CHI01FA234

The airplane was destroyed on impact with objects and terrain during initial climb. A post impact on-ground fire occurred. A person representing N235LA called flight service for a weather update between Benton, Illinois (H96), and Terre Haute, Indiana. The person stated he was in H96 and during the brief said, "Yeah, you know it looks much better standing on the ground than flying around in it." the briefer said, "okay, well, that could make a difference because if you're in benton, there's nothing between you and terre haute however if you're a hundred miles, if you're in one hotel two which is uhm, uh, where i have a kind of suspicion you may be ... yeah, and there is a little bit of a thunderstorm west of you about twenty miles, do you see buildups to the west? ... yeah, i have a suspicion you're actually at effingham ... uh, those thunderstorms to the west of you is the only thing even vaguely close to your route of flight." A witness observed the airplane taking off to the north from H96. The witness demonstrated the angle the airplane was climbing at. That angle was about 45 degrees. She stated that she heard what she thought was thunder. She saw smoke and called 911. Two other witnesses stated they heard two loud claps of thunder and saw lightning strike in the vicinity of the airport. They reported that after the second clap of thunder, they saw smoke coming from the boat factory. They said that the whole northern sky was black and they could hear thunder. They stated that they did not see the airplane strike the ground. Rain began falling after the accident occured. An on-scene investigation was conducted and no pre-impact anomalies were found. Subsequent to the accident, the weather briefer was decertified, given additional training, and had been reinstated.

History of flight

On July 22, 2001, about 1840 central daylight time, a Cessna 177, N235LA, piloted by an airline transport pilot, was destroyed on impact with objects and terrain during initial climb from runway 36 (2,720 feet by 60 feet, asphalt) at Benton Municipal Airport (H96), near Benton, Illinois. A post impact fire occurred. The personal flight was operating under 14 CFR part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The flight was originating from H96 at the time of the accident and was destined for Warsaw Municipal Airport (ASW), near Warsaw, Indiana.

A person representing N235LA placed a call to the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) St. Louis Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) between 1813 and 1821. During that time that person requested a weather update between H96 and Terre Haute, Indiana. The pilot stated his intended destination was ASW.

The FAA supplied a tape recording and transcript of that briefing given from Preflight Briefer 10 position (PF10) at St Louis AFSS. The first communication time listed was 2313:54 Zulu, which is 1813:54 central daylight time. An excerpt from the transcript stated the following.

Time & ident communication

2313:54

PF10 saint louis flight service

2313:55

N235LA yes sir, ma'am uh, I'm in a Cessna November

Two three five lima alpha at Benton and

Uh, we were going to terre haute but

Weather got a little bad so I landed here

Uh, can you give me an update on what's

Going on between here and terre haute?

2314:12

PF10 and where did you say you landed?

2314:14

N235LA uh, Benton, I believe, b e n t o n

2314:17

PF10 you happen to know that identifier,

Probably not huh?

2314:20

N235LA no, and they, the building's locked, I'm

Outside at the phones, I

2314:23

PF10 alright

2314:23

N235LA well, I can tell you this, I'm about a

Hundred miles southwest of terre haute

2314:30

PF10 a hundred miles southwest of terre haute

2314:32

N235LA more or less

2314:33

PF10 more or less

2314:34

N235LA uh huh

2314:35

PF10 okay, hold on just a minute

2314:37

N235LA okay

2314:38

PF10 and let me take a look here

2314:40

N235LA yeah, you know it looks much better

Standing on the ground than flying

Around in it

2314:44

PF10 I can believe that

2314:45

N235LA and we're just v f r types so

2314:47

PF10 it's a whole lot safer doing it that way too

2314:49

N235LA yes, I, I'm glad to be on the ground, not that

There was any problems but

2314:53

PF10 yeah

2314:54

N235LA you know what I'm saying

2314:55

PF10 I know exactaly what you're saying

2314:56

N235LA okay

2314:58

PF10 and let's see, terre haute, hundred miles to

The southwest

2315:04

N235LA uh huh

2315:12

N235LA there's a big lake over here, looks like a

Recreation area

2315:16

PF10 uhm

2315:17

N235LA but that's not unusual in this part of the

World

2315:18

PF10 no, that isn't, is it

2315:27

PF10 trying to figure out just where you are

2315:30

N235LA well let me ask you this, what is the terre

Haute weather?

