What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On December 31, 2016, springfield FSDO was notified at on or about 8:00 pm regarding N2806R in Vienna Illinois with four fatalities.
A search of n- number N2806R disclosed that the aircraft belong to curt ryan terpstra who resides in pella Iowa. Contacted the local airport in pella Iowa, and spoke with shane vande voort, the airport manager at pella municipal airport, and have found that N2806R was housed at this airport. He said had spoken with Mr. Terpstra the morning of December 31, 2016; he needed air for one of his tires on the aircraft. Furthermore, he stated that he heard the airplane taxi then take off from the pella municipal airport sometime around 11 am and 12 pm for nashville Tennessee. Mr. Vande voort confirmed the last time Mr. Terpstra purchased of fuel at pella municipal airport was 33 gallons recorded on September 2016.
Around 3:15 pm on December 31, 2016, the aircraft was flying over hannibal MO. A family member provided photos of the events; as the occupant of the aircraft w sending them through their cell phone program called snap chat. Also, a family member said the group stopped in hannibal MO for dinner at a bistro (name of bistro not identified). Their departure from hannibal is time unknown inspector veselka and I have called the airport surrounding hannibal MO; none have a record of N2806R stopping at their station. We have also, checked the airports around hannibal for the purchase of fuel. None found!
A friend of the occupants; (drew buckley) speaking to Illinois state police (isp), said his friends stopped in hannibal MO. They were due to arrive at nashville Tennessee to celebrate bring in the new year, but have not arrived. He said the last communication he had with his friend was before paducah, Kentucky through snap chat ?flying through some bad weather.? He continued to describe the occupants and the aircraft to the isp officer. At this time we were unable to confirm occupants onboard, due to lack of identification. However, the caller (Mr. Buckley) was able to describe the occupants and aircraft accurately. The assumption made was that Mr. Terpstra must have turned re-entering back into Illinois airspace. Possibly looking for a place to land or refuel. We called paducah airport, and they closed at 4 pm new year?s eve and did not re-open until the Tuesday following the accident.
Inspector veselka and I arrived on scene around 12:00 pm on January 1, 2017, and immediately started taking the GPS coordinates. We notice the aircraft had an approached heading in a north easterly direction 035° and GPS coordinated N37° 21?15.1?/ E-88° 48? 40.9? Final resting spot in the woods).
The accident appears to be a low angle high energy impact; 30° nose down with the wreckage scattered approximately 150 feet from the first impact with a tree to the stoppage of the aircraft wreckage. By the appearance of the propeller blades, the engine appeared to be running. There were tree limbs 2-4 inches in diameter were cut clean through and the initial impact site of the engine; the propeller blade left a ground scared cutting away a swath of dirt and ground vegetation leaving paint residual from propeller blade as an identifier.
The four occupants ejected from the aircraft through the evolution of the crash. The coroner flagged the position of the bodies as they were found around the aircraft wreckage. Two (2) male occupants were thrown in front of the wreckage approximately 5 feet, and one female was thrown approximately 20 feet in front of the wreckage, the 2nd female was thrown from the aircraft, however, was entangled within the wreckage around the elevator and left wing.
Next statement came from several witnesses around 5:30 pm; 1st witness stated that aircraft N2806R flew over his house at an unusually low attitude in an east to west direction and he said he heard the impact and called 911.
The 2nd witness said he saw the aircraft flying in a westerly direction. However, he also noted the engine was not running correctly, a few seconds later he noticed was the aircraft rolling clockwise going nose down then crashed into the woods. (This witness directed the 1st responders to the site).
The 3rd witness is consistent with witness two (2).
At this time we are unable to find any flight plan that was filed. Also, we have had no luck in the search for the purchase of any fuel during the time of his travel. I have made contact with all of the ATC controllers/central along the suspected route flow to the crash site. Also, we have contacted all FBO?s in the vicinity of hannibal and paducah to see if the pilot had communicated with them along the flight path.
As the FAA filed it
ON DECEMBER 31, 2016, SPRINGFIELD FSDO WAS NOTIFIED AT ON OR ABOUT 8:00 PM REGARDING N2806R IN VIENNA ILLINOIS WITH FOUR FATALITIES.
A SEARCH OF N- NUMBER N2806R DISCLOSED THAT THE AIRCRAFT BELONG TO CURT RYAN TERPSTRA WHO RESIDES IN PELLA IOWA. CONTACTED THE LOCAL AIRPORT IN PELLA IOWA, AND SPOKE WITH SHANE VANDE VOORT, THE AIRPORT MANAGER AT PELLA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, AND HAVE FOUND THAT N2806R WAS HOUSED AT THIS AIRPORT. HE SAID HAD SPOKEN WITH MR. TERPSTRA THE MORNING OF DECEMBER 31, 2016; HE NEEDED AIR FOR ONE OF HIS TIRES ON THE AIRCRAFT. FURTHERMORE, HE STATED THAT HE HEARD THE AIRPLANE TAXI THEN TAKE OFF FROM THE PELLA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT SOMETIME AROUND 11 AM AND 12 PM FOR NASHVILLE TENNESSEE. MR. VANDE VOORT CONFIRMED THE LAST TIME MR. TERPSTRA PURCHASED OF FUEL AT PELLA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT WAS 33 GALLONS RECORDED ON SEPTEMBER 2016.
