Gem Air, LLC

Operated by GEM AIR, LCC (per NTSB report)

The pilot's improper fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation, and gear up landing on a dirt airstrip.

Operated by Gem Air LLC (per NTSB report)

The pilot’s failure to maintain altitude during an instrument approach, which resulted in a descent below the approach path and impact with a vent stack. Also causal was the failure of the processing plant to correctly paint the vent stacks, which had been determined by the FAA to be a hazard to navigation due to their proximity to the landing approach path. Contributing to the accident was the likely distraction/illusion/obscuration created by steam from the processing plant, which intermittently obscured the runway.

Sanction: $10,000 · case closed 2025-12-16

Sanction: $72,400 · case closed 2019-03-13

Part: DETECTOR — FAILED (WING LIFT) · airframe 10,297 hrs

STALL WARNING HORN ACTIVATED IN STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLIGHT, PILOT CONTINUED NORMAL OPERATIONS AND LANDED SAFELY. UPON TROUBLESHOOTING, FOUND LIFT DETECTOR (ON-WING) TO HAVE INTERNALLY FAILED. REPLACED LIFT DETECTOR, ALL CHECKS GOOD.

Part: BOLT — LOOSE (TENSIONER) · airframe 10,280 hrs

LOSS OF LEFT ALTERNATOR FOLLOWED BY LOSS OF DEICE COMPONENTS LEAD PILOT TO TAKE EMERGENCY ACTION IN IMC AND DIVERT BACK TO ORIGIN. UPON INSPECTION FOUND LEFT ALTERNATOR BELT TENSIONER BOLT TO HAVE LOOSENED UP, CAUSING THE LEFT ALTERNATOR BELT TO BECOME LOOSE. THUS CAUSING AN ALTERNATOR FAILURE. BATTERY WAS CHANGED OUT WITH NEW AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE.

Part: ACTUATOR — LEAKING (NLG) · airframe 9,378 hrs

LANDING GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT ILLUMINATED IN FLIGHT. PERFORMED EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURES LANDING GEAR WENT DOWN AND LOCKED. LANDED SAFE AND OBSERVED HYDRAULIC FLUID BEHIND NOSE WHEEL. JACKED ACFT AND PERFORMED LANDING GEAR SWING INSP. NLG ACTUATOR SEAL LEAKING EXCESSIVE. REPLACED NLG ACTUATOR WITH NEW PERFORMED LANDING GEAR SWING SYSTEM OPERATED AS REQUIRED ACFT RETURNED TO SERVICE.

Part: SLIP JOINT — CRACKED (EXHAUST SYSTEM)

AD DEALING WITH 3 EXHAUST FLANGES CRACKING AND CAUSING FIRE SO WE REMOVED THAT MFG FLANGES AT TRANSITION AND REPLACED WITH OTHER MFG IF ORIGINAL WERE CRACKED. NOW HAVE OTHER MFG FLANGES AND ORIGINAL MFG SLIP JOINTS AND IT WAS NOTED THAT YOU COULD HAVE THE SLIP JOINTS MOVE DURING FLIGHT THAT THERE WAS NO OVERLAP OR LESS THAN .0625 INCH. WHILE LOOKING AT, WAS ABLE TO SLIDE SLIP JOINT EVEN HIGHER TO GET .3750 INCH GAP IN TUBES REPLACED ALL WITH OTHER MFG EXHAUST. NO MIX MATCH OF PARTS. (K)

Part: EXHAUST PIPE — CRACKED (ENGINE)

FOUND EXHAUST FLANGE UNDER V-CLAMP CRACKED. FIRST SIGN OF PROBLEM WAS EXHAUST STAINS IN AREA. AFTER THE CLAMP WAS REMOVED THE FLANGE WAS FOUND CRACKED APPROXIMATELY 70 PERCENT OF TH4E CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE FLANGE. (K)