2315:33

PF10 okay

2315:33

N235LA currently, and their forecast

2315:36

PF10 alright, hold on just, just a moment, I think I

Can do this another way

2315:39

N235LA okay

2315:49

PF10 hotel ninety-six, that's where you are, hotel

Ninety-six

2315:53

N235LA oh, okay, is that Benton?

2315:55

PF10 that's Benton Illinois

2315:57

N235LA okay

2315:58

PF10 and

2315:58

N235LA nice little airport

2316:00

PF10 yeah, just if it had an open door it'd help, huh?

2316:03

N235LA well, it's Sunday

2316:04

PF10 it is and it is getting a little later

2316:07

N235LA it's getting later

2316:09

PF10 okay, hotel ninety-six, it looks to me like you

Ought to be, actually a little west,

Northwest of terre haute

2316:17

N235LA nnnno, no, we're southwest, I know that

2316:22

PF10 then maybe you're not in Benton

2316:23

N235LA na, must not, my navigator probably messed

Up because we've flown all the way from

San antonio Texas and we been going

Northeast the whole way

2316:32

PF10 okay, well, that could make a difference

Because if you're in Benton, there's nothing

Between you and terre haute however if

You're a hundred miles, if you're in one

Hotel two which is uhm, uh, where I have a

Kind of suspicion you may be

2316:47

N235LA okay

2316:51

PF10 that one is called effingham Illinois, that is a

Nice little airport

2316:55

N235LA oh, you been here?

2316:56

PF10 uh, yes

2316:58

N235LA okay

2316:58

PF10 but I'm not to say there's anything wrong

With Benton, but it's, it's closer to where

You're describing yourself being

2317:05

N235LA effingham, you mean

2317:06

PF10 effingham

2317:07

N235LA effingham, okay

2317:08

PF10 yeah, and there is a little bit of a

Thunderstorm west of you about twenty

Miles, do you see buildups to the west?

2317:13

N235LA yes

2317:14

PF10 due west

2317:15

N235LA uh huh

2317:15

PF10 yeah, I have a suspicion you're actually at

Effingham

2317:17

N235LA okay

2317:18

PF10 and that would put you just kind of west

Southwest of uh, terre haute

2317:21

N235LA that's, I'm sure that's close

2317:22

PF10 about a hundred miles

2317:23

N235LA okay

2317:24

PF10 uh, those thunderstorms to the west of you

Is the only thing even vaguely close to your

Route of flight

2317:28

N235LA really?

2317:29

PF10 yeah

2317:30

N235LA oh well

2317:31

PF10 the rest of its pretty much dissipated, it's, it's

Really diminished

2317:33

N235LA okay

A witness observed the airplane taking off to the north from H96. The witness demonstrated the angle the airplane was climbing at, an angle of approximately 45-degrees. She stated that she heard what she thought was thunder. She saw smoke and called 911.

A FAA inspector interviewed two witnesses. The report of their interview stated that they were at a stop at 1817 and they saw an airplane coming from the northeast going southwest. They thought it was landing at the airport. Approximately 20 minutes later they saw the airplane again coming from the northeast going southwest. They heard two loud claps of thunder and saw lightning strike in the vicinity of the airport. They reported that after the second clap of thunder, they saw smoke coming from the boat factory. The said that the whole northern sky was black and they could hear thunder. They stated they did not see the airplane strike the ground.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector interviewed fire department personnel that were the first on the scene. A responding fireman stated that the rain began approximately three minutes after fire trucks arrived. The fireman said that there was frequent lightning and thunder prior to the start of the rain and while it was raining.

Personnel information

The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane multiengine land rating and commercial privileges for single-engine land airplanes. On his application for his FAA second-class medical certificate, dated October 3, 2000, the pilot reported that he had accumulated 5,600 total flight hours. He reported he had flown 0 hours in the past 6 months. That certificate was issued with two limitations. One limitation was that the certificate was "valid for 12 months following the month examined" and the other limitation was that he "must wear correc