20230222001949A

NOTE: ALL TIMES ARE CST.

ON FEBRUARY 22, 2023, AT APPROXIMATELY 11:56, A 1983 BEECH; MODEL: B200; SERIAL NUMBER: BB-1170; ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT CRASHED APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES SOUTH OF ADAMS FIELD (LIT) IN LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND FOUR PASSENGERS SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THE AIRPLANE OPERATED AS A TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 FLIGHT.

AT 11:51:16, THE INCIDENT PILOT REQUESTED TAXI CLEARANCE WITH AUTOMATIC TERMINAL INFORMATION SERVICE (ATIS), WHICH INCLUDED A LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR (LLWS) ADVISORY ALERT.

AT 11:51:33, ATC GROUND CONTROL ISSUED CLEARANCE TO THE PILOT TO TAXI TO RUNWAY 18 VIA TAXIWAY “ALPHA.”

AT 11:53:07, ATC TOWER TRANSMITTED A LLWS ADVISORY ALERT ON TOWER FREQUENCY AND AT 11:53:21, ATC GROUND CONTROL TRANSMITTED A LLWS ADVISORY ALERT ON THE GROUND FREQUENCY.

AT 11:54:47, THE PILOT REQUESTED TAKEOFF CLEARANCE FROM RUNWAY 18 ON TOWER FREQUENCY AND AT 11:54:55, TOWER ATC CLEARED THE PILOT FOR TAKEOFF.

AT 11:55:06, THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED THE TAKEOFF CLEARANCE. THERE WERE NO OTHER TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE PILOT AFTER TAKEOFF, AND NO DISTRESS CALLS WERE HEARD FROM THE PILOT ON ANY FREQUENCY.

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE WAS COLLECTED FROM THREE SOURCES: ON AIRPORT VIDEO CAMERA, DASHCAM VIDEO FROM A BYSTANDER MOTORIST ON INTERSTATE 440, AND SECURITY VIDEO FROM THE CRASH SITE.

THE ON AIRPORT VIDEO SHOWED THE AIRPLANE DEPART RUNWAY 18, CLIMB, LEVEL OFF, DESCEND, AGGRESSIVELY ROLL TO THE LEFT WITH RIGHT WINGOVER, AND IMPACT THE GROUND. JUST AS THE AIRPLANE WENT OUT OF SIGHT, THE CAMERA RECORDED A RISING PLUME OF SMOKE ABOUT 1-MILE SOUTH OF THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 18. SHORTLY AFTER THE PLUME OF SMOKE, THE CAMERA APPEARED TO SHAKE FROM WIND, AND RECORDED BLOWING DEBRIS AND HEAVY RAIN ON THE RAMP WHERE THE CAMERA WAS LOCATED. NOTE: JUST BEFORE AND DURING TAKEOFF, THE CAMERA SHOWED THAT THE RAMP WAS DRY WITH NO RAIN OR NOTICEABLE WIND.

A VIDEO SURVEILLANCE CAMERA LOCATED AT THE CRASH SITE SHOWED THE AIRPLANE IMPACT THE GROUND IN A RIGHT-WING-LOW, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE VIDEO ALSO SHOWED HEAVY RAIN AND BLOWING DEBRIS NEAR THE IMPACT AREA.

FAA INSPECTOR, NTSB INVESTIGATOR, AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM TEXTRON, HARTZELL, AND PRATT & WHITNEY ARRIVED ON-SCENE ON FEBRUARY 23, 2023 AND FOUND THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE CONFINED TO A SMALL AREA ON A PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY WITH THE IMPACT AND ENSUING HIGH-INTENSITY FIRE SUBSTANTIALLY DESTROYING THE AIRCRAFT. ON-SCENE INVESTIGATORS EXAMINED THE AIRCRAFT DEBRIS AND FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL OR MATERIAL FAILURE. ALL THE AIRPLANE STRUCTURE AND FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES WERE IDENTIFIED AND FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS CONFIRMED. ALL COCKPIT INSTRUMENTATION DISPLAYED EXTREME THERMAL DAMAGE AND FUNCTIONALITY COULD NOT BE VERIFIED. OTHER THAN SEVERE IMPACT AND THERMAL DAMAGE, NO PRE-IMPACT AIRFRAME ANOMALIES WERE IDENTIFIED.

EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED SEVERAL LARGE TREE BRANCHES (8-14 INCHES IN DIAMETER) CUT COMPLETELY THROUGH AT ABOUT A 45° ANGLE WITH PAINT TRANSFERS, CONSISTENT WITH PROPELLER BLADE STRIKES.

DETAILED EXAMINATIONS OF THE ENGINES AND PROPELLERS DID NOT REVEAL PRE-IMPACT ANOMALIES. BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT ENGINES DISPLAYED SYMMETRICAL IMPACT DAMAGE, INCLUDING TORSIONAL TWISTING OF THE ENGINE CASES AND ROTATIONAL DAMAGE OF THEIR RESPECTIVE TURBINE AND COMPRESSOR SECTIONS, CONSISTENT WITH POWER AT IMPACT. BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT PROPELLER SHAFTS SHOWED TORSIONAL SEPARATIONS, CONSISTENT WITH POWERED ROTATION AT IMPACT.

AT ABOUT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE, LIT REPORTED A WIND 220° AT 22 KNOTS, GUSTS TO 27 KNOTS, VISIBILITY 10 MILES, A BROKEN CEILING AT 4,800 FEET, AND OVERCAST AT 6,000 FEET. THERE WAS A NORTH-SOUTH LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS 5 MILES WEST OF THE FIELD MOVING EAST. AT 12:02, WIND SHIFTED TO 300° AT 22 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 40 KNOTS, LIGHT RAIN, VISIBILITY OF 2 STATUTE MILES, SCATTERED CLOUDS AT 3,600 FT AGL, CEILING OVERCAST AT 4,700 FT AGL, AND WIND SHIFT AT 1148 CST.