What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 2/27/2016 at approximately 14:15 LCL received a call from Massachusetts dot aeronautics inspector reporting a accident at pym. Report indicated that a Beech baron had crashed at pym. The aircraft was upside down on the ramp at pym. One serious injury was reported. The PIC was reported as privacy data omitted and also reported that he was airlifted to a hospital.
At this time this inspector contacted the FAA regional communications center to report same. At this time the communication center advised me that they were just in the process of receiving the same report. I informed my front line manager of the accident and the details as I knew them at the time as well as the fact that I was responding to the scene.
I arrived at pym at approximately 16:15 LCL time. I observed N482S a Beech C-55 baron, upside down on the grass approximately 200 feet south east of the runway 6-24 centerline. The aircraft came to rest in a northeasterly direction, approximately heading 070 degrees. I was advised by mass state police officers still at the scene that the pilot had been air lifted to brigham and woman?s hospital in boston. They stated that he was semi- conscious when para-medics were caring for him. They also advised that they had recovered his pilot log book and medical certificates which they subsequently turned over to this inspector.
I documented the scene with photographs and inspected the wreckage. There was substantial damage to the left wing, nose, right wing and tail section of the aircraft. The damage to the left wing was the most severe. The pilots side window was broken, the windshield was smashed. The power controls in the cockpit (throttles, mixtures and props) were in the full forward position (high power). The master switch and magneto switches were in the off position. I later learned that the master and mags were turned off by first responders.
Further inspection of the aircraft revealed that the main landing gear was in the down and locked position. The nose gear appeared to be down and locked as well, however the damage to the nose section of the aircraft made it difficult to confirm that it was in the locked position as the nose landing gear was partially separated from the aircraft. Inspection of both left and right propellers indicated that they had damage consistent with the engines being under power at the time of impact. Inspection of the flaps revealed that they were in a down position. There was some leakage of fuel from the aircraft fuel tanks, however first responders had plugged some of the broken fuel lines to stop the leaking. The fuel tanks appeared largely intact. There was no post crash fire.
The aircraft was up righted , defueled and placed on a flatbed trailer and moved to a secure hanger. Although the total amount of fuel on board the aircraft at the time of impact could not be determined fuel recovered from the aircraft as a result of the defueling was approximately 25 gallons.
Subsequent inspection of the aircraft revealed that a insight G4 engine analyzer was installed. This instrument records engine data onto a SD memory card. After consultation with the NTSB inspector in charge the data was recovered. The engine data is consistent with both engines operating normally up to the time of impact.
Further inspection of the aircraft with an air safety inspector from cessna/beach/textron revealed the following:
The throttles as observed at the throttle bodies in both engines were full open.
The flaps were set to 30 degrees down.
The flap control in the cockpit was set between down and 15 degrees.
Elevator trim was set in a nose up position.
There was continuity in all flight controls.
Remaining fuel in the aircraft did not appear to be contaminated.
The fuel strainers were clear and free of any debris.
The landing gear control was in the down position.
The landing gear mechanism attached to the landing gear motor was in the down and locked position.
As the FAA filed it
ON 2/27/2016 AT APPROXIMATELY 14:15 LCL RECEIVED A CALL FROM MASSACHUSETTS DOT AERONAUTICS INSPECTOR REPORTING A ACCIDENT AT PYM. REPORT INDICATED THAT A BEECH BARON HAD CRASHED AT PYM. THE AIRCRAFT WAS UPSIDE DOWN ON THE RAMP AT PYM. ONE SERIOUS INJURY WAS REPORTED. THE PIC WAS REPORTED AS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ALSO REPORTED THAT HE WAS AIRLIFTED TO A HOSPITAL.
AT THIS TIME THIS INSPECTOR CONTACTED THE FAA REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS CENTER TO REPORT SAME. AT THIS TIME THE COMMUNICATION CENTER ADVISED ME THAT THEY WERE JUST IN THE PROCESS OF RECEIVING THE SAME REPORT. I INFORMED MY FRONT LINE MANAGER OF THE ACCIDENT AND THE DETAILS AS I KNEW THEM AT THE TIME AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT I WAS RESPONDING TO THE SCENE.
