20090506047051A

On may 6, 2009, at approximately 1138 hours eastern daylight time, a Beech model K35, registration N111YR, departed runway 15 at Palm Beach County Park Airport (klna) located in Lantana Florida. This was a personal flight operated under the provisions of title 14 code of federal aviation regulations (CFR) part 91. The aircraft was destroyed when the pilot made a forced landing due to loss of engine power. The commercial rated pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident. Witnesses interviewed stated the aircraft took off from runway 15. At approximately seventy-five feet above ground level (AGL) the engine sputtered and stopped. The aircraft then entered a steep downward right turn in the direction of a line of hangars located on the south side of the airport. The landing gear was extended and the propeller was observed to be windmilling. One witness stated at one point he observed the aircraft in a ninety-degree bank. The pilot, age 68, held a commercial pilot certificate with multiengine and instrument ratings, and held a second-class medical certificate issued the morning of the accident. Examination of the accident site found that the aircraft made initial impact at a slightly nose down and right wing low attitude 96 feet from the final crash location. A surveillance camera mounted on a nearby hangar confirmed this. Prior to ground impact N111YR collided with two parked and unoccupied aircraft knocking the wing off one. Ground scars from the initial ground impact to the final resting place of N111YR indicate that the aircraft slid 81 feet before striking and coming to rest beneath a parked semi-trailer. The engine with the propeller still attached then broke away from the fuselage and came to rest 73 feet on 280-degree heading. Propeller damage was not significant. One blade was bent aft slightly indicating that the engine was not producing power at the time of impact. The ground scars were observed to be in the same direction. The aircraft final heading was noted as 360-degrees. A third parked aircraft sustained damage to its left leading edge from the impact from the nose gear of N111YR. The nose gear possibly broke off during the initial ground impact and flew into the wing. The aircraft was a "v-tail" configuration (ruddervator). The empennage just aft of the cockpit was separated and was in front of the semi-trailer. There was a puncture to the semi-trailer approximately 10 feet from the ground. There was red paint (aircraft was painted red) surrounding the puncture from the impact of the left ruddervator. The right side of the empennage was intact however, the left side had significant impact damage. The left ruddervator had separated from the empennage. The left ruddervator bellcrank had separated during impact as well. Flight control continuity was established from the control yoke to the left ruddervator bellcrank. Flight control continuity was also confirmed from the control yoke to the ailerons and right ruddervator. The left wing was destroyed compromising the left fuel cell. Fire rescue crews stated that there was fuel on the ground when they arrived. The right wing sustained significant impact damage however, the right main and auxiliary fuel tanks were not compromised. When the fuel caps were removed from both tanks fuel was observed at the top of the filler. A fuel sample taken did not reveal any contamination. The fuel selector in the cockpit was in the left tank position. The aircraft was equipped with a throw over control yoke which was locked in the left position. A partial inspection of the engine was accomplished. Catastrophic engine failure was not noted. The fuel pump was removed. The shaft was not damaged and appeared to be in good condition. The fuel manifold was disassembled and fuel was noted within the manifold. The fuel manifold screen was observed as being free of debris. The top spark plugs were removed