20100927048559A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Beech F33A · Phoenix, AZ · September 27, 2010

Date
September 27, 2010 · 10:58 local
Place
Phoenix, AZ
Airport
Phoenix Deer Valley
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N1600W
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR10FA473
Reported as
Beech F33A
Reported engine
Continental IO-520 BA
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
2,098 total647 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days

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.

On September 27, 2010 at approximately 10:58 mountain standard time a Beechcraft, BE-33-F33A, N1600W, while on final approach to runway 07 left (dvt) was substantially damaged when it impacted an industrial building located at, privacy data omitted, Phoenix AZ. According to the FAA data base, the aircraft (N1600W) was registered to a privacy data omitted of privacy data omitted. The privacy data omitted was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91. The commercial pilot was killed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage and portions of the aircraft exhibited extreme fire damage. The pilot's family members reported he tried to fly weekly to maintain proficiency. The local flight departed Deer valley airport at an undetermined time. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.a review of recorded air traffic control tower (ATCT) (dvt) transmissions revealed the pilot reported inbound from sky ranch at 4,000 feet with information zulu for landing. He was cleared into the traffic pattern for a left downwind to runway 07L. There were several planes ahead of him, and he requested the ATCT to call his base turn for him. After his traffic called a 3 mile final, the ATCT advised him to turn base and he acknowledged. While on final, the ATCT advised the pilot that he appeared to be low. He responded that he was experiencing engine difficulties, and would try to make the runway. Video surveillance was obtained from the (kdvt) airport perimeter camera located on the north gate entrance. This video revealed the aircraft (N1600W) flying relative low comparative to other aircraft on final approach to 07 left. The video also revealed the aircraft rocked to the left prior to leaving the cameras field of view. A plume of smoke was evident on the video. A locally employed certificated flight instructor witness located at the B9 taxi way after landing (kdvt) 07L saw the aircraft (N1600W) on short final and noticed the aircraft wings rocking from side to side, then the aircraft pitched up and suddenly pitch down to be followed by a pillar of smoke.a second locally employed certificated flight instructor witness holding short of runway 07R at C2 (kdvt) airport stated he noticed the Beechcraft bonanza on short final for runway 07L (kdvt). The flight instructor stated the bonanza was unusually low and in a nose high attitude. The aircraft wings were visibly rocking and appeared to be very unstable. The aircraft hit the building located on the nw corner of (kdvt) airport. The witness stated, just prior to impact, the aircrafts (N1600W) nose pitched up noticeably high as the aircraft hit the building. Additional witnesses reported that the airplane was very low, and the engine was sputtering and backfiring. The airplane came to rest inside an industrial building lobby. The customer entrance was enclosed in floor-to-ceiling windows on its two exterior walls. The glass was shattered, and debris from the windows and ceiling were on top of the wreckage. Charring was observed on the inside and outside of the airframe and inside the building. The building faced to the west-southwest. The fuselage, one propeller blade, empennage, most of the right wing, most of the left wing with the aileron attached, and landing gear were contained within the office space. The engine with two propeller blades attached, which were displaced from the airframe, went through a steel door and frame and into a second room. The engine and propeller remained connected via the engine driven alternator power wire. All four engine mounts were fractured and separated from the airframe. The engine did not display evidence of catastrophic failure.

