What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Due to weather, requested lower altitude, radio and radar contact lost. Crashed. (.19) on April 29, 1996, about 1211 eastern daylight time, a Beech V35, N102A, registered to a private owner, operating as a title 14 CFR part 91, personal flight, had an in-flight separation and crashed near Powelton, Georgia. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and a IFR flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed. The commercial pilot, and one passenger were fatally injured. The flight had departed greenville, AL, about 1130 en route to aiken, south carolina. The flight was at 7,000 feet mean sea level (MSL), and deviating to the north due to weather, when the pilot requested a lower altitude. The last transmission from the pilot to the controller at the atlanta air traffic control center was, "I am in a pretty bad cell I need help over." The airplane impacted in a heavily wooded area and was found by a helicopter at 1600. The right wing and tail section was missing. (.4) the pilot was briefed that thunderstorms were developing along his planned route of flight, and were forecast to become 'severe.' In addition, he received a hazardous weather information alert (hiwas), with hail, wind gusts to 70 knots, and cloud tops to 55,000 feet. The pilot contacted ATC and expressed his concern about the weather on his route of flight. ATC cleared him to deviate around the weather. While deviating around the weather, the pilot said to the controller, '...I'm into a cell here I think I need to get down...bonanza one zero two alpha I need to go down.' The pilot was cleared to descend to 5,000 feet, and 1 minute and 2 seconds after being cleared to descend, the pilot said to the controller, 'I'm in a pretty bad cell I need help, over.' Radar and radio communication with the flight was lost and never reestablished. The last recorded radar return showed the airplane at an altitude of 6,700 feet, heading in a northeasterly direction. Before the airplane impacted the ground, a witness said he heard an airplane 'in a steep descent, straight down dive,' and the engine was running until he heard a 'loud boom.' The witness said, the weather at the time was 'lightning, thunder, and strong winds.' The left wing and tail stabilizer had separated from the airframe prior to impact . A weather study revealed that at the time of the accident the airplane had progressed into an area of strong thunderstorm activity with cloud tops of about 42,000 to 43,000 feet, with a level three to level four thunderstorm within 0.25 nautical mile of the flight, and a level four thunderstorm within 0.5 nautical mile. In addition, the thunderstorms contained intense to extreme precipitation, severe to extreme turbulence, and hail.
As the FAA filed it
DUE TO WEATHER, REQUESTED LOWER ALTITUDE, RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT LOST. CRASHED. (.19) ON APRIL 29, 1996, ABOUT 1211 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A BEECH V35, N102A, REGISTERED TO A PRIVATE OWNER, OPERATING AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91, PERSONAL FLIGHT, HAD AN IN-FLIGHT SEPARATION AND CRASHED NEAR POWELTON, GEORGIA. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A IFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT, AND ONE PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED GREENVILLE, AL, ABOUT 1130 EN ROUTE TO AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA. THE FLIGHT WAS AT 7,000 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL), AND DEVIATING TO THE NORTH DUE TO WEATHER, WHEN THE PILOT REQUESTED A LOWER ALTITUDE. THE LAST TRANSMISSION FROM THE PILOT TO THE CONTROLLER AT THE ATLANTA AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER WAS, "I AM IN A PRETTY BAD CELL I NEED HELP OVER." THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED IN A HEAVILY WOODED AREA AND WAS FOUND BY A HELICOPTER AT 1600. THE RIGHT WING AND TAIL SECTION WAS MISSING. (.4) THE PILOT WAS BRIEFED THAT THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING ALONG HIS PLANNED ROUTE OF FLIGHT, AND WERE FORECAST TO BECOME 'SEVERE.' IN ADDITION, HE RECEIVED A HAZARDOUS WEATHER INFORMATION ALERT (HIWAS), WITH HAIL, WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS, AND CLOUD TOPS TO 55,000 FEET. THE PILOT CONTACTED ATC AND EXPRESSED HIS CONCERN ABOUT THE WEATHER ON HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT. ATC CLEARED HIM TO DEVIATE AROUND THE WEATHER. WHILE DEVIATING AROUND THE WEATHER, THE PILOT SAID TO THE CONTROLLER, '...I'M INTO A CELL HERE I THINK I NEED TO GET DOWN...BONANZA ONE ZERO TWO ALPHA I NEED TO GO DOWN.' THE PILOT WAS CLEARED TO DESCEND TO 5,000 FEET, AND 1 MINUTE AND 2 SECONDS AFTER BEING CLEARED TO DESCEND, THE PILOT SAID TO THE CONTROLLER, 'I'M IN A PRETTY BAD CELL I NEED HELP, OVER.' RADAR AND RADIO COMMUNICATION WITH THE FLIGHT WAS LOST AND NEVER REESTABLISHED. THE LAST RECORDED RADAR RETURN SHOWED THE AIRPLANE AT AN ALTITUDE OF 6,700 FEET, HEADING IN A NORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION. BEFORE THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND, A WITNESS SAID HE HEARD AN AIRPLANE 'IN A STEEP DESCENT, STRAIGHT DOWN DIVE,' AND THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING UNTIL HE HEARD A 'LOUD BOOM.' THE WITNESS SAID, THE WEATHER AT THE TIME WAS 'LIGHTNING, THUNDER, AND STRONG WINDS.' THE LEFT WING AND TAIL STABILIZER HAD SEPARATED FROM THE AIRFRAME PRIOR TO IMPACT . A WEATHER STUDY REVEALED THAT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THE AIRPLANE HAD PROGRESSED INTO AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WITH CLOUD TOPS OF ABOUT 42,000 TO 43,000 FEET, WITH A LEVEL THREE TO LEVEL FOUR THUNDERSTORM WITHIN 0.25 NAUTICAL MILE OF THE FLIGHT, AND A LEVEL FOUR THUNDERSTORM WITHIN 0.5 NAUTICAL MILE. IN ADDITION, THE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINED INTENSE TO EXTREME PRECIPITATION, SEVERE TO EXTREME TURBULENCE, AND HAIL.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.