BFO95LA077

During cruise flight the airplane contacted and cut an electrical utility wire suspended about 30 feet above the ground. The airplane collided with trees and then the terrain about 850 feet beyond the broken wire. At the time of the accident, a weather reporting facility located about 30 miles northwest of the accident site recorded the ceiling to be 300 feet and visibility to be 3/4 mile. According to FAA fss records, the pilot did not receive a weather briefing from any of their facilities.

On August 9, 1995, about 0720 eastern daylight time, a Beech BE35, N3944N, contacted an electrical utility wire and then collided with terrain. The non-instrument rated private pilot received serious injuries. The airplane was destroyed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight departed from Coles County Memorial Airport in Mattoon/Charleston, Illinois, at about 0645, with an intended destination of Perry County Airport in New Lexington, Ohio. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

Witnesses that lived near the accident site stated that they heard the airplane flying over their homes. One witness stated that the engine was "loud" and then it "...cut out. After about 4 seconds or so the motor sounded as if it was trying to start up again. It cut back on for a few seconds before I heard it sliding across the road." Another witness stated, "Approximately 7:25 AM on 9 Aug 95, my wife and I...noticed that the power had gone off. We then heard the sound of an engine that stopped abruptly and then a crash...."

Postaccident examination of the accident site revealed a broken, 3/8 inch diameter, steel, electrical utility line about 850 feet north of the main wreckage. Two pieces of the electrical line were cut into about 24 to 27 inch pieces. According to Ohio State Highway Patrol personnel, the electrical line is usually suspended about 30 feet above the ground. Broken tree limbs were found about 360 feet west of the main wreckage and ground scars were noted from the broken tree limbs leading to the main wreckage. The airplane came to rest with its wings, empennage, and engine attached to the fuselage. The wings and empennage had crush marks which contained grass, dirt, and tree bark. The cabin area and instrument panel were destroyed. The propeller blades were curved and their leading edges had gouges. One of the propeller blades was missing the last 3 1/2 inches of its outboard tip and was in the "fine pitch" position. The other propeller blade had a 90 degrees pitch angle.

Examination of the airframe did not reveal any anomalies. Control surface continuity was established. The landing gear and flaps were retracted. The elevator trim tab actuator indicated a 10 degree up deflection (full nose down trim). Fuel was found throughout the fuel system. The left fuel tank was breached. The right fuel tank was intact and contained about 15 gallons of 100LL fuel. The fuel tank selector handle was positioned on the right fuel tank. The magneto switch was found in the "OFF" position. The throttle and mixture controls were full forward. The tachometer read 3872.85 hours. The altimeter pressure window indicated 30.14 inches of mercury.

The airframe and engine were transported to a storage facility for further examination. The engine was examined and mounted on a test stand for a ground run on August 15, 1995. The pressure carburetor was found broken off, and for the purpose of the engine ground run, was replaced by an updraft carburetor. The engine restarted and functioned. Due to a bend in the crankshaft, the engine could not be run at a high RPM setting. Examination of the pressure carburetor did not reveal any anomalies.

According to Federal Aviation Administration Flight Service Station records, the pilot did not receive a weather briefing from any of their facilities.

At 0717, the Dayton, Ohio, weather reporting facility, located about 30 miles northwest of the accident site, recorded the following:

Partial obscuration ceiling 300 overcast; 3/4 mile visibility with fog; temperature 72 degrees Fahrenheit (F); dew point 71 degrees F; winds 190 at 6 knots; altimeter 30.01 inches mercury.

An Ohio State Highway Patrol Officer who arrived at the accident site about 15 minutes after the accident occurred estimated the cloud ceiling to be, at the time of his arrival, about 100 feet above the ground and the visibility to be less than 1/4 mile.

At the time of the accident, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single engine land rating. According to the pilot's flight log book, and his written statement, at the time of the accident the pilot had accumulated a total flight time of 183.6 hours, of which 140.2 were in the accident airplane. The pilot's log book showed that he had recorded one hour of simulated instrument flight time and no actual instrument flight time. The pilot stated: "Circumstances leading up to the accident unknown. Due to closed head injury and trauma. No memory of day before accident or seven weeks after accident."