20210423009249A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Swearingen SA226-T(B) · Winslow, AZ · April 23, 2021

Date
April 23, 2021 · 15:15 local
Place
Winslow, AZ
Phase of flight
Unknown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N59EZ
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR21FA175
Reported as
Swearingen SA226-T(B)
Reported engine
Honeywell TPE331-10U
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot

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.

Initial report from western service area roc date 04/23/2021, 2110Z stated ?N59EZ taxied out to the blast fence for about an hour. N59EZ then advised they were ready for departure. N59EZ departed sdl airport northbound VFR?. The aircraft crashed approximately 5 miles north east of Winslow airport. A post-impact fire consumed the forward section of the aircraft fuselage. Flight aware tracking indicated a somewhat erratic flight path. The flight topped out 17,600 feet and had a maximum of 335 mph according to data retrieved from flight aware. Initially heading after takeoff north with a turn to the east then a sharp turn back to the west looking like a heading overshoot then back north. Somewhere east of sedona at approximately 15,700 and 281MPH the aircraft made two tight left 360 degree circles. The aircraft then headed due east for a short while then turned north towards Winslow. The aircraft then descended to approximately 6,100 feet MSL and 185 mph overhead Winslow airport. Winslow airport (kinw) field elevation is 4941 feet. At this point the aircraft made a tight left had 360 circle topping at 6900 feet and 239 mph, another very tight circle to the left topping at 8100 feet and 242 mph, these left and right hand circles continued for about seven rotations at widely varying airspeed and altitudes and impacted the ground approximately 5 miles north of Winslow airport in a northerly directing indicating 178 mph on the flight aware tracking. The aircraft appeared to have struck the left wing tip first as we found shards of red nav light lens at the beginning of the debris field and a long gouge in the soft sand that went between two fence posts. The aircraft cartwheeled and the forward fuselage was destroyed. A post-crash fire consumed the bulk of the forward fuselage. One blade from the number two propeller had separated very near the initial impact point. The remaining three blades as a unit for the number two propeller came to rest approximately 100 yards away on about 10-15 degree angle to the west from the direction of the crash (north). There were no hallmarks on any kind of the number two propeller blades to indicate the propeller was rotating upon impact. The number one propeller separated about half way between impact point and on line with where the fuselage came to rest. The number one propeller was still a mostly complete assembly, the dome was broken off. The number one propeller blades had every indication it was producing power upon impact. There were missing tips of two blades and deep gouges, around an inch and half to two inches deep in the blade leading edges and classic twisting bending associated with this. The nose landing gear was located approximately 10 feet further west than the number two propeller location. The right main landing gear was located approximately 150 yards, the furthest point of debris, from the impact point. The left main landing gear was attached to the center wing section and appeared to be in the down and locked position. The center wing section was on the east side and adjacent too and parallel with the aft fuselage. The number one engine had been ripped from its mount and was lodged under the leading edge of the left side of the center wing section. The number two engine was approximately 50 feet past the main wreckage site and on line with the direction of the crash travel. The wings outboard of the engine nacelles are consumed in the post-crash fire. The debris field consisted of small pieces of the aircraft scattered about in a random pattern. Several electronic devices, comm/nav control head, annunciator panel were recovered and will be sent to the NTSB lab for forensic analysis.

Further examination of the wreckage by FAA iic and NTSB iic will be conducted at the air transport, inc. facility at a later date.

