20211212022179A

N3187L WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT NEAR INOLA, OKLAHOMA. THE PILOT SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THE AIRPLANE OPERATED AS A TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 FERRY FLIGHT.

ACCORDING TO THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, HE HAD HIRED THE PILOT, WHO WAS ALSO A MECHANIC, TO FERRY THE AIRPLANE TO NORTH CAROLINA IN ORDER TO COMPLETE AN OVERDUE ANNUAL INSPECTION. THE AIRPLANE?S MOST RECENT ANNUAL INSPECTION HAD BEEN COMPLETED ON FEBRUARY 1, 2020. PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE FUEL TANKS WERE TOPPED OFF WITH FUEL, AND THE PILOT COMPLETED A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION. THE PILOT THEN STARTED THE ENGINES AND TAXIED THE AIRPLANE FOR DEPARTURE. A FEW MINUTES LATER, THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OVERHEARD ON A HANDHELD RADIO THAT THE PILOT INFORMED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL THAT HE NEEDED TO RETURN TO THE PARKING AREA DUE TO AN ENGINE ISSUE. THE PILOT CALLED THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ VIA CELLULAR PHONE AND ADVISED HIM OF THE SITUATION. THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OBSERVED THE PILOT COMPLETE AN EXTENSIVE ENGINE RUN-UP, AND ABOUT 20 MINUTES, THE PILOT TAXIED BACK FOR DEPARTURE. THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAD NO FURTHER COMMUNICATION WITH THE PILOT.

A REVIEW OF TULSA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (TUL) AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL GROUND AND TOWER COMMUNICATIONS REVEALED THAT AT 0838, THE PILOT REQUESTED A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) CLEARANCE FOR DEPARTURE. AT 0855, THE PILOT STATED HE NEEDED TO TAXI BACK TO PARKING DUE TO A MISS ON THE RIGHT ENGINE PRETTY BAD. ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER, THE PILOT CONTACTED GROUND CONTROL AND STATED, READY TO GO AND TRY IT AGAIN SIR?WE?VE GOT IT CLEARED UP ENOUGH. TUL GROUND CONTROL CLEARED THE PILOT TO TAXI FOR DEPARTURE. AT 0921, THE PILOT WAS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF AND TO EXECUTE A LEFT TURN TO A 090° HEADING. AT 0925, THE PILOT WAS CLEARED TO AN ALTITUDE OF HIS DISCRETION, AND

THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED A CLIMB TO 9,500 FT MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL). AT 0932:36, THE TUL TOWER RADAR WEST CONTROLLER TERMINATED RADAR SERVICES AND APPROVED A FREQUENCY CHANGE FOR A VFR FLIGHT. AT 0932:43, THE TUL CONTROLLER RADIOED THE PILOT AND THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. THERE WERE NO FURTHER TRANSMISSIONS WITH THE AIRPLANE.

AUTOMATIC DEPENDENT SURVEILLANCE-BROADCAST DATA FOR THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE BEGAN AT 0922 AND ENDED AT 0931:11, ABOUT 21 MILES EAST OF TUL. THE DATA SHOWED THE AIRPLANE CLIMB TO 5,800 FT MSL, AND ABOUT 1 MINUTE BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, THE AIRPLANE MADE A LEFT TURN TO THE NORTH AND BEGAN A RAPID DESCENT.

ABOUT 1100, THE AIRPLANE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ON A PRIVATE RANCH BY PERSONNEL WHO WERE TENDING TO CATTLE.

POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE SITE REVEALED THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TERRAIN INVERTED ON A MEASURED MAGNETIC HEADING OF ABOUT 060°, AND THE WRECKAGE DISTRIBUTION FIELD MEASURED ABOUT 900 FT IN LENGTH. THE FRAGMENTED SECTIONS OF THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL STABILIZERS, RUDDER, AND ELEVATORS WERE THE FIRST COMPONENTS IDENTIFIED IN THE DEBRIS FIELD. A LARGE IMPACT CRATER, CONSISTENT WITH THE LEFT ENGINE AND PROPELLER ASSEMBLY WAS LOCATED ABOUT 300 FT FROM THE FRAGMENTED EMPENNAGE COMPONENTS. THE LEFT ENGINE CAME TO REST ADJACENT TO THE CRATER. ANOTHER LARGE IMPACT CRATER, CONSISTENT WITH THE RIGHT ENGINE AND PROPELLER ASSEMBLY, WAS LOCATED ABOUT 100 FT FROM THE LEFT ENGINE CRATER. THE RIGHT ENGINE CAME TO REST ABOUT 30 FEET FROM THE ENGINE CRATER. THE MAIN WRECKAGE, WHICH CONSISTED OF THE INBOARD LEFT AND RIGHT WINGS, LEFT AND RIGHT ENGINE NACELLES, FUSELAGE, AND COCKPIT, WAS LOCATED ABOUT 100 FT FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE CRATER.

EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THE LEFT AND RIGHT FUEL SELECTORS WERE FOUND IN THE MAIN FUEL TANK POSITIONS. THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS SEPARATED, AND THE MAIN LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLIES WERE FOUND RETRACTED IN THE WING WHEEL WELLS. THE COCKPIT FLIGHT AND ENGINE INSTRUMENTS WERE FRAGMENTED AND DESTROYED. THE COCKPIT THROTTLE QUADRANT CONTROL LEVERS WERE FOUND IN THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS: LEFT AND RIGHT THROTTLES ? FULL FORWARD, LEFT PROPELLER ? FEATHER; RIGHT PROPELLER- FULL FORWARD; LEFT AND RIGHT MIXTURES-FULL FORWARD.