20030101000189A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Beech 95 · Tucson, AZ · January 1, 2003

Date
January 1, 2003 · 12:12 local
Place
Tucson, AZ
Airport
Ryan Field Airport
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N8212D
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX03FA057
Reported as
Beech 95
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(.19) On January 1, 2003, at 1212 mountain standard time, a Beech 95, N8212D, collided with terrain following a loss of control during departure from runway 6R at Ryan airfield, Tucson, Arizona. The private pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91. The pilot and two passengers sustained serious injuries and one passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was destroyed. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The primary wreckage was at 32 degrees 08.48 minutes north latitude and 111 degrees 10.16 minutes west longitude. The local controller in the air traffic control tower (ATCT), which was approximately 1/4 down the length of the runway, observed the takeoff. He observed the airplane liftoff and begin a turn to the right at midfield. He thought the altitude, which he estimated at 60 to 80 feet, and the point at which the turn began were unusual. He continued to observe the airplane. It continued to turn to the right and pitch up. Then the right wing dipped and the nose appeared to go straight down. He was now looking at the roof of the cabin. It appeared to hit right wing first and then disappeared in a dust cloud. The safety board investigator-in-charge (iic) and investigators from the federal aviation administration (FAA), Beech, and Textron Lycoming examined the wreckage at the accident scene and in the owner's hangar. The first identified point of contact (fipc) was a ground scar, which contained green lens fragments. The debris field from the fipc to the main wreckage was along a magnetic bearing of approximately 140 degrees. About 20 feet from the fipc along the debris path was the separated right propeller. About 10 feet further into the debris field was the separated left propeller, which was buried to the back of the flange. The main wreckage was about 70 feet from the fipc and pointing on a magnetic bearing of 050 degrees. The engines had separated from the airframe except for some hoses and cables. The iic supervised severance of the lines and placement of the inverted engines onto pallets. Investigators examined the left engine. They removed the bottom spark plugs whose electrodes were gray in color, which corresponded to normal operation according to the champion aviation check-a-plug AV-27 chart. They manually rotated the engine. All valves moved in sequence and approximately the same amount of lift. The accessory gears turned freely, and they obtained thumb compression on all cylinders in firing order. Investigators manually rotated the magnetos, and both magnetos produced spark at all posts. The left carburetor sustained mechanical damage. Investigators examined the right engine. They removed the bottom spark plugs. The electrode for cylinder number 3 was gray in color, which corresponded to normal operation according to the champion aviation check-a-plug AV-27 chart. The electrodes for cylinders 1, 2, and 4 were black and sooty in color, which corresponded to rich operation according to the champion aviation check-a-plug AV-27 chart. Investigators manually rotated the engine. All valves moved in sequence and approximately the same amount of lift. The accessory gears turned freely, and thumb compression was obtained on all cylinders in firing order. Investigators manually rotated the magnetos, and both magnetos produced spark at all posts. Investigators operated the throttle's operating arm on the carburetor and a blue fluid, which smelled like aviation fuel, squirted from the carburetor. The fuel selector valves were in the left and right main positions. The recovery agent drained 19 gallons from the right main tank, and 5 gallons from the left main tank. Fuel leaked from the left wing lines during recovery. The landing gear was in the down and locked position. The airframe representative determined the flaps were in the up position. The representative determined the rudder trim tab was in the neutral position. (-23) upon departure from runway 6R aircraft veered to right, continued rolling and climbing until rolling abruptly to the right and impacting nose down. Flight control continuity established at the crash scene. NTSB investigator howard plagens witnessed engine teardowns with no significant anomalies. FAA iic witnessed propeller teardowns with no anomalies. Right propeller did not appear to indicate the engine was producing power at the time of impact.

