Small plane crash in Alaska caused by too much moose meat and antlers

[IceIce9]

Investigators determined the plane was loaded with 520 pounds of cargo – which was 117 pounds more than the plane could handle. Besides moose meat, the aircraft also had a set of antlers strapped to the wing. While it is a allowed to hang antlers on aircraft wings in Alaska, the NTSB found the required formal Federal Aviation Administration approval for the practice had not been granted for this plane

Too much moose meat and antlers caused a plane crash in Alaska that killed congresswoman’s husband, the NTSB reports | CNN

Too much moose meat and antlers strapped to a wing caused a deadly small plane crash in Alaska, a nearly two-year long investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board determined in a report released Tuesday.

amp.cnn.com

 

[PrairieWind]

Investigators determined the plane was loaded with 520 pounds of cargo – which was 117 pounds more than the plane could handle. Besides moose meat, the aircraft also had a set of antlers strapped to the wing. While it is a allowed to hang antlers on aircraft wings in Alaska, the NTSB found the required formal Federal Aviation Administration approval for the practice had not been granted for this plane

Too much moose meat and antlers caused a plane crash in Alaska that killed congresswoman’s husband, the NTSB reports | CNN

Too much moose meat and antlers strapped to a wing caused a deadly small plane crash in Alaska, a nearly two-year long investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board determined in a report released Tuesday.

amp.cnn.com

I have never heard of this practice of putting antlers on an aircraft. Is this really common in Alaska? It seems foolish.

 

[333_OnlyHalfEvil]

I know next to nothing about aircrafts, but why would you put anything on a wing where it will disrupt the air flow? I do know that airflow is incredibly important at keeping the plane up in the sky.

 

[GraceG]

I have never heard of this practice of putting antlers on an aircraft. Is this really common in Alaska? It seems foolish.

Antlers just won't fit in a lot of bush planes, so putting them outside the plane is not as uncommon as you might think. More commonly you'll see floats attached to the outside of the plane (what is known as external load), but that is usually seen with airplanes on floats, not on wheels. (see attached photo, I don't know who this pilot was, I'm pleading the Fifth

As to how the plane will fly with antlers, never done it myself but I think it really depends on how those antlers line up with the relative wind once you start moving with the biggest consideration with external loads is how it might affect airflow over your control surfaces. The FAA order on external loads (noted in the next paragraph) has load-specific information for pilots regarding anthers that states:

"The carriage of antlers may be challenging because of their shape….Moose antlers are particularly heavy and, while they can be attached to the wing struts, the extra weight is a consideration. Flight with heavy antlers in turbulent air or during a hard landing will impose additional loads…It has been reported that, on some airplanes, antlers secured to the wing struts can cause a significant air flow disturbance to the tail surfaces. Antlers can also cause a significant amount of drag, which reduces airspeed, which should be considered in flight planning."

FAA Order 8400.34 outlines the FAA’s policy for authorizing the carriage of external loads on fixed-wing airplanes operating solely within the State of Alaska. External loads are classified based on whether they constitute a minor or major alteration to the aircraft. The order defines antlers as an item that would be considered a major alteration. There was no evidence in the NTSB's report that the airplane’s FAA airworthiness or maintenance records indicated it had been approved for such an alteration