CHI98FA106

The parachute jump flight's airplane was at 3,700 feet MSL when the pilot cