CHI01FA113

The airplane was destroyed when it impacted rolling terrain. All of the airplane's occupants were fatally injured. The pilot was not instrument rated. Radar data for the last few minutes of the flight shows the airplane descending from a pressure altitude of 7,900 feet to 7,500 feet. The last radar return shows the airplane 289 degrees true and 2.27 nautical from the accident site at an altitude of 7,700 feet. Weather data obtained for the accident time indicates that the possibility of isolated instrument meteorological conditions existed along the airplane's route of flight. The airplane's route of flight coincided with an intensifying cold front in the area of the accident. The examination of the airplane, engines and related systems did not reveal any anomalies that could be associated with a pre-impact condition.

History of flight

On February 19, 2001, about 1000 mountain standard time, a Beech 95-B55, N9927S, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed when it impacted rolling terrain about 5 miles south-southeast of Norris, South Dakota. The pilot and the two passengers were fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and was not on a flight plan. The aircraft departed the Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP), Rapid City, South Dakota, at 0929 and was en route to the Karl Stefan Memorial Airport, Norfolk, Nebraska. Surface weather reporting stations, along a direct route of flight between the departure and destination airports, recorded visual meteorological conditions.

The aircraft failed to reach its final destination and was reported missing on February 23, 2001. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center initiated a search and rescue mission. The South Dakota Air National Guard, South Dakota Civil Air Patrol, and the Nebraska Civil Air Patrol participated in the resulting search and rescue mission. The search was suspended on March 16, 2001. A rancher found the aircraft on March 29, 2001.

Radar data was obtained for the approximate time of the accident. From the obtained data, 18 radar position targets were identified that correlate with the departure time and accident location. The last radar position identified was 289 degrees true and 2.27 nm from the accident site. The last recorded radar return listed a pressure altitude of 7,500 feet. According to United States Geological Survey maps, the accident site elevation is approximately 2,660 feet msl.

Personnel information

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for single and multiengine land airplanes. The pilot was not instrument rated. According to the pilot logbook, the pilot had accumulated a total of 1,381.8 hours of flight time as of the last entry dated December 22, 2000. Logbook records show that the pilot accumulated 113.8 hours of flight time in last year preceding the accident, 12.9 hours in the last 90 days, and 6.0 hours in the last 60 days. All of the flight times in the last year were in multiengine airplanes, and all but 6.0 hours were in the accident airplane.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot was issued a second-class medical certificate on February 22,1999.

Aircraft information

The airplane was a Beech model 95-B55. The airplane was a fixed wing, 6-seat, twin-engine, low-wing airplane of metal construction with retractable landing gear. Two 260 horsepower Continental IO-470-L engines powered the airplane.

The airplane maintenance records were found at the accident site. It is not known if the maintenance records are complete. Many of the entries in the logbooks were made by adhering self-adhesive labels to the pages of the logbook. Some of the labels were loose and no longer adhered to the logbook pages.

The most recent entry found in the right engine logbook was dated January 15, 2001, and listed 2532.2 hours total airframe time, 3,622.9 total engine hours, 918.2 hours since the last engine overhaul, with a recording hour-meter reading of 1858.2. The logbook states that the right engine was overhauled on March 11, 1987, and was installed on the airframe on April 7, 1987.

The most recent entry found in the left engine logbook was dated October 18, 2000, and listed 2506.3 hours total airframe time, with a recording hour-meter reading of 1832.3. The engine hours were not included in the October 18, 2000 entry. The logbook states that the left engine was overhauled on March 13, 1987, and was installed on the airframe on April 7, 1987 at a recording hour-meter reading of 939.8 hours. Based on the recording hour-meter reading found in the January 15, 2001 entry in the right engine logbook, and the hour-meter reading at the time of the left engine installation, the time since the overhaul of the left engine was calculated to be 918.3 hours as of January 15, 2001.

According to the information contained in the airframe logbook, the airplane had accumulated 2519.6 hours total time in service as of the last entry dated November 10, 2000, with an hour-meter reading of 1845.6. The most recent entry for an annual inspection was dated June 16, 2000, and the airplane had accumulated 2465.0 hours total time in service as of that date.

FAA records indicate that the airplane was registered to a corporation whose address was the same as that of the pilot. The registration date shown on FAA records is March 27, 2000.

Meteorological information

The National Transportation Safety Board meteorology group chairman prepared a report of the weather conditions along the route of flight and in the vicinity of the accident site. According to the report, a surface analysis chart showed a cold front extending from northwestern Montana southeastward through northeast Wyoming to the vicinity of RAP. The front continued southeastward to near Ainsworth and Lincoln Nebraska, before curving to the northeast through the Great Lakes region. The chart also showed a ridge of high pressure extending from western Canada southeastward through the upper high plains into eastern South Dakota.

The aviation area forecast (FA) issued by the Aviation Weather Center (AWC) at Kansas City, Missouri, listed, in part, the following:

North Central Area

Issued: February 19, 0345

Synopsis and VFR Clouds/Weather

Synopsis valid until February 19, 2200

Clouds/Weather valid until February 19, 1600...Outlook valid February 19,

0600-2200

ND SD NE KS MN IA MO WI lm ls mi LH IL in KY

.

See AIRMET SIERRA for IFR conditions and mountain obscuration.

Thunderstorms imply severe or greater turbulence severe ice low level wind

shear and IFR conditions.

.

Synopsis... at 0400 low pressure northeastern Minnesota with cold front DLH-

ABR-MLS line and warm front DLH-BAE line. Trough MSP-FOD-TXO line. By

2200 cold front DXO-STL-ICT-GLD line. Trough AKO-CDS-MAF line.

.

.

South Dakota

Above ground level scattered 4,000 feet broken 10,000 feet top 16,000 feet.

Occasional ceiling broken 4,000 feet light snow. Outlook...visual flight rules.

.

Nebraska

Panhandle...above ground level scattered 4,000 feet broken 12,000 feet top

16,000 feet. By 1200-1400 occasional ceiling broken 2,000 feet visibility 3-5

miles light snow. Outlook...marginal visual flight rules ceiling snow.

Central and eastern Nebraska...sky clear. Occasional scattered 10,000 feet.

Until 0700-0900 visibility 3-5 miles mist. By 1300-1500 above ground level

scattered 4,000 feet broken 10,000 feet top 16,000 feet. Outlook...visual flight

rules.

The Area Forecast Discussion (AFD) issued by the RAP Weather Service Office (WSO) at 1030 stated, "...A few weak returns showing up on the KUDX 88D [Rapid City Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler radar] this morning. A look out the window indicates mostly virga but models indicate strengthening frontogenisis across the central and southern portions of the CWA this afternoon so will leave a mention of a few flurries or sprinkles across the area this afternoon."

The AFD issued by the RAP WSO at 1515 stated, "...Area of snow flurries seen on the KUDX 88D from the Black Hills to south of Pierre lines up well with the 850-700 millibar layer frontogenesis maximum. The best frontogenetical forcing continues to slide southward tonight."

The AFD issued by the North Platte WSO at 0357 stated, "... Models are in pretty good agreement with the timing of the cold front moving through the Central Plains today and tonight. Satellite imagery shows the fron