As the FAA filed it

(.19) ON JANUARY 1, 2003, AT 1212 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A BEECH 95, N8212D, COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL DURING DEPARTURE FROM RUNWAY 6R AT RYAN AIRFIELD, TUCSON, ARIZONA. THE PRIVATE PILOT/OWNER WAS OPERATING THE AIRPLANE UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91. THE PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES AND ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. DAY VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE PRIMARY WRECKAGE WAS AT 32 DEGREES 08.48 MINUTES NORTH LATITUDE AND 111 DEGREES 10.16 MINUTES WEST LONGITUDE. THE LOCAL CONTROLLER IN THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER (ATCT), WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY 1/4 DOWN THE LENGTH OF THE RUNWAY, OBSERVED THE TAKEOFF. HE OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE LIFTOFF AND BEGIN A TURN TO THE RIGHT AT MIDFIELD. HE THOUGHT THE ALTITUDE, WHICH HE ESTIMATED AT 60 TO 80 FEET, AND THE POINT AT WHICH THE TURN BEGAN WERE UNUSUAL. HE CONTINUED TO OBSERVE THE AIRPLANE. IT CONTINUED TO TURN TO THE RIGHT AND PITCH UP. THEN THE RIGHT WING DIPPED AND THE NOSE APPEARED TO GO STRAIGHT DOWN. HE WAS NOW LOOKING AT THE ROOF OF THE CABIN. IT APPEARED TO HIT RIGHT WING FIRST AND THEN DISAPPEARED IN A DUST CLOUD. THE SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE (IIC) AND INVESTIGATORS FROM THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA), BEECH, AND TEXTRON LYCOMING EXAMINED THE WRECKAGE AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE AND IN THE OWNER'S HANGAR. THE FIRST IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT (FIPC) WAS A GROUND SCAR, WHICH CONTAINED GREEN LENS FRAGMENTS. THE DEBRIS FIELD FROM THE FIPC TO THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS ALONG A MAGNETIC BEARING OF APPROXIMATELY 140 DEGREES. ABOUT 20 FEET FROM THE FIPC ALONG THE DEBRIS PATH WAS THE SEPARATED RIGHT PROPELLER. ABOUT 10 FEET FURTHER INTO THE DEBRIS FIELD WAS THE SEPARATED LEFT PROPELLER, WHICH WAS BURIED TO THE BACK OF THE FLANGE. THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS ABOUT 70 FEET FROM THE FIPC AND POINTING ON A MAGNETIC BEARING OF 050 DEGREES. THE ENGINES HAD SEPARATED FROM THE AIRFRAME EXCEPT FOR SOME HOSES AND CABLES. THE IIC SUPERVISED SEVERANCE OF THE LINES AND PLACEMENT OF THE INVERTED ENGINES ONTO PALLETS. INVESTIGATORS EXAMINED THE LEFT ENGINE. THEY REMOVED THE BOTTOM SPARK PLUGS WHOSE ELECTRODES WERE GRAY IN COLOR, WHICH CORRESPONDED TO NORMAL OPERATION ACCORDING TO THE CHAMPION AVIATION CHECK-A-PLUG AV-27 CHART. THEY MANUALLY ROTATED THE ENGINE. ALL VALVES MOVED IN SEQUENCE AND APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AMOUNT OF LIFT. THE ACCESSORY GEARS TURNED FREELY, AND THEY OBTAINED THUMB COMPRESSION ON ALL CYLINDERS IN FIRING ORDER. INVESTIGATORS MANUALLY ROTATED THE MAGNETOS, AND BOTH MAGNETOS PRODUCED SPARK AT ALL POSTS. THE LEFT CARBURETOR SUSTAINED MECHANICAL DAMAGE. INVESTIGATORS EXAMINED THE RIGHT ENGINE. THEY REMOVED THE BOTTOM SPARK PLUGS. THE ELECTRODE FOR CYLINDER NUMBER 3 WAS GRAY IN COLOR, WHICH CORRESPONDED TO NORMAL OPERATION ACCORDING TO THE CHAMPION AVIATION CHECK-A-PLUG AV-27 CHART. THE ELECTRODES FOR CYLINDERS 1, 2, AND 4 WERE BLACK AND SOOTY IN COLOR, WHICH CORRESPONDED TO RICH OPERATION ACCORDING TO THE CHAMPION AVIATION CHECK-A-PLUG AV-27 CHART. INVESTIGATORS MANUALLY ROTATED THE ENGINE. ALL VALVES MOVED IN SEQUENCE AND APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AMOUNT OF LIFT. THE ACCESSORY GEARS TURNED FREELY, AND THUMB COMPRESSION WAS OBTAINED ON ALL CYLINDERS IN FIRING ORDER. INVESTIGATORS MANUALLY ROTATED THE MAGNETOS, AND BOTH MAGNETOS PRODUCED SPARK AT ALL POSTS. INVESTIGATORS OPERATED THE THROTTLE'S OPERATING ARM ON THE CARBURETOR AND A BLUE FLUID, WHICH SMELLED LIKE AVIATION FUEL, SQUIRTED FROM THE CARBURETOR. THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVES WERE IN THE LEFT AND RIGHT MAIN POSITIONS. THE RECOVERY AGENT DRAINED 19 GALLONS FROM THE RIGHT MAIN TANK, AND 5 GALLONS FROM THE LEFT MAIN TANK. FUEL LEAKED FROM THE LEFT WING LINES DURING RECOVERY. THE LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION. THE AIRFRAME REPRESENTATIVE DETERMINED THE FLAPS WERE IN THE UP POSITION. THE REPRESENTATIVE DETERMINED THE RUDDER TRIM TAB WAS IN THE NEUTRAL POSITION. (-23) UPON DEPARTURE FROM RUNWAY 6R AIRCRAFT VEERED TO RIGHT, CONTINUED ROLLING AND CLIMBING UNTIL ROLLING ABRUPTLY TO THE RIGHT AND IMPACTING NOSE DOWN. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY ESTABLISHED AT THE CRASH SCENE. NTSB INVESTIGATOR HOWARD PLAGENS WITNESSED ENGINE TEARDOWNS WITH NO SIGNIFICANT ANOMALIES. FAA IIC WITNESSED PROPELLER TEARDOWNS WITH NO ANOMALIES. RIGHT PROPELLER DID NOT APPEAR TO INDICATE THE ENGINE WAS PRODUCING POWER AT THE TIME OF IMPACT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.