20040911025799A

(-23) ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2004, AT 7:45 AM, INSPECTOR DILLON RECEIVED A TELEPHONE CALL FROM THE ATLANTA COM CENTER ADVISING THAT THERE HAD BEEN AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT IN LAKE WALES, FLORIDA INVOLVING A PA-23-250, REGISTRATION NUMBER N962AB, SERIAL NUMBER 27-3869. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A TELEVISION TOWER, REGISTRATION NUMBER 1028092, LOCATED AT N2752'36" AND W081-32'-57", HEIGHT 504', WHILE SPRAYING FOR MOSQUITOS. THE TOWER WAS STRUCK APPROXIMATELY 20' FROM THE TOP. THE TWO FATALS WERE: THE PIC WAS DAVE LACEY WILKES, ^PRIVACY DATA O^, CERTIFICATE NUMBER 587091898. HE WAS THE CHIEF PILOT, HIRED ON FEBRUARY 9, 1999, AND HELD AN AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND/COMMERCIAL PILOT RATING, AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND/COMMERCIAL PILOT RATING AND INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE/COMMERCIAL PILOT RATING. HE ADDITIONALLY HELD FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR RATINGS FOR AIRPLANE SINGLE AND MULTIENGINE/CFI AND INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE/CFI. IN ADDITION MR. WILKES WAS A GROUND INSTRUCTOR: BASIC/G. THE OBSERVER WAS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HIS HIRE DATE WAS SEPTEMBER 07/2004. HE HELD A COMMERCIAL CERTIFICATE WITH THE FOLLOWING RATINGS: AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND, AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGIN E SEA, AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND, INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE, ROTOCRAFT-HELICOPTER, GLIDER AERO TOW, AND A TYPE RATING FOR A DC-3. INSPECTOR DILLON COORDINATED WITH NTSB, BUTCH WILSON, AND THE DECISION WAS MADE THAT THIS WOULD BE A DELEGATED ACCIDENT. INSPECTOR DILLON DEPARTED FOR THE ORLANDO FLIGHT STANDARDS OFFICE TO RETRIEVE TWO TOX BOXES AND THEN WAS ENROUTE TO SOUTH LAKE WALES ARRIVING ON THE SCENE AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30 AM. THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT ESCORTED INSPECTOR DILLON TO THE APPROXIMATE SCENE OF THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE WHERE SEVERAL PICTURES WERE TAKEN. THE IMMEDIATE AREA WAS CONTAMINATED BY BLOODBORNE PATHONGENS AND THE SPRAY CHEMICAL DIBROM IN A CONCENTRATE SOLUTION. DIBROM IS THE TRADE NAME FOR AN ORGANOPHOSPHATE THAT ACTS AS A NERVE AGENT. INSPECTOR DILLON THEN INTERVIEWED WITNESS #1:^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT AROUND 5:00 AM SHE WENT OUTSIDE HER HOME BECAUSE IT WAS HOT AND THE POWER WAS OUT. SHE COULD HEAR THE GENERATOR FOR THE TOWER, BUT THERE WERE NO LIGHTS. SHE HEARD ENGINES (AIRCRAFT) RUNNING AND SAW THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE TOWER AND SAW THE AIRCRAFT FALLING QUICKLY. SHE STATED THE AIRCRAFT SOUNDED LIKE A HELICOPTER AND AFTER STRIKING THE TOWER T HE ENGINE NOISE QUIT. SHE KNEW THE AIRCRAFT WENT INTO THE ORANGE GROVES AND CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE. THE CALL WAS RECEIVED BY POLK COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AT 5:28 AM. INSPECTOR DILLON INTERVIEWED WITNESS #2: ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT HE SAW THE PLANE HEADED NORTH THEN SAW A BALL OF SMOKE AND KNEW IT HIT THE TOWER. HE STATED THAT HE COULD ONLY SEE THE LIGHTS ON THE AIRCRAFT NOT ON THE TOWER. HE ALSO STATED THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOW AND THE SOUND STOPPED AS SOON AS IT HIT THE TOWER. INSPECTOR DILLON WAS ADVISED BY A SWS EMPLOYEE, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT HE WAS IN THE VICINITY OF THE TOWER AT 12:30 AM ON 9/11/2004, TWO AND ONE HALF HOURS PRIOR TO THE MISHAP, AND OBSERVED THE LIGHTS WORKING. THE OWNER OF THE TELEVISION TOWER IS COMCAST CABLE AND A POINT OF CONTACT IS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INSPECTOR DILLON WAS ADVISED BY THE POLK COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, INVESTIGATOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT