CHI05FA020

The airplane piloted by an instrument rated private pilot, was destroyed on impact with terrain and post impact fire. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The pilot established radio communications with the air traffic controller on duty at an Air Route Traffic Control Center's radar position about 2027. The controller gave the pilot the position's current altimeter setting. The air traffic controller observed the flight enter an area of weather. At about 2036, an air traffic controller advised the pilot that radar contact was lost. The pilot did not respond. No further radio communications were established with the flight. A witness, who was a commercial pilot, stated, "Aircraft spun out of clouds, began recovery, hit the ground, [and] burst of flame immediately." The flight's National Track Analysis Program radar data was plotted on Doppler weather radar base reflectivity depictions. That plotted data showed that the airplane entered an area of weather consistent with level three to level four thunderstorm activity. Surface weather observations showed VFR weather was present. An on-scene examination was performed. A gyro and its housing from a flight instrument were examined. That examination revealed rotational scoring. The turn coordinator was found destroyed. The face from the turn coordinator showed the airplane in a right bank turn. A section of right wing tip was found near a ground scar. The navigation light on that wingtip contained a green media. The left wing was found detached from the fuselage. Control cables were traced. All breaks in control cables were consistent with overload. No airframe or engine pre-impact anomalies were detected.

History of flight

On October 29, 2004, about 2040 central daylight time, a Beech A36, N55448, piloted by an instrument rated private pilot, was in cruise flight, encountered an area of weather, and was lost on radar. The airplane was destroyed on impact with terrain and post impact fire near Downing, Missouri. The personal flight was operating on an instrument flight rules flight plan under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The flight departed from the Bob Wiley Field Airport, near Winner, South Dakota, about 1800 and was destined for the Anderson Municipal Airport-Darlington Field, near Anderson, Indiana.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records showed that the pilot established radio communications with the air traffic controller on duty at an Air Route Traffic Control Center's radar position about 2027. The controller gave the pilot the position's current altimeter setting. The air traffic controller observed the flight enter an area of weather. At about 2036, an air traffic controller advised the pilot that radar contact was lost. The pilot did not respond. No further radio communications were established with the flight.

A witness, who was a commercial pilot, stated, "Aircraft spun out of clouds, began recovery, hit the ground, [and] burst of flame immediately."

Another witness stated:

We just got out to unload the truck when a plane went directly over

our heads[.] It just sounded like it was going down[.] You could

see the red [and] white light spinning round [and] round[.] It went

over the hill and we were talking about it crashing[.] That's when

the entire sky burned bright orange.

Personnel information

The pilot held a private pilot certificate for single engine land airplanes. He held an instrument rating. His most recent application for a FAA third-class medical certificate was dated May 14, 2004. On that application, he reported that he had accumulated 700 hours of total flight time and no hours of flight time within the six months prior to that application. The pilot was found to have mildly elevated blood pressure on that examination for FAA medical certification. He subsequently underwent a complete cardiology evaluation to include a nuclear medicine stress test, which was completely normal. His cardiologist recommended diet and exercise rather than medication for treatment of his borderline hypertension. The FAA Aeromedical Certification Division reviewed the pilot's additional evaluations and found him eligible for that third-class medical certificate.

Aircraft information

N55448, a 1990-model Beech A36, serial number E-2548, was a low wing, single-engine, six-place airplane, which had retractable tricycle landing gear. The airplane was equipped with a fuel-injected, air-cooled six-cylinder, horizontally-opposed Continental IO-550-B (6) engine, serial number 675545, which was rated at 300 horsepower. The airplane's maintenance records show that a Hartzell 3-bladed, all-metal, constant-speed propeller was installed under supplemental type certificate SA00719LA. The airplane was equipped with a storm scope.

According to the aircraft's maintenance records, the last recorded annual inspection was dated October 1, 2004. The airplane had accumulated 656.7 hours of total time as of that inspection.

Billing records showed that the airplane was fueled in Winner, South Dakota, with 29.1 gallons of aviation gasoline on October 29, 2004.

