What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Accident aircraft departed from kcha at 17:44Z on an IFR flight plan to kbuy with 3 souls on board. 2 rated pilots and 1 passenger.
The accident aircraft climbed to its filed cruising altitude of 7000FT, reaching that altitude at 17:55Z.
At approximately 18:02:24Z, the accident aircraft began a right hand turn, which rapidly degraded into a clockwise spiraling decent from 7000FT MSL to 3475FT MSL. This initial descent was arrested at 18:04:45Z. The accident airfraft began a slight climb to 3675FT MSL, before beginning another right hand turn, which again rapidly degraded into a near-vertical dive that led to impact with terrain.
The accident aircraft impacted at a near complete nose-down attitude, and on a near-vertical impact angle, impacting at approximately 18:03Z at the base of a pine tree on the north slope of chestnutt mountain in the gee creek wilderness at 1700FT MSL. All 3 persons on board were fatally injured. Tree scars and impact signature on the right wing support this conclusion. No post crash fire resulted.
It was determined that at the time of impact, the engine was operating and making power, as evidenced by signature on the propellers, and evidence collected during engine teardown by Lycoming. The cockpit and
Forward cabin impacted directly on top of the engine, and both left and right wings came to rest on top of the cockpit and forward cabin. The aft cabin section, tailcone, and empannage came to rest along a 20 foot long path to the west of the main impact point.
The vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizers, rudder, and elevators all showed signatures consistent with overload failure, and those components were found in various locations in the greater area of the crash site, from 30 to 200 feet away from the main portion of wreckage.
As the FAA filed it
ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FROM KCHA AT 17:44Z ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN TO KBUY WITH 3 SOULS ON BOARD. 2 RATED PILOTS AND 1 PASSENGER.
THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT CLIMBED TO ITS FILED CRUISING ALTITUDE OF 7000FT, REACHING THAT ALTITUDE AT 17:55Z.
AT APPROXIMATELY 18:02:24Z, THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT BEGAN A RIGHT HAND TURN, WHICH RAPIDLY DEGRADED INTO A CLOCKWISE SPIRALING DECENT FROM 7000FT MSL TO 3475FT MSL. THIS INITIAL DESCENT WAS ARRESTED AT 18:04:45Z. THE ACCIDENT AIRFRAFT BEGAN A SLIGHT CLIMB TO 3675FT MSL, BEFORE BEGINNING ANOTHER RIGHT HAND TURN, WHICH AGAIN RAPIDLY DEGRADED INTO A NEAR-VERTICAL DIVE THAT LED TO IMPACT WITH TERRAIN.
THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT IMPACTED AT A NEAR COMPLETE NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE, AND ON A NEAR-VERTICAL IMPACT ANGLE, IMPACTING AT APPROXIMATELY 18:03Z AT THE BASE OF A PINE TREE ON THE NORTH SLOPE OF CHESTNUTT MOUNTAIN IN THE GEE CREEK WILDERNESS AT 1700FT MSL. ALL 3 PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED. TREE SCARS AND IMPACT SIGNATURE ON THE RIGHT WING SUPPORT THIS CONCLUSION. NO POST CRASH FIRE RESULTED.
IT WAS DETERMINED THAT AT THE TIME OF IMPACT, THE ENGINE WAS OPERATING AND MAKING POWER, AS EVIDENCED BY SIGNATURE ON THE PROPELLERS, AND EVIDENCE COLLECTED DURING ENGINE TEARDOWN BY LYCOMING. THE COCKPIT AND
FORWARD CABIN IMPACTED DIRECTLY ON TOP OF THE ENGINE, AND BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT WINGS CAME TO REST ON TOP OF THE COCKPIT AND FORWARD CABIN. THE AFT CABIN SECTION, TAILCONE, AND EMPANNAGE CAME TO REST ALONG A 20 FOOT LONG PATH TO THE WEST OF THE MAIN IMPACT POINT.
THE VERTICAL STABILIZER, HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS, RUDDER, AND ELEVATORS ALL SHOWED SIGNATURES CONSISTENT WITH OVERLOAD FAILURE, AND THOSE COMPONENTS WERE FOUND IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN THE GREATER AREA OF THE CRASH SITE, FROM 30 TO 200 FEET AWAY FROM THE MAIN PORTION OF WRECKAGE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N7026V · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.