What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On may 20, 2020, at approximately 22:30 central standard time (CST) the reporting inspector arrived to the accident site accompanied by inspector privacy data omitted. We spoke with the Texas department of public safety (tx-dps) officer guarding the wreckage, who provided us two dvds with pictures of the scene and three witnesses written statements. The tx-dps officer told us that before we arrived the aircraft tail section (empennage) was moved from the impact point in an attempt to gain access to the occupants ?remains. He also mentioned that at the time of the accident it was cloudy and windy. A review of the witnesses statements revealed that on may 20, 2020, between 16:20 and 16:40 CST they were at the parking lot of privacy data omittedwhen they witnessed a plane coming out of the south what seemed to be attempting to land as it flew over the highway. Two of the witnesses stated that the plane ?started sputtering and stalled as it continued over the runway?. They mentioned that at about the end of the runway the plane seemed to ascend and head to the east and went out of sight. They walked into the funeral home for a few minutes, preparing to leave and go home. Then, they heard the plane engine running at what seemed to be high RPM over the funeral home. They saw the plane coming down nose first behind the funeral home into the trees and heard it make contact with the ground.
Inspector privacy data omitted and I performed a preliminary assessment of the scene. It appeared that the aircraft have impacted the ground in a straight nose down attitude at a high rate of speed. The wreckage was confined to a small impact area with most of the front section of the aircraft buried, including the occupants. Both main wings appeared to be left at the point of impact undisturbed. At approximately 23:30 CST we secured for the night.
On may 21, 2020, we arrived at the accident site at approximately 07:30 CST. An examination of the damage to the treetops confirmed that the aircraft came down in a straight nose down attitude. The wings were lying in the position of impact on either side of the wreckage in the ground with the leading edge down and the rest of the wing corrugated. The flaps appeared to be retracted. The right wing still had the aileron attached. The severely damaged left aileron was located directly beside the left wing. The wings were detached and there was no fuselage to establish flight control continuity. The rudder and elevator controls surfaces were still attached to the tail section that was previously moved in an attempt to gain access to the occupants? Remains. The control cables had been cut during the attempt to extract the occupants so flight control continuity could not be established.
Around 10:00 CST, personnel from the Center fire department arrived in order to remove the occupants. They dug around wreckage approximately six feet to gain access to the remains. While digging we perceived a strong fuel smell. The upper half of the aircraft was missing or unidentifiable. One propeller blade was visible. The tip of the blade was bent forward at a very sharp 90-degree angle and some of the material was missing. The propeller blade was no longer attached to the propeller hub. After the digging to remove the occupants? Remains was completed we were unable to find the other propeller blade, the propeller hub and the engine.
ADS-B data shown that the aircraft flew around Center Municipal Airport multiple times and was near other airports around Center, TX.
Data from flightaware. Com showed light to moderate isolated thunderstorm on the area and time of the accident.
As the FAA filed it
ON MAY 20, 2020, AT APPROXIMATELY 22:30 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME (CST) THE REPORTING INSPECTOR ARRIVED TO THE ACCIDENT SITE ACCOMPANIED BY INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. WE SPOKE WITH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY (TX-DPS) OFFICER GUARDING THE WRECKAGE, WHO PROVIDED US TWO DVDS WITH PICTURES OF THE SCENE AND THREE WITNESSES WRITTEN STATEMENTS. THE TX-DPS OFFICER TOLD US THAT BEFORE WE ARRIVED THE AIRCRAFT TAIL SECTION (EMPENNAGE) WAS MOVED FROM THE IMPACT POINT IN AN ATTEMPT TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE OCCUPANTS ?REMAINS. HE ALSO MENTIONED THAT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT IT WAS CLOUDY AND WINDY. A REVIEW OF THE WITNESSES STATEMENTS REVEALED THAT ON MAY 20, 2020, BETWEEN 16:20 AND 16:40 CST THEY WERE AT THE PARKING LOT OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^WHEN THEY WITNESSED A PLANE COMING OUT OF THE SOUTH WHAT SEEMED TO BE ATTEMPTING TO LAND AS IT FLEW OVER THE HIGHWAY. TWO OF THE WITNESSES STATED THAT THE PLANE ?STARTED SPUTTERING AND STALLED AS IT CONTINUED OVER THE RUNWAY?. THEY MENTIONED THAT AT ABOUT THE END OF THE RUNWAY THE PLANE SEEMED TO ASCEND AND HEAD TO THE EAST AND WENT OUT OF SIGHT. THEY WALKED INTO THE FUNERAL HOME FOR A FEW MINUTES, PREPARING TO LEAVE AND GO HOME. THEN, THEY HEARD THE PLANE ENGINE RUNNING AT WHAT SEEMED TO BE HIGH RPM OVER THE FUNERAL HOME. THEY SAW THE PLANE COMING DOWN NOSE FIRST BEHIND THE FUNERAL HOME INTO THE TREES AND HEARD IT MAKE CONTACT WITH THE GROUND.
INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I PERFORMED A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE SCENE. IT APPEARED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAVE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A STRAIGHT NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE WRECKAGE WAS CONFINED TO A SMALL IMPACT AREA WITH MOST OF THE FRONT SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT BURIED, INCLUDING THE OCCUPANTS. BOTH MAIN WINGS APPEARED TO BE LEFT AT THE POINT OF IMPACT UNDISTURBED. AT APPROXIMATELY 23:30 CST WE SECURED FOR THE NIGHT.
ON MAY 21, 2020, WE ARRIVED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AT APPROXIMATELY 07:30 CST. AN EXAMINATION OF THE DAMAGE TO THE TREETOPS CONFIRMED THAT THE AIRCRAFT CAME DOWN IN A STRAIGHT NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE WINGS WERE LYING IN THE POSITION OF IMPACT ON EITHER SIDE OF THE WRECKAGE IN THE GROUND WITH THE LEADING EDGE DOWN AND THE REST OF THE WING CORRUGATED. THE FLAPS APPEARED TO BE RETRACTED. THE RIGHT WING STILL HAD THE AILERON ATTACHED. THE SEVERELY DAMAGED LEFT AILERON WAS LOCATED DIRECTLY BESIDE THE LEFT WING. THE WINGS WERE DETACHED AND THERE WAS NO FUSELAGE TO ESTABLISH FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY. THE RUDDER AND ELEVATOR CONTROLS SURFACES WERE STILL ATTACHED TO THE TAIL SECTION THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY MOVED IN AN ATTEMPT TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE OCCUPANTS? REMAINS. THE CONTROL CABLES HAD BEEN CUT DURING THE ATTEMPT TO EXTRACT THE OCCUPANTS SO FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED.
AROUND 10:00 CST, PERSONNEL FROM THE CENTER FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE OCCUPANTS. THEY DUG AROUND WRECKAGE APPROXIMATELY SIX FEET TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE REMAINS. WHILE DIGGING WE PERCEIVED A STRONG FUEL SMELL. THE UPPER HALF OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS MISSING OR UNIDENTIFIABLE. ONE PROPELLER BLADE WAS VISIBLE. THE TIP OF THE BLADE WAS BENT FORWARD AT A VERY SHARP 90-DEGREE ANGLE AND SOME OF THE MATERIAL WAS MISSING. THE PROPELLER BLADE WAS NO LONGER ATTACHED TO THE PROPELLER HUB. AFTER THE DIGGING TO REMOVE THE OCCUPANTS? REMAINS WAS COMPLETED WE WERE UNABLE TO FIND THE OTHER PROPELLER BLADE, THE PROPELLER HUB AND THE ENGINE.
ADS-B DATA SHOWN THAT THE AIRCRAFT FLEW AROUND CENTER MUNICIPAL AIRPORT MULTIPLE TIMES AND WAS NEAR OTHER AIRPORTS AROUND CENTER, TX.
DATA FROM FLIGHTAWARE.COM SHOWED LIGHT TO MODERATE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM ON THE AREA AND TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.