ANC04FA021

History of flight

On February 11, 2004, about 2216 central standard time (CST), a Beech J35 airplane, N8389D, was destroyed when it collided with tree-covered terrain following a loss of control during a missed approach, about 14 miles north-northwest of the Pensacola Regional Airport, Pensacola, Florida. The airplane was being operated as an instrument flight rules (IFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The non-instrument rated, solo private-certificated pilot, sustained fatal injuries. Dark night, instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at Pensacola, and an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, about 1920 eastern standard time (EST), and was en route to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, New Orleans, Louisiana.

According to personnel at the Pensacola Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), the accident pilot contacted the Pensacola TRACON specialist on duty about 2125 CST, and requested that his IFR flight plan be "amended." When the TRACON specialist inquired as to what the amendment was, the pilot reported that he was low on fuel and he needed to land at Pensacola. According to personnel at the Pensacola TRACON, as the accident pilot was maneuvering for the ILS approach for runway 17 at Pensacola, radar and radio contact was lost with the accident airplane. The last reported position was about 14 miles north-northwest of the Pensacola Regional Airport.

Crew information

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. According to FAA records, the pilot did not possess an instrument rating.

The most recent medical certificate issued to the pilot was a second-class medical certificate issued on August 28, 2003, with no limitations.

The pilot's heavily damaged personal flight logbook was located at the accident site. According to the logbook, his total aeronautical experience consisted of about 506 flight hours, with about 450 in the accident airplane make and model. In the preceding 90 and 30 days prior to the accident, the logbook lists about 12 and 5 hours, respectively.

The logbook also revealed that the pilot was in the process of receiving flight instruction for an instrument rating. According to the logbook entries, the pilot logged about 31.5 hours of "actual instrument" flight time during previous flights. During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC, the accident pilot's flight instructor said that he had been providing flight instruction to the accident pilot since December 2003. He added that some of the flight instruction was conducted in the accident airplane. The instructor noted that the accident pilot had been practicing the flight route to New Orleans using a Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 program, on his personal computer.

Aircraft information

The airplane was manufactured in 1958. According to the last entry in the airplane's airframe logbook on February 9, two days before the accident, the airplane had accumulated a total time in service of 4,121.3 flight hours. Examination of the maintenance records disclosed that the most recent annual inspection of the airframe and engine was accomplished on March 3, 2003, 12.7 hours before the accident.

The engine had accrued a total time of 750.8 hours. The maintenance records note that a major overhaul was accomplished on June 13, 1991, 640.4 hours before the accident.

According to the airplane's airframe logbook, the accident airplane was equipped with two wingtip mounted, 20 gallon auxiliary fuel tanks, manufactured by J.L.Osborne Tank and Supply, giving the accident airplane a total fuel capacity of 100.0 gallons, or about 87.0 gallons of usable fuel.

The flight instructor that had provided flight instruction services to the pilot, reported to the NTSB IIC that on a previous flight in the accident airplane, they encountered a fuel transfer problem that involved the right tip-tank. In a written statement he wrote, in part: "When we selected the right tip-tank, the engine began to cough and lose power. We immediately selected the main tank, and the engine ran smooth again." According to the flight instructor, the pilot had his mechanic lubricate the fuel selector valve assembly, and the fuel system operated normally. A review of the maintenance records failed to disclose any maintenance entry correcting the deficiency noted by the flight instructor.

Meteorological information

The closest official weather observation station is located at the Pensacola Regional Airport, which is about 14 miles south-southeast of the accident site. At 2205, an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) at Pensacola was reporting, in part: wind, 090 degrees (true) at 10 knots; visibility, 3/4 statute miles with mist; clouds and sky condition, 100 feet overcast; temperature, 55 degrees F; dew point, 55 degrees F; altimeter, 29.98 inHg.

Crestview, Florida, is located about 39 miles northeast of the accident site. At 2209, a special weather observation was reporting, in part: wind, 100 degrees (true) at 5 knots; visibility, 1 and 3/4 statute miles with breaks in the overcast at 200 feet; temperature, 55 degrees F; dew point, 54 degrees F; altimeter, 30.02 inHg.

According to several residents that heard the accident airplane just before the accident, all consistently characterized the weather conditions as very low visibility with drizzle, fog, and very low ceilings.

Communications / archived radar data

The NTSB IIC reviewed air-to-ground communications tapes, transcripts, and archived radar data maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The transcripts revealed that at 1820, while airborne, the pilot contacted the Daytona Beach Arrival-South sector. The pilot reported that he was in the vicinity of the New Smyrna Airport, and he requested an IFR clearance to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, New Orleans. After positive radar identification was established, the accident pilot was issued an IFR clearance as requested, and was initially assigned en route altitudes of 3,000 feet msl and 5,000 feet msl, respectively.

At 2058, as the accident flight progressed along the coastline, toward New Orleans at 6,000 feet msl, the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) specialist who was monitoring the accident airplane's progress using radar, noticed that the airplane had changed direction, and was now headed eastbound. The ARTCC specialist contacted the pilot and asked the pilot if there was a problem, and the pilot replied by saying that he had a fuel issue and he was working on the problem. The ARTCC specialist responded by telling the pilot that if he needed to land, the Panama City Airport was about 7 to 10 miles east of the pilot's current position. The pilot then told the ARTCC specialist that he believed he could make it to the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. The ARTCC specialist then asked the pilot if he would like to proceed direct to the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. At 2101, the pilot contacted ARTCC specialist and reported that he had "fixed the problem" and that he would like to proceed direct to his original destination of New Orleans. The ARTCC specialist granted the accident pilot's request. At 2125, the ARTCC specialist transferred communications to the Pensacola TRACON specialist on duty in that sector.

At 2128, the accident pilot established initial contact with the Pensacola TRACON specialist by stating, in part: "Can I amend it to you for fuel?" The Pensacola TRACON specialist responded to the pilot's request by asking the accident pilot to clarify what it was that he wanted to amend. The pilot responded: "I wanna... I would like to amend my flight paa...my flight plan to come to you for fuel...you have ah, Av Gas t