Meteorological information

A Senior Meteorologist for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) compiled a Meteorological Factual Report for the investigation. Heights listed in the Surface Weather Observations are above ground level (AGL). Excerpts from that report follow:

1. Surface Weather Observations

The closest Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) to the

accident location was the Kirksville, Missouri ASOS (KIRK). It

was located approximately 19 miles away from the accident at 209

degrees. The elevation of this station is roughly [966] feet.

Kirksville, Missouri (KIRK)

Time.[1955]; wind.190 [degrees] at 19 knots, gusting to 28; visibility.10

statute miles; sky conditions.few at 10,000 feet; temperature.22

degrees Celsius (C); dew point temperature.17 [degrees] C; altimeter

setting.29.51 inches of Mercury (in Hg); Remarks.Peak wind was

190 [degrees] at 28 knots and it occurred at [1948].

Time.[2055]; wind.220 [degrees] at 18 knots, gusting to 29; visibility.4

statute miles; weather.light rain; sky conditions.few at 1,100 feet,

scattered at 3,000 feet, and broken at 10,000 feet; temperature.21

[degrees] C; dew point temperature.18 [degrees] C; altimeter

setting.29.54 in Hg. Remarks.Peak wind was 220 [degrees] at 29

knots and it occurred at [2051] and rain began at [2050].

Time.[2155]; wind.240 [degrees] at 13 knots, gusting to 17;

visibility.10 statute miles; sky conditions.few at 4,600 feet, scattered at

9,000 feet; temperature.21 [degrees] C; dew point temperature.17

[degrees] C; altimeter setting.29.52 in Hg. Remarks.Peak wind was

210 [degrees] at 26 knots and it occurred at [2056] and rain ended at [2105].

...

3. In-flight weather advisories

The [National Weather Service] issues in-flight weather advisories

designated as Convective SIGMETs (WSTs), SIGMETs (WSs), and

AIRMETs (WAs). In-flight advisories serve to notify enroute pilots

of the possibility of encountering hazardous flying conditions, which

may not have been forecast at the time of a preflight briefing. In this

case, there was an AIRMET for turbulence valid at the time of the

accident, and there was a Convective SIGMET valid for the accident

area. ...

AIRMET Tango ... was issued at [1455] on October 29 and valid

until [2100] on October [29]. This AIRMET forecasted

occasional moderate turbulence below 10,000 feet due to moderate

to strong low level winds and a cold front moving through

the area. The Convective SIGMET nearest the accident site ...

was issued at [1955] on October [29] and valid until [2155], and it

warned of a line of severe thunderstorms 30 nautical miles wide

moving from 220 [degrees] at 45 knots, with tops of the storms

reaching 38,000 feet. The SIGMET also noted the possibility of

tornadoes, two inch hail, and winds gusts to 70 knots. The other

Convective SIGMET ... was issued earlier [1755] and valid until

[2055]. It also advised of a severe line of thunderstorms 30

nautical miles wide moving from the southwest, with storm tops to

36,000 feet.

The FAA supplied recorded National Track Analysis Program (NTAP) radar data for the flight. That NTAP data was plotted on Doppler weather radar base reflectivity depictions. That plotted data showed that the airplane entered an area of weather consistent with level three to level four thunderstorm activity. The surface weather observations showed VFR weather was present in the area. The NTSB's Meteorological Factual Report is appended to the docket material associated with this case.

Wreckage and impact information

The airplane was found impacted in pastureland near Downing, Missouri. The airplane was found in sections. A static wick was found at latitude 40 degrees 23.052 minutes North and longitude 92 degrees 22.283 minutes West. A ground scar followed that static wick about 29 feet on about a 270-degree magnetic heading. The propeller was found about 39 feet from that static wick and the engine was found about 35 feet from that static wick. Sections of the airplane exhibited the presence of soot colored media.

An on-scene examination was performed. The propeller blades exhibited S-shaped bends. The engine's propeller flange separated from the engine and that flange remained att