20050727019969A

(-23) On July 26, 2005, approximately 1050 central daylight time, a single-engine aero commander 112 airplane, N1029J, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain while maneuvering near Junction, Texas. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 code of federal regulations part 91. The flight departed from Kimble County Airport (jct), near Junction, Texas, approximately 1040 with the neosho hugh Robinson airport (eos), near neosho, Missouri, as their intended destination. Several witnesses located in the vicinity of the accident site provided statements to the NTSB investigator-in-charge. Below is a summary of their statements: the first witness was traveling south on highway 83, when he first observed the airplane heading north and flying at an altitude of "about 300 feet." He stated the airplane flew parallel with the highway for about a mile and a half before the airplane crossed the highway to the left "and proceeded down a ravine and out of sight." The witness concluded that "the plane appeared over trees and then struck a tree and went down." A second witness was driving north on highway 83, when he noticed an airplane was "coming up behind him and low." "The airplane (looked) like he took a left turn, went into a ravine and (I) didn't see him until he was trying to bring (the) airplane up the cliff." The witness also noted that the airplane's left wing "clipped a tree" before impacting the ground. Several family members, who were visiting from a foreign country, were driving north on highway 83, and saw the accident airplane on the taxiway at jct. After driving a ways, one of the witnesses reported the airplane "flew over the road above us only about 100 feet." The witness then stated the airplane turned left and "went down in the valley", he mentioned that "he could see it coming up at times, then it disappeared." The witness then states that his girlfriend saw "it hit a tree and then flip over." The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate, airplane multi-engine land rating, and a commercial pilot single-engine land ratings. The pilot was issued an FAA first-class medical certificate on July 20, 2005. At the time of his most recent medical application, he reportedly had accumulated 7,000-hours of flight time. The airplane was a 1973 model aero commander 112, configured for a maximum of four occupants, and featured a retractable landing gear and a controllable pitch propeller. The airplane was powered by 200 horsepower Lycoming engine. The accident airplane had a hartzell 3-bladed propeller installed under the approval of an supplement type certificate (STC). At 1051, the automated weather observing system at the jct located approximately 2.5 miles from the accident site, reported wind from 040 at 7 knots, 7 statute miles visibility, few clouds at 2,400 feet, temperature 82 degrees fahrenheit, dew point 70 degrees fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.09 inches of mercury. The airplane came to rest near the crest of a ridgeline, that was mostly covered with mesquite trees. The accident airplane came to a stop with an approximate resting heading of 325 degrees. According to a handheld GPS, the accident site is at the coordinates of latitude 30 degrees 32.9 minutes north, longitude 099 degrees 46.2 minutes west, at an elevation of 2,070 feet. The main wreckage laid approximately 120 feet from the initial impact with a mesquite tree. The left wing navigation light assembly was located on an approximate heading of 120 degrees from the first impact point, and just before the second impact point (mesquite tree). Ground propellers scars were noted approximately 23 feet from the final resting area; a bush just prior to the ground scars had several "branches" that had been cut from the propeller. All components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. A post-impact fire consumed much of the airframe. The left aileron and portion of the left wing was separated from the airplane. The remainder of the left wing was located under the airplane; the right wing was located above the cabin area, both wing sections and cabin area were heavily damaged by the ground fire. The engine and propeller were also heavily damaged. The empennage was largely intact; however, it was twisted and dented. The wreckage was recovered to air salvage of dallas, in lancaster, Texas for further examination.