approach to Centennial in rainy weather, killing the sole pilot aboard.
In December 2004, another of American Check’s MU-2s crashed shortly after takeoff from Centennial, killing the two pilots. The pilot in command was maneuvering for an emergency landing after reporting the loss of power in one engine.
The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet released the probable causes of the Colorado MU-2 accidents.
Staff writer Jeffrey Leib can be reached at 303-820-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com.
