What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On may 25, 2011 aircraft N77AR Beech baron BE-58-58 s/n TH-757 operated by friendship flying service, inc. performed a charter flight with an IFR flight plan from fulton county airport-brown field alt ga. (Fty) to wendell h ford hazard KY.(K20).the reported METAR at (tys) was 251953 19018G23KT 10SM clr 34/12 A2985.the flight departed at about 1545, with a plan to climb to 9,000 feet MSL.at approximately 1615 EDT the pilot contacted knoxville approach (tys). Approximately 28 seconds later N77AR declared an emergency and reported a fire. . ATC radar reported returns at 8900,8700, and 8500 feet MSL.no further communications were received.a witness saw the aircraft at approximately 1500MSL in a northwesterly direction heard and the aircraft accelerate to a high RPM then the right wing dipped and nose dived as the engines accelerated more. He lost sight of the aircraft over a ridge then heard an explosion seconds later. Another witness noted the aircraft making a sharp right turn went behind the trees and heard the explosion which was like a sonic boom, then saw a puff of black smoke. This witness noted the time was 1618 EDT.the airplane crashed in a wooded area. The airplane was destroyed by fire and burned an area of approximately 5 acres. Preliminary investigation of the crash site revealed that prior to impact both winglets, elevators, horizontal and vertical stabilizer were scattered outside of the crash site and fire ring. The aircraft was inverted with the left engine located uphill from the right engine. The propellers were sheered at the shaft with the blades bent. The empennage and cabin were identified at the impact site. The flight deck and avionics were completely consumed by fire. Pieces of the airplane were in the trees. One of the pieces was the glare shield and it showed evidence of heat to the right side. Part of a right control yoke, pieces of window plexiglas were found outside of the fire ring. The control yoke, plexiglas showed signs of soot and heat discoloration. The fire extinguisher was also located outside of the fire ring near the pilot which was inspected and weighed on April 13, 2011 at 5 lbs. The fire extinguisher was later weighed at 2.02 lbs. The pilot was found outside of the crash site and fire ring, the 3 passengers were located at the impact site consumed by fire.
As the FAA filed it
ON MAY 25, 2011 AIRCRAFT N77AR BEECH BARON BE-58-58 S/N TH-757 OPERATED BY FRIENDSHIP FLYING SERVICE, INC. PERFORMED A CHARTER FLIGHT WITH AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN FROM FULTON COUNTY AIRPORT-BROWN FIELD ALT GA. (FTY) TO WENDELL H FORD HAZARD KY.(K20).THE REPORTED METAR AT (TYS) WAS 251953 19018G23KT 10SM CLR 34/12 A2985.THE FLIGHT DEPARTED AT ABOUT 1545, WITH A PLAN TO CLIMB TO 9,000 FEET MSL.AT APPROXIMATELY 1615 EDT THE PILOT CONTACTED KNOXVILLE APPROACH (TYS). APPROXIMATELY 28 SECONDS LATER N77AR DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND REPORTED A FIRE. . ATC RADAR REPORTED RETURNS AT 8900,8700, AND 8500 FEET MSL.NO FURTHER COMMUNICATIONS WERE RECEIVED.A WITNESS SAW THE AIRCRAFT AT APPROXIMATELY 1500MSL IN A NORTHWESTERLY DIRECTION HEARD AND THE AIRCRAFT ACCELERATE TO A HIGH RPM THEN THE RIGHT WING DIPPED AND NOSE DIVED AS THE ENGINES ACCELERATED MORE. HE LOST SIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT OVER A RIDGE THEN HEARD AN EXPLOSION SECONDS LATER. ANOTHER WITNESS NOTED THE AIRCRAFT MAKING A SHARP RIGHT TURN WENT BEHIND THE TREES AND HEARD THE EXPLOSION WHICH WAS LIKE A SONIC BOOM, THEN SAW A PUFF OF BLACK SMOKE. THIS WITNESS NOTED THE TIME WAS 1618 EDT.THE AIRPLANE CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE AND BURNED AN AREA OF APPROXIMATELY 5 ACRES. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THAT PRIOR TO IMPACT BOTH WINGLETS, ELEVATORS, HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL STABILIZER WERE SCATTERED OUTSIDE OF THE CRASH SITE AND FIRE RING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS INVERTED WITH THE LEFT ENGINE LOCATED UPHILL FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE. THE PROPELLERS WERE SHEERED AT THE SHAFT WITH THE BLADES BENT. THE EMPENNAGE AND CABIN WERE IDENTIFIED AT THE IMPACT SITE. THE FLIGHT DECK AND AVIONICS WERE COMPLETELY CONSUMED BY FIRE. PIECES OF THE AIRPLANE WERE IN THE TREES. ONE OF THE PIECES WAS THE GLARE SHIELD AND IT SHOWED EVIDENCE OF HEAT TO THE RIGHT SIDE. PART OF A RIGHT CONTROL YOKE, PIECES OF WINDOW PLEXIGLAS WERE FOUND OUTSIDE OF THE FIRE RING. THE CONTROL YOKE, PLEXIGLAS SHOWED SIGNS OF SOOT AND HEAT DISCOLORATION. THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER WAS ALSO LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE FIRE RING NEAR THE PILOT WHICH WAS INSPECTED AND WEIGHED ON APRIL 13, 2011 AT 5 LBS. THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER WAS LATER WEIGHED AT 2.02 LBS. THE PILOT WAS FOUND OUTSIDE OF THE CRASH SITE AND FIRE RING, THE 3 PASSENGERS WERE LOCATED AT THE IMPACT SITE CONSUMED BY FIRE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.