AROUND 3:15 PM ON DECEMBER 31, 2016, THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING OVER HANNIBAL MO. A FAMILY MEMBER PROVIDED PHOTOS OF THE EVENTS; AS THE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT W SENDING THEM THROUGH THEIR CELL PHONE PROGRAM CALLED SNAP CHAT. ALSO, A FAMILY MEMBER SAID THE GROUP STOPPED IN HANNIBAL MO FOR DINNER AT A BISTRO (NAME OF BISTRO NOT IDENTIFIED). THEIR DEPARTURE FROM HANNIBAL IS TIME UNKNOWN INSPECTOR VESELKA AND I HAVE CALLED THE AIRPORT SURROUNDING HANNIBAL MO; NONE HAVE A RECORD OF N2806R STOPPING AT THEIR STATION. WE HAVE ALSO, CHECKED THE AIRPORTS AROUND HANNIBAL FOR THE PURCHASE OF FUEL. NONE FOUND!
A FRIEND OF THE OCCUPANTS; (DREW BUCKLEY) SPEAKING TO ILLINOIS STATE POLICE (ISP), SAID HIS FRIENDS STOPPED IN HANNIBAL MO. THEY WERE DUE TO ARRIVE AT NASHVILLE TENNESSEE TO CELEBRATE BRING IN THE NEW YEAR, BUT HAVE NOT ARRIVED. HE SAID THE LAST COMMUNICATION HE HAD WITH HIS FRIEND WAS BEFORE PADUCAH, KENTUCKY THROUGH SNAP CHAT ?FLYING THROUGH SOME BAD WEATHER.? HE CONTINUED TO DESCRIBE THE OCCUPANTS AND THE AIRCRAFT TO THE ISP OFFICER. AT THIS TIME WE WERE UNABLE TO CONFIRM OCCUPANTS ONBOARD, DUE TO LACK OF IDENTIFICATION. HOWEVER, THE CALLER (MR. BUCKLEY) WAS ABLE TO DESCRIBE THE OCCUPANTS AND AIRCRAFT ACCURATELY. THE ASSUMPTION MADE WAS THAT MR. TERPSTRA MUST HAVE TURNED RE-ENTERING BACK INTO ILLINOIS AIRSPACE. POSSIBLY LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LAND OR REFUEL. WE CALLED PADUCAH AIRPORT, AND THEY CLOSED AT 4 PM NEW YEAR?S EVE AND DID NOT RE-OPEN UNTIL THE TUESDAY FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT.
INSPECTOR VESELKA AND I ARRIVED ON SCENE AROUND 12:00 PM ON JANUARY 1, 2017, AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED TAKING THE GPS COORDINATES. WE NOTICE THE AIRCRAFT HAD AN APPROACHED HEADING IN A NORTH EASTERLY DIRECTION 035° AND GPS COORDINATED N37° 21?15.1?/ E-88° 48? 40.9? FINAL RESTING SPOT IN THE WOODS).
THE ACCIDENT APPEARS TO BE A LOW ANGLE HIGH ENERGY IMPACT; 30° NOSE DOWN WITH THE WRECKAGE SCATTERED APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET FROM THE FIRST IMPACT WITH A TREE TO THE STOPPAGE OF THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE. BY THE APPEARANCE OF THE PROPELLER BLADES, THE ENGINE APPEARED TO BE RUNNING. THERE WERE TREE LIMBS 2-4 INCHES IN DIAMETER WERE CUT CLEAN THROUGH AND THE INITIAL IMPACT SITE OF THE ENGINE; THE PROPELLER BLADE LEFT A GROUND SCARED CUTTING AWAY A SWATH OF DIRT AND GROUND VEGETATION LEAVING PAINT RESIDUAL FROM PROPELLER BLADE AS AN IDENTIFIER.
THE FOUR OCCUPANTS EJECTED FROM THE AIRCRAFT THROUGH THE EVOLUTION OF THE CRASH. THE CORONER FLAGGED THE POSITION OF THE BODIES AS THEY WERE FOUND AROUND THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE. TWO (2) MALE OCCUPANTS WERE THROWN IN FRONT OF THE WRECKAGE APPROXIMATELY 5 FEET, AND ONE FEMALE WAS THROWN APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET IN FRONT OF THE WRECKAGE, THE 2ND FEMALE WAS THROWN FROM THE AIRCRAFT, HOWEVER, WAS ENTANGLED WITHIN THE WRECKAGE AROUND THE ELEVATOR AND LEFT WING.
NEXT STATEMENT CAME FROM SEVERAL WITNESSES AROUND 5:30 PM; 1ST WITNESS STATED THAT AIRCRAFT N2806R FLEW OVER HIS HOUSE AT AN UNUSUALLY LOW ATTITUDE IN AN EAST TO WEST DIRECTION AND HE SAID HE HEARD THE IMPACT AND CALLED 911.
THE 2ND WITNESS SAID HE SAW THE AIRCRAFT FLYING IN A WESTERLY DIRECTION. HOWEVER, HE ALSO NOTED THE ENGINE WAS NOT RUNNING CORRECTLY, A FEW SECONDS LATER HE NOTICED WAS THE AIRCRAFT ROLLING CLOCKWISE GOING NOSE DOWN THEN CRASHED INTO THE WOODS. (THIS WITNESS DIRECTED THE 1ST RESPONDERS TO THE SITE).
THE 3RD WITNESS IS CONSISTENT WITH WITNESS TWO (2).
AT THIS TIME WE ARE UNABLE TO FIND ANY FLIGHT PLAN THAT WAS FILED. ALSO, WE HAVE HAD NO LUCK IN THE SEARCH FOR THE PURCHASE OF ANY FUEL DURING THE TIME OF HIS TRAVEL. I HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH ALL OF THE ATC CONTROLLERS/CENTRAL ALONG THE SUSPECTED ROUTE FLOW TO THE CRASH SITE. ALSO, WE HAVE CONTACTED ALL FBO?S IN THE VICINITY OF HANNIBAL AND PADUCAH TO SEE IF THE PILOT HAD COMMUNICATED WITH THEM ALONG THE FLIGHT PATH.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.