Part: PULLEY — FROZEN

THE COPILOT RETRACTABLE STEP MALFUNCTIONED DUE TO PULLEYS FREEZING. FWD PULLEY IS HARD TO SEE ON AFT NOSE GEAR WELL AND IS IN A VERY DIRTY ENVIRONMENT. THE REAR PULLEY IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE. THE REAR PULLEY STOPPED ROTATING (FROZE) CAUSING SEVERE WEAR TO THE CABLE AND PULLEY. THE RETRACTABLE STEP WOULD NOT COME OUT. THE STEP WAS LUBED AND THE STEP STARTED WORKING HOWEVER THE WEAR AND DAMAGE TO THE CABLE AND PULLEYS WAS ALREADY DONE. SUGGEST THAT THE RETRACTABLE STEP AND ACTUATING SYS BE PRESSURE WASHED AND LUBED EVERY 10000 HRS. THE AC THAT THIS RETRACTABLE STEP IS INSTALLED ON HAS OVER 12000 HRS TTAF, RESEARCH OF THE LOGBOOKS SHOWS NO MAINT OR PARTS REPLACEMENT SINCE THE AC WAS NEW. (K)

Part: CONTROL CABLE — FROZEN (MIXTURE)

3/25/04, HOBBS 3218.1, TTAF 9745.1, REMOVED AND REINSTALLED ENGINE, THROTTLE, MISTURE AND PROP CONTROLS. 7/22/04, HOBBS 3417.7, TTAF 9944.0, VERNIER CONTROL RELEASE BUTTON FROZE IN PUSHED POSITION, REMOVED MIXTURE CONTROL CABLE AND REPLACED WITH NEW. 8/12/05, HOBBS, 4054.2 TTAF 10580.5, VERNIER CONTROL RELEASE BUTTON FROZE IN PUSHED IN POSITION, REMOVED MIXTURE CONTROL CABLE AND REPLACED WITH NEW. (K)

Part: GROUND WIRE — SHORTED (RT THROTTLE)

A .2500 INCH X .5000 INCH PIECE OF FOD (A SHIM GLUED ONTO THE RT THROTTLE LEVER TO (MAKE) THE SWITCH ,( NOT INSTALLED BY CURRENT OPER)FELL ONTO A HOT TERMINAL OF THE RT THROTTLE SWITCH AND GROUND CAUSING AN ELECTRICAL ARC WHICH RESULTED IN A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING IMMEDIATELY AFTER ROTATION AT TAKEOFF, DURING DAYTIME OPS. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO A BLOWN DIODE, WHICH RESULTED IN A FALSE GEAR WARNING LIGHT. AFTER RETRACTION OF LANDING GEAR, THROTTLE SWITCHES WERE ADJUSTED, DIODE WAS REPLACED AND A HARD LANDING INSPECTION WITH 12 CYCLES WAS ACCOMPLISHED. AIRCRAFT WAS THEN RETURNED TO PART OPS. (NM11200502069) (NM11200502176)

Part: THRU BOLT — CRACKED (NR 2 CYLINDER)

NR 2 CYLINDER THRU STUD STARTED TO CRACK ALLOWING CYLINDER TO ROCK, ENGINE REMOVED FOR INSPECTION AND CHANGE.

Part: SWITCH — CORRODED (INSTRUMENT PANEL)

PILOT REPORTED AIRCRAFTS PITOT HEAT SYSTEM TO BE INOPERATIVE. INSPECTION REVEALED THE SWITCH ASSY TO HAVE CORROSION IN THE CONTACTS. THE CORROSION APPEARED TO BE CAUSED BY MOISTURE SUCH AS RAIN WATER. (X)

Part: SPAR — CRACKED (HORIZ STABILIZER)

DURING AN ANNUAL INSPECTION A CRACK APPROXIMATELY 1 INCH LONG WAS DETECTED ON THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AFT SPAR LOWER RADIUS.

Part: FITTING — FAILED (MLG ACTUATOR)

'AN' FITTING CRACKED WITH NO SIGNS OF LEAK OR WEAR CAUSING HYD SYSTEM TO BE DRAINED ON GEAR RETRACT. BECAUSE SYSTEM HAS STANDPIPE FOR EMERGENCY USE WAS ABLE TO PUMP GEAR DOWN AND GET 3 GEAR GREEN, BUT ALSO RED LIGHT SAYS SYSTEM NOT COMPLETELY CYCLED. LANDED GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED, BUT FOLLOW-UP GEAR DOOR DOWN. NO INCIDENT.

Part: NUT — DETACHED (NR 6 CYL CON ROD)

AIRCRAFT WAS IN-FLIGHT, RT ENGINE WAS ROUGH. AFTER LANDING, FOUND NR 6 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD END CAP HAD COME OFF DUE TO ROD BOLT NUT BECAME LOOSE THEN SHEARED BOLT.