As the FAA filed it

ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2010 AT APPROXIMATELY 10:58 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME A BEECHCRAFT, BE-33-F33A, N1600W, WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 07 LEFT (DVT) WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT IMPACTED AN INDUSTRIAL BUILDING LOCATED AT, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, PHOENIX AZ. ACCORDING TO THE FAA DATA BASE, THE AIRCRAFT (N1600W) WAS REGISTERED TO A ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS OPERATING THE AIRPLANE UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS KILLED. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE WINGS, FUSELAGE, AND EMPENNAGE AND PORTIONS OF THE AIRCRAFT EXHIBITED EXTREME FIRE DAMAGE. THE PILOT'S FAMILY MEMBERS REPORTED HE TRIED TO FLY WEEKLY TO MAINTAIN PROFICIENCY. THE LOCAL FLIGHT DEPARTED DEER VALLEY AIRPORT AT AN UNDETERMINED TIME. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED.A REVIEW OF RECORDED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER (ATCT) (DVT) TRANSMISSIONS REVEALED THE PILOT REPORTED INBOUND FROM SKY RANCH AT 4,000 FEET WITH INFORMATION ZULU FOR LANDING. HE WAS CLEARED INTO THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR A LEFT DOWNWIND TO RUNWAY 07L. THERE WERE SEVERAL PLANES AHEAD OF HIM, AND HE REQUESTED THE ATCT TO CALL HIS BASE TURN FOR HIM. AFTER HIS TRAFFIC CALLED A 3 MILE FINAL, THE ATCT ADVISED HIM TO TURN BASE AND HE ACKNOWLEDGED. WHILE ON FINAL, THE ATCT ADVISED THE PILOT THAT HE APPEARED TO BE LOW. HE RESPONDED THAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING ENGINE DIFFICULTIES, AND WOULD TRY TO MAKE THE RUNWAY.VIDEO SURVEILLANCE WAS OBTAINED FROM THE (KDVT) AIRPORT PERIMETER CAMERA LOCATED ON THE NORTH GATE ENTRANCE. THIS VIDEO REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT (N1600W) FLYING RELATIVE LOW COMPARATIVE TO OTHER AIRCRAFT ON FINAL APPROACH TO 07 LEFT. THE VIDEO ALSO REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT ROCKED TO THE LEFT PRIOR TO LEAVING THE CAMERAS FIELD OF VIEW. A PLUME OF SMOKE WAS EVIDENT ON THE VIDEO. A LOCALLY EMPLOYED CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WITNESS LOCATED AT THE B9 TAXI WAY AFTER LANDING (KDVT) 07L SAW THE AIRCRAFT (N1600W) ON SHORT FINAL AND NOTICED THE AIRCRAFT WINGS ROCKING FROM SIDE TO SIDE, THEN THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED UP AND SUDDENLY PITCH DOWN TO BE FOLLOWED BY A PILLAR OF SMOKE.A SECOND LOCALLY EMPLOYED CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WITNESS HOLDING SHORT OF RUNWAY 07R AT C2 (KDVT) AIRPORT STATED HE NOTICED THE BEECHCRAFT BONANZA ON SHORT FINAL FOR RUNWAY 07L (KDVT). THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR STATED THE BONANZA WAS UNUSUALLY LOW AND IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE. THE AIRCRAFT WINGS WERE VISIBLY ROCKING AND APPEARED TO BE VERY UNSTABLE. THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE BUILDING LOCATED ON THE NW CORNER OF (KDVT) AIRPORT. THE WITNESS STATED, JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT, THE AIRCRAFTS (N1600W) NOSE PITCHED UP NOTICEABLY HIGH AS THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE BUILDING. ADDITIONAL WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS VERY LOW, AND THE ENGINE WAS SPUTTERING AND BACKFIRING.THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST INSIDE AN INDUSTRIAL BUILDING LOBBY. THE CUSTOMER ENTRANCE WAS ENCLOSED IN FLOOR-TO-CEILING WINDOWS ON ITS TWO EXTERIOR WALLS. THE GLASS WAS SHATTERED, AND DEBRIS FROM THE WINDOWS AND CEILING WERE ON TOP OF THE WRECKAGE. CHARRING WAS OBSERVED ON THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE AIRFRAME AND INSIDE THE BUILDING. THE BUILDING FACED TO THE WEST-SOUTHWEST. THE FUSELAGE, ONE PROPELLER BLADE, EMPENNAGE, MOST OF THE RIGHT WING, MOST OF THE LEFT WING WITH THE AILERON ATTACHED, AND LANDING GEAR WERE CONTAINED WITHIN THE OFFICE SPACE. THE ENGINE WITH TWO PROPELLER BLADES ATTACHED, WHICH WERE DISPLACED FROM THE AIRFRAME, WENT THROUGH A STEEL DOOR AND FRAME AND INTO A SECOND ROOM. THE ENGINE AND PROPELLER REMAINED CONNECTED VIA THE ENGINE DRIVEN ALTERNATOR POWER WIRE. ALL FOUR ENGINE MOUNTS WERE FRACTURED AND SEPARATED FROM THE AIRFRAME. THE ENGINE DID NOT DISPLAY EVIDENCE OF CATASTROPHIC FAILURE.

NTSB investigation

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