20220802013979A

ON AUGUST 02, 2022 AT APPROXIMATELY 0800 LOCAL TIME, A SMITH AEROSTAR 600 AIRCRAFT, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, REGISTERED TO A COMMERCIAL RATED PILOT DISAPPEARED SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 05 AT THE SOUTH HAVEN REGIONAL AIRPORT (LWA), SOUTH HAVEN, MICHIGAN. FOLLOWING TAKEOFF, NO OTHER CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE AIRCRAFT AND LATER THAT AFTERNOON A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. AT APPROXIMATELY 0600 THE FOLLOWING MORNING THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED BY MICHIGAN STATE POLICE HELICOPTER ONE MILE NORTH OF THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT IN HEAVY TREES AND BRUSH. THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND AN ATP INSTRUCTOR RATED PERSON, WHO WERE THE SOLE OCCUPANTS, BOTH RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN.

WITNESS?S STATED THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN SETTING OUTSIDE ON THE RAMP FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS AND HAD NOT BEEN FLOWN DURING THAT TIME. OCCASIONALLY THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ (WHO WAS A CERTIFIED A&P, IA) WOULD BE SEEN WORKING ON THE AIRCRAFT, AND RECORDS DO SHOW THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAD SIGNED OFF A NUMBER OF ANNUAL INSPECTIONS OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING THE PRECEDING FOUR YEARS.

ON SITE INVESTIGATION FOUND THE WRECKAGE UPRIGHT ON A HEADING OF 10 DEGREES WITH A 30 FOOT DEBRIS PATH ON A HEADING OF 240 DEGREES. THE MAIN COCKPIT AND CABIN AREA WAS HIGHLY FRAGMENTED WITH BOTH OCCUPANTS STILL SECURED IN THEIR SEATS BY LAP BELTS. THE LEFT WING LEADING EDGE SHOWED IMPACT CRUSH DAMAGE WITH THE ENGINE BROKEN FREE OF ITS MOUNTS AND FOLDED BACK OVER THE TOP OF THE WING. THE LEFT PROPELLER SHOWED BENDING, BUT NO SIGNATURES INDICATING IT WAS UNDER POWER AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. THE RIGHT WING LEADING EDGE ALSO SHOWED CRUSH DAMAGE WITH THE ENGINE REMAINING PARTIALLY ATTACHED TO THE WING. THE RIGHT PROPELLER SHOWED AFT BENDING AND CORD WISE SCRATCHING/POLISHING INDICATIVE OF HIGH POWER ON IMPACT. THE WING FLAPS APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY DEPLOYED ON IMPACT. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION WITH A NUMBER OF BROKEN LINKAGES FOUND, YET BOTH GEAR LEGS REMAINED ATTACHED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE WINGS. DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE FRAGMENTATION OF THE NOSE SECTION, THE NOSE GEAR POSITION COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE WAS LOCATED IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE ENTIRE REAR SECTION OF THE FUSELAGE WAS SEPARATED AT A RIVET LINE AFT OF THE WING TRAILING EDGE AND CAME TO REST IN AN ALMOST INVERTED POSITION. CONTROL CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED DUE TO EXTENSIVE DAMAGE, BUT ALL CONTROL BELLCRANKS AND FITTINGS FOUND WERE ATTACHED AND FUNCTIONAL. VEGETATION NEAR THE WRECKAGE SHOWED SIGNS OF WILTING AND A FAINT ODOR OF AVGAS COULD BE DETECTED. THERE WAS NO POST-CRASH FIRE.

FOLLOWING REMOVAL OF THE WRECKAGE FROM THE FIELD BOTH ENGINES WERE EXAMINED TO REVEAL THE RIGHT ENGINE, WHILE SHOWING SIGNS OF PAST BIRD NESTING, WAS IN APPARENT WORKING ORDER AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. THE LEFT ENGINE HAD THUMB COMPRESSION ON ALL CYLINDERS, BOTH MAGNETOS FIRED WHEN TURNED BY HAND, ALL SPARKPLUGS WERE PRESENT, BUT OIL SATURATED. THE ENGINE DRIVEN FUEL PUMP HAD MINIMAL PRESSURE/SUCTION WHEN SPUN WITH A HAND DRILL. THE FUEL SERVO WAS REMOVED AND EXAMINED TO SHOW FINDINGS OF IMPROPER OR NONEXISTENT MAINTENANCE HAD BE PERFORMED IN THE PAST. THE SERVO HAD TO BE PLACED IN A BENCH VICE AND AN IMPACT WRENCH WAS NEEDED TO REMOVE THE FITTING ON THE FUEL SCREEN DUE TO CORROSION. THE FINGER SCREEN WAS FOUND TO BE APPROXIMATELY 50-60% OCCLUDED WITH RUST COLORED SOLID PARTICULATE.