20151220020349A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Beech C24R · Statham, GA · December 20, 2015

Date
December 20, 2015 · 14:30 local
Place
Statham, GA
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N2074P
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA16FA075
Reported as
Beech C24R
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
7,000 total35 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.

I was notified at 1444 local time of the accident and arrived on scene at 1640 local time. Barrow county sheriff and coroner were there and had secured the site. Two witnesses were also on scene and they provided written statements. I did a preliminary examination of the accident scene and took photographs. I contacted the NTSB inspector and told him that barrow county sheriff office would secure the site until he arrived. On 12/21/2015 at 0730 local time, I met with the NTSB, Lycoming, and Beechcraft representatives at the site, osha was also at the scene and provided extra ppe. The NTSB and specialist began their inspection at the scene. I assisted and also went to the pertinent airports to gather flight data. The data revealed the following:

The first flight of the day originated from lawrenceville, GA briscoe field airport (lzu), departure time was 1304 local on runway 7. The aircraft arrived at jackson county airport (19A) at approx. 1330 local. This was a full stop on runway 35 with a taxi back to the south ramp. The aircraft then departed from 19A on runway 17 at 1359 local. He made two calls to northeast Georgia regional airport (wdr) in winder, GA on the UNICOM frequency stating ?7 mile approach to winder?, then about 30 seconds later ?call someone; I am not going to make it?. Then impact at 1430 local, appox. 5 miles southeast of wdr.

Two golfers witnessed the accident from the tee box and immediatly went to render assistance. There were tree limbs and debris where the aircraft initially struck the top of the trees on the east side of the fairway. The west side of the fairway had ground scars at the point of impact. The aircraft struck the ground at about a 23° angle, left wing down on a 228° heading. The aircraft then spun around about 180° and began to slide backwards and up a small slope. The tail section struck a tree where the aircraft came to rest on the golf course, black course, hole #3, near the 150 yard marker pole, west side of fairway on the concrete golf cart path.

During an examination of the airframe and engine, it was noted that no fuel was identified in the wing tanks. The left tank was breeched and an unknown amount of fuel escaped. The right wing was intact with outboard leading edge damage.

The left horizontal stabilizer had leading edge damage which appeared to be caused by initial impact with the trees on the east side of the fairway, the sabilizer end cap was also found below the tree that was impacted in that area.

The propeller had two blades bent back with no twist and the third blade was not damaged. The spinner cone was crushed at an angle consistant with the impact angle. The lower front side of the engine was crushed. The throttle, propeller, and mixer controls were full forward. The instrument panel was bent and pushed aft into the cockpit. The landing gear handle was down, flap handle was up, and fuel selector was in left tank position. The ignition switch was in the left magneto position. The fuselage was crushed, twisted and broken open at mid fuselage area where it wrapped around a tree. The nose landing gear was sheared off and lying on the ground in front of the wreckage where the aircraft pivoted on the nose.

The wreckage was relocated to griffin, GA on 12/21/2015 by atlanta air salvage.

Another FAA inspector assisted with the subsequent inspection at atlanta air salvage. The examination of the engine showed that the engine?s magnetos, fuel divider, fuel pump, pistons, spark plugs, etc. All worked as advertised. Preliminary checks of the airframe show that there were no obstructions of any type in the fuel lines from the tank to the engine. The maintenance record indicated that an annual inspection was last performed on jun 10, 2015. The pilot had an up to date medical and flight review. The aircraft had a current valid registration. All aircraft and pilot records reviewed were in compliance with regulatory requirements.

As the FAA filed it

I WAS NOTIFIED AT 1444 LOCAL TIME OF THE ACCIDENT AND ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 1640 LOCAL TIME. BARROW COUNTY SHERIFF AND CORONER WERE THERE AND HAD SECURED THE SITE. TWO WITNESSES WERE ALSO ON SCENE AND THEY PROVIDED WRITTEN STATEMENTS. I DID A PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SCENE AND TOOK PHOTOGRAPHS. I CONTACTED THE NTSB INSPECTOR AND TOLD HIM THAT BARROW COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE WOULD SECURE THE SITE UNTIL HE ARRIVED. ON 12/21/2015 AT 0730 LOCAL TIME, I MET WITH THE NTSB, LYCOMING, AND BEECHCRAFT REPRESENTATIVES AT THE SITE, OSHA WAS ALSO AT THE SCENE AND PROVIDED EXTRA PPE. THE NTSB AND SPECIALIST BEGAN THEIR INSPECTION AT THE SCENE. I ASSISTED AND ALSO WENT TO THE PERTINENT AIRPORTS TO GATHER FLIGHT DATA. THE DATA REVEALED THE FOLLOWING:

THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE DAY ORIGINATED FROM LAWRENCEVILLE, GA BRISCOE FIELD AIRPORT (LZU), DEPARTURE TIME WAS 1304 LOCAL ON RUNWAY 7. THE AIRCRAFT ARRIVED AT JACKSON COUNTY AIRPORT (19A) AT APPROX. 1330 LOCAL. THIS WAS A FULL STOP ON RUNWAY 35 WITH A TAXI BACK TO THE SOUTH RAMP. THE AIRCRAFT THEN DEPARTED FROM 19A ON RUNWAY 17 AT 1359 LOCAL. HE MADE TWO CALLS TO NORTHEAST GEORGIA REGIONAL AIRPORT (WDR) IN WINDER, GA ON THE UNICOM FREQUENCY STATING ?7 MILE APPROACH TO WINDER?, THEN ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER ?CALL SOMEONE; I AM NOT GOING TO MAKE IT?. THEN IMPACT AT 1430 LOCAL, APPOX. 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WDR.

TWO GOLFERS WITNESSED THE ACCIDENT FROM THE TEE BOX AND IMMEDIATLY WENT TO RENDER ASSISTANCE. THERE WERE TREE LIMBS AND DEBRIS WHERE THE AIRCRAFT INITIALLY STRUCK THE TOP OF THE TREES ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE FAIRWAY. THE WEST SIDE OF THE FAIRWAY HAD GROUND SCARS AT THE POINT OF IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND AT ABOUT A 23° ANGLE, LEFT WING DOWN ON A 228° HEADING. THE AIRCRAFT THEN SPUN AROUND ABOUT 180° AND BEGAN TO SLIDE BACKWARDS AND UP A SMALL SLOPE. THE TAIL SECTION STRUCK A TREE WHERE THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON THE GOLF COURSE, BLACK COURSE, HOLE #3, NEAR THE 150 YARD MARKER POLE, WEST SIDE OF FAIRWAY ON THE CONCRETE GOLF CART PATH.

DURING AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME AND ENGINE, IT WAS NOTED THAT NO FUEL WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE WING TANKS. THE LEFT TANK WAS BREECHED AND AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF FUEL ESCAPED. THE RIGHT WING WAS INTACT WITH OUTBOARD LEADING EDGE DAMAGE.

THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER HAD LEADING EDGE DAMAGE WHICH APPEARED TO BE CAUSED BY INITIAL IMPACT WITH THE TREES ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE FAIRWAY, THE SABILIZER END CAP WAS ALSO FOUND BELOW THE TREE THAT WAS IMPACTED IN THAT AREA.

THE PROPELLER HAD TWO BLADES BENT BACK WITH NO TWIST AND THE THIRD BLADE WAS NOT DAMAGED. THE SPINNER CONE WAS CRUSHED AT AN ANGLE CONSISTANT WITH THE IMPACT ANGLE. THE LOWER FRONT SIDE OF THE ENGINE WAS CRUSHED. THE THROTTLE, PROPELLER, AND MIXER CONTROLS WERE FULL FORWARD. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS BENT AND PUSHED AFT INTO THE COCKPIT. THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE WAS DOWN, FLAP HANDLE WAS UP, AND FUEL SELECTOR WAS IN LEFT TANK POSITION. THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS IN THE LEFT MAGNETO POSITION. THE FUSELAGE WAS CRUSHED, TWISTED AND BROKEN OPEN AT MID FUSELAGE AREA WHERE IT WRAPPED AROUND A TREE. THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS SHEARED OFF AND LYING ON THE GROUND IN FRONT OF THE WRECKAGE WHERE THE AIRCRAFT PIVOTED ON THE NOSE.

THE WRECKAGE WAS RELOCATED TO GRIFFIN, GA ON 12/21/2015 BY ATLANTA AIR SALVAGE.

ANOTHER FAA INSPECTOR ASSISTED WITH THE SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION AT ATLANTA AIR SALVAGE. THE EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE SHOWED THAT THE ENGINE?S MAGNETOS, FUEL DIVIDER, FUEL PUMP, PISTONS, SPARK PLUGS, ETC. ALL WORKED AS ADVERTISED. PRELIMINARY CHECKS OF THE AIRFRAME SHOW THAT THERE WERE NO OBSTRUCTIONS OF ANY TYPE IN THE FUEL LINES FROM THE TANK TO THE ENGINE. THE MAINTENANCE RECORD INDICATED THAT AN ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS LAST PERFORMED ON JUN 10, 2015. THE PILOT HAD AN UP TO DATE MEDICAL AND FLIGHT REVIEW. THE AIRCRAFT HAD A CURRENT VALID REGISTRATION. ALL AIRCRAFT AND PILOT RECORDS REVIEWED WERE IN COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS.

NTSB investigation

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

Other reports on N2074P · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.