A CAR ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED AT 3:30 AM HAD KNOCKED POWER OFF FOR THE AREA SURROUNDING AND INCLUDING THE TELEVISION TOWER. INSPECTOR DILLON SPOKE WITH ^PRIVACY DATA O^THE PRESIDENT OF VECTOR DISEASE CONTROL, INC., THE OWNER A ND OPERATOR OF N962AB. HE STATED THAT THE CREW DEPARTED WITH THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE BARTOW AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 4:15. THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN SPRAYING IN THE AREA FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF. ^PRIVACY^ STATED THAT THEY ARE A 137-CERTIFICATED OPERATOR NUMBER VD7G463W. THEY WERE CONTRACTED BY FEMA, BUT WERE OPERATING UNDER THEIR (V.D.C.I.'S) CERTIFICATE. HE ALSO STATED THAT THIS WAS THEIR FIRST DAY SPRAYING THIS AREA. THIS CERTIFICATE IS HELD IN JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, (FSDO-07). CONTACT HAS BEEN MADE WITH THE OFFICE MANAGER, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THE POI, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS NOT AVAILABLE. CALLS WERE PLACED TO PIE FSS AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE PILOT DID NOT FILE A FLIGHT PLAN NOR RECEIVE A WEATHER BRIEFING FROM FSS OR DUATS. THE LAST NOTAM FOR THIS SPECIFIC TOWER WAS ISSUED ON AUGUST 9, 2004 AND RESCINDED THE SAME DAY FOR THE LIGHTS BEING OUT. THERE HAVE BEEN NO SUBSEQUENT NOTAMS. A SEARCH OF THE DEBRIS FIELD REVEALED THAT THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE TOWER ABOUT FIVE FEET FROM THE FUSELAGE. A TEN-FOOT SECTION OF THE WING WAS LOCATED NORTH OF THE TOWER. MULTIPLE SECTIONS OF THE LEFT WING AND TANKS WERE SCATTERED IN THE GENERAL AREA OF THE TOWER, MOSTLY TO THE WEST. THE TOWER LIGHT WAS LOCATED JUST SOUTH, AT THE BOTTOM, OF THE TOWER. THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ABOUT A QUARTER MILE DUE NORTH OF THE TOWER. THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO HAVE STRUCK THE GROUND NOSE FIRST, HEADING NORTH THEN TORQUED TO THE EAST. THE COCKPIT RESTED NORTHEAST, THE FUSELAGE RESTED BEHIND THE COCKPIT, ON ITS LEFT SIDE IN A NORTH SOUTH DIRECTION, AND THE RIGHT WING WAS INTACT BUT CRUMPLED. THE TAIL RESTED DIRECTLY BEHIND THE COCKPIT IN AN EAST-WEST DIRECTION. THE LEFT ENGINE WAS LATER LOCATED BY THE EPA A BLOCK TO THE LEFT (WEST) OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE WRECKAGE WAS RELEASED TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND WAS TOWED TO FLINT'S WRECKER SERVICE,^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IT IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING TOWED TO A MORE SECURE LOCATION PER NTSB BUTCH WILSON'S INSTRUCTIONS AT WYMOMA, AVIATION CONSULTATIONS, 813-634-8070, ^PRIVACY DATA OM^ FOR A MORE SECURE LOCATION. THE ONLY INDICATOR THAT COULD BE READ AT THE TIME WAS THE RIGHT RPM, (ENGINE HOUR METER), WHICH INDICATED 489 HOURS. THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS FOR THE LAST ANNUAL WERE ACQUIRED FROM ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHO CONFIRMED THAT APPR OXIMATELY 19 HOURS HAD BEEN FLOWN ON THE AIRCRAFT SINCE THE LAST ANNUAL. THE SATLOC COMPUTER WAS DISCOVERED AT THE SCENE AND MAILED TO BUTCH WILSON OF THE NTSB. PICTURES OF THE TOWER LIGHT ASSEMBLY, RECOVERED AT THE SITE, WERE FORWARDED TO MR. WILSON VIA EMAIL. THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY WILL BE MAILED OUT FED-EX ON 09/16/2004. THE PILOT'S LOGBOOKS COULD NOT BE LOCATED AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT. PILOT TIMES HAVE BEEN OBTAINED FROM RECORDS PROVIDED BY VECTOR DISEASE CONTROL. THE CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER IS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS CAN BE DIRECTED TO DOMENIC LETOBARONE, BUREAU OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE DIVISION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, PHONE NUMBER 813-744-6482. THE POLK COUNTY SHERIFF'S REPORT SHOULD BE READY AND AVAILABLE TO THE FAA/NTSB ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2004.