I ARRIVED AT PYM AT APPROXIMATELY 16:15 LCL TIME. I OBSERVED N482S A BEECH C-55 BARON, UPSIDE DOWN ON THE GRASS APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET SOUTH EAST OF THE RUNWAY 6-24 CENTERLINE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN A NORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION, APPROXIMATELY HEADING 070 DEGREES. I WAS ADVISED BY MASS STATE POLICE OFFICERS STILL AT THE SCENE THAT THE PILOT HAD BEEN AIR LIFTED TO BRIGHAM AND WOMAN?S HOSPITAL IN BOSTON. THEY STATED THAT HE WAS SEMI- CONSCIOUS WHEN PARA-MEDICS WERE CARING FOR HIM. THEY ALSO ADVISED THAT THEY HAD RECOVERED HIS PILOT LOG BOOK AND MEDICAL CERTIFICATES WHICH THEY SUBSEQUENTLY TURNED OVER TO THIS INSPECTOR.
I DOCUMENTED THE SCENE WITH PHOTOGRAPHS AND INSPECTED THE WRECKAGE. THERE WAS SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING, NOSE, RIGHT WING AND TAIL SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING WAS THE MOST SEVERE. THE PILOTS SIDE WINDOW WAS BROKEN, THE WINDSHIELD WAS SMASHED. THE POWER CONTROLS IN THE COCKPIT (THROTTLES, MIXTURES AND PROPS) WERE IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITION (HIGH POWER). THE MASTER SWITCH AND MAGNETO SWITCHES WERE IN THE OFF POSITION. I LATER LEARNED THAT THE MASTER AND MAGS WERE TURNED OFF BY FIRST RESPONDERS.
FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION. THE NOSE GEAR APPEARED TO BE DOWN AND LOCKED AS WELL, HOWEVER THE DAMAGE TO THE NOSE SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT MADE IT DIFFICULT TO CONFIRM THAT IT WAS IN THE LOCKED POSITION AS THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS PARTIALLY SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. INSPECTION OF BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT PROPELLERS INDICATED THAT THEY HAD DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH THE ENGINES BEING UNDER POWER AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. INSPECTION OF THE FLAPS REVEALED THAT THEY WERE IN A DOWN POSITION. THERE WAS SOME LEAKAGE OF FUEL FROM THE AIRCRAFT FUEL TANKS, HOWEVER FIRST RESPONDERS HAD PLUGGED SOME OF THE BROKEN FUEL LINES TO STOP THE LEAKING. THE FUEL TANKS APPEARED LARGELY INTACT. THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE.
THE AIRCRAFT WAS UP RIGHTED , DEFUELED AND PLACED ON A FLATBED TRAILER AND MOVED TO A SECURE HANGER. ALTHOUGH THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF FUEL ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT AT THE TIME OF IMPACT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED FUEL RECOVERED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AS A RESULT OF THE DEFUELING WAS APPROXIMATELY 25 GALLONS.
SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT A INSIGHT G4 ENGINE ANALYZER WAS INSTALLED. THIS INSTRUMENT RECORDS ENGINE DATA ONTO A SD MEMORY CARD. AFTER CONSULTATION WITH THE NTSB INSPECTOR IN CHARGE THE DATA WAS RECOVERED. THE ENGINE DATA IS CONSISTENT WITH BOTH ENGINES OPERATING NORMALLY UP TO THE TIME OF IMPACT.
FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WITH AN AIR SAFETY INSPECTOR FROM CESSNA/BEACH/TEXTRON REVEALED THE FOLLOWING:
THE THROTTLES AS OBSERVED AT THE THROTTLE BODIES IN BOTH ENGINES WERE FULL OPEN.
THE FLAPS WERE SET TO 30 DEGREES DOWN.
THE FLAP CONTROL IN THE COCKPIT WAS SET BETWEEN DOWN AND 15 DEGREES.
ELEVATOR TRIM WAS SET IN A NOSE UP POSITION.
THERE WAS CONTINUITY IN ALL FLIGHT CONTROLS.
REMAINING FUEL IN THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE CONTAMINATED.
THE FUEL STRAINERS WERE CLEAR AND FREE OF ANY DEBRIS.
THE LANDING GEAR CONTROL WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION.
THE LANDING GEAR MECHANISM ATTACHED TO THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR WAS IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.