As the FAA filed it

INITIAL REPORT FROM WESTERN SERVICE AREA ROC DATE 04/23/2021, 2110Z STATED ?N59EZ TAXIED OUT TO THE BLAST FENCE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. N59EZ THEN ADVISED THEY WERE READY FOR DEPARTURE. N59EZ DEPARTED SDL AIRPORT NORTHBOUND VFR?. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES NORTH EAST OF WINSLOW AIRPORT. A POST-IMPACT FIRE CONSUMED THE FORWARD SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE. FLIGHT AWARE TRACKING INDICATED A SOMEWHAT ERRATIC FLIGHT PATH. THE FLIGHT TOPPED OUT 17,600 FEET AND HAD A MAXIMUM OF 335 MPH ACCORDING TO DATA RETRIEVED FROM FLIGHT AWARE. INITIALLY HEADING AFTER TAKEOFF NORTH WITH A TURN TO THE EAST THEN A SHARP TURN BACK TO THE WEST LOOKING LIKE A HEADING OVERSHOOT THEN BACK NORTH. SOMEWHERE EAST OF SEDONA AT APPROXIMATELY 15,700 AND 281MPH THE AIRCRAFT MADE TWO TIGHT LEFT 360 DEGREE CIRCLES. THE AIRCRAFT THEN HEADED DUE EAST FOR A SHORT WHILE THEN TURNED NORTH TOWARDS WINSLOW. THE AIRCRAFT THEN DESCENDED TO APPROXIMATELY 6,100 FEET MSL AND 185 MPH OVERHEAD WINSLOW AIRPORT. WINSLOW AIRPORT (KINW) FIELD ELEVATION IS 4941 FEET. AT THIS POINT THE AIRCRAFT MADE A TIGHT LEFT HAD 360 CIRCLE TOPPING AT 6900 FEET AND 239 MPH, ANOTHER VERY TIGHT CIRCLE TO THE LEFT TOPPING AT 8100 FEET AND 242 MPH, THESE LEFT AND RIGHT HAND CIRCLES CONTINUED FOR ABOUT SEVEN ROTATIONS AT WIDELY VARYING AIRSPEED AND ALTITUDES AND IMPACTED THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES NORTH OF WINSLOW AIRPORT IN A NORTHERLY DIRECTING INDICATING 178 MPH ON THE FLIGHT AWARE TRACKING. THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO HAVE STRUCK THE LEFT WING TIP FIRST AS WE FOUND SHARDS OF RED NAV LIGHT LENS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DEBRIS FIELD AND A LONG GOUGE IN THE SOFT SAND THAT WENT BETWEEN TWO FENCE POSTS. THE AIRCRAFT CARTWHEELED AND THE FORWARD FUSELAGE WAS DESTROYED. A POST-CRASH FIRE CONSUMED THE BULK OF THE FORWARD FUSELAGE. ONE BLADE FROM THE NUMBER TWO PROPELLER HAD SEPARATED VERY NEAR THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT. THE REMAINING THREE BLADES AS A UNIT FOR THE NUMBER TWO PROPELLER CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS AWAY ON ABOUT 10-15 DEGREE ANGLE TO THE WEST FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE CRASH (NORTH). THERE WERE NO HALLMARKS ON ANY KIND OF THE NUMBER TWO PROPELLER BLADES TO INDICATE THE PROPELLER WAS ROTATING UPON IMPACT. THE NUMBER ONE PROPELLER SEPARATED ABOUT HALF WAY BETWEEN IMPACT POINT AND ON LINE WITH WHERE THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST. THE NUMBER ONE PROPELLER WAS STILL A MOSTLY COMPLETE ASSEMBLY, THE DOME WAS BROKEN OFF. THE NUMBER ONE PROPELLER BLADES HAD EVERY INDICATION IT WAS PRODUCING POWER UPON IMPACT. THERE WERE MISSING TIPS OF TWO BLADES AND DEEP GOUGES, AROUND AN INCH AND HALF TO TWO INCHES DEEP IN THE BLADE LEADING EDGES AND CLASSIC TWISTING BENDING ASSOCIATED WITH THIS. THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET FURTHER WEST THAN THE NUMBER TWO PROPELLER LOCATION. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 150 YARDS, THE FURTHEST POINT OF DEBRIS, FROM THE IMPACT POINT. THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS ATTACHED TO THE CENTER WING SECTION AND APPEARED TO BE IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION. THE CENTER WING SECTION WAS ON THE EAST SIDE AND ADJACENT TOO AND PARALLEL WITH THE AFT FUSELAGE. THE NUMBER ONE ENGINE HAD BEEN RIPPED FROM ITS MOUNT AND WAS LODGED UNDER THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CENTER WING SECTION. THE NUMBER TWO ENGINE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET PAST THE MAIN WRECKAGE SITE AND ON LINE WITH THE DIRECTION OF THE CRASH TRAVEL. THE WINGS OUTBOARD OF THE ENGINE NACELLES ARE CONSUMED IN THE POST-CRASH FIRE. THE DEBRIS FIELD CONSISTED OF SMALL PIECES OF THE AIRCRAFT SCATTERED ABOUT IN A RANDOM PATTERN. SEVERAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES, COMM/NAV CONTROL HEAD, ANNUNCIATOR PANEL WERE RECOVERED AND WILL BE SENT TO THE NTSB LAB FOR FORENSIC ANALYSIS.

FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE BY FAA IIC AND NTSB IIC WILL BE CONDUCTED AT THE AIR TRANSPORT, INC. FACILITY AT A LATER DATE.

NTSB investigation

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