20021002026869A

(.19) On October 2, 2002, about 1540 eastern daylight time, a beagle aircraft b.206 basset, N72KB, was destroyed after impacting terrain in west carrollton, Ohio. The certificated airline transport pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the ferry flight conducted under 14 CFR part 91. According to a federal aviation administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot had applied for, and was granted, a ferry permit to fly the airplane the day of the accident. The pilot also filed an IFR flight plan from the Moraine airpark (I73), Moraine, Ohio, to easton, Maryland. According to the operations manager of a fixed based operator at I73, the accident airplane arrived at the airport about the middle of April 2002, and was parked. The airplane remained at the airport until the day of the accident, when it was fueled about 1300, with 224.5 gallons of 100 low lead aviation gasoline. The operations manager additionally stated that he did not observe the airplane fly at any time the airplane was at the airport. A mechanic, who worked at I73, stated that he had helped the pilot prepare the airplane for the flight, by draining about 2-1/2 gallons of water from the center sump drain located under the main fuselage, prior to the airplane being fueled. A witness, who was a pilot, observed the accident airplane as it was departing from runway 26, a 3,500-foot long asphalt runway. He stated that the airplane's engines sounded like they were running good, but did not sound like they were developing full power. As the airplane continued down the runway, it appeared to be traveling very slowly, and not gaining sufficient speed for takeoff. The airplane lifted abruptly into the air about 3/4 of the way down the runway, and the landing gear was retracted. The airplane settled towards the ground, clearing the levee located at the departure end of the runway by a few feet. The airplane then began a climb again, reaching a height of about 120 feet, and proceeded straight out from the airport. About 30 seconds later, the airplane banked gently to the left, where a faint puff of black smoke was observed coming from an engine. As the bank continued, the airplane descended into a near vertical dive. The witness observed the top portion of the airplane as it was in the vertical dive, before it descended out of sight. The witness also recalled that the propellers sounded like they were synched, and were not making any abnormal noises. The airplane came to rest upright in a residential area about 1 mile southwest of I73, and a post crash fire ensued. The post crash fire also damaged two residential homes and a parked car. The accident site was disturbed prior to the arrival of safety board personnel due to emergency rescue procedures. In addition, the area had been doused with water and firefighting agents to contain the post crash fire. The first impact area was located in the front yard of one of the residential homes. It consisted of two craters, containing the left and right propeller assemblies, and two 5-inch wide, 3-inch deep impressions in the ground. The impressions were about 15 feet in length, and were orientated about a heading of 290 degrees magnetic. About 24 feet beyond the edge of the left impression was a 3-foot section of the left outboard wingtip. About 75 feet beyond the right impression was a 3-foot section of the right outboard wingtip, which came to rest in a road. The main wreckage came to rest on a 245-degree magnetic heading, on top of a concrete sidewalk, about 32 feet behind the first impact point. It was comprised of remnants from the cockpit, main cabin, empennage, left engine, left inboard wing section, horizontal stabilizer, elevator, vertical stabilizer, rudder, right engine, and right inboard wing section. Impact forces and fire damage destroyed all engine instruments recovered in the wreckage. No intact flight instruments or navigational radios were recovered. Both flight control yokes displayed impact and fire damage, and had separated from the airframe. Due to impact and fire damage, the throttle levers, propeller control levers, mixture control levers, landing gear selector handle, landing gear position indicators, elevator trim control, rudder trim control, aileron trim control, trim indicators, cowl flap switches, and cowl flap indicators, were not identified. The airplane's most recent annual inspection was performed in April 2001. The total fuel capacity for both wing tanks was 230 gallons. An FAA inspector examined fuel sample reports from the airport fuel pump, and the fuel farm tank. No abnormalities were noted with the samples. The left and right engines and propeller assemblies were examined on October 4, 2002, and no mechanical abnormalities were noted. The left engine propeller assembly, which was imbedded in a dirt crater, exhibited rearward bending to all three blades. No chordwise scratching was observed on any of the blades. Red dyed oil was observed draining from the hub assembly. The propeller spinner cap remained attached to the assembly, and was crushed upward and inward. The right engine propeller assembly, which was imbedded in a cement sidewalk crater, exhibited s-bending and chordwise scratches to all three blades. Red dyed oil was observed draining from the hub assembly. The propeller spinner cap remained attached to the assembly, and was crushed upward and inward. The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane multi-engine land. He also held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land. The pilot's most recent application for an FAA first class medical certificate was dated on August 1, 2001. The pilot reported a total of 27,560 hours of total flight experience on the application. The weather reported at the james m. cox Dayton international airport, Dayton, Ohio, at 1554, included winds from 220 degrees at 14 knots; 10 statute miles of visibility; few clouds at 3,800 feet; temperature of 81 degrees fahrenheit; a dew point of 64 degrees fahrenheit; and an altimeter setting of 30.06 inches of mercury. (-23) after not being flown for several months, approximately 2.5 gallons of contaminated fluid was drained from the fuel system. The aircraft was then filled with fuel. Witnesses report the engines were difficult to start. Witnesses report the aircraft developed inadequate power during takeoff roll, used excessive runway and then struggled to fly when rotated for takeoff. Climb out barely cleared a dyke and the aircraft was seen to climb to about 150-200 feet then began a left roll and impacted the ground. Propeller damage indicated the left engine was not developing power on impact. The aircraft and two houses were consumed by fire. The pilot was fatally injured. No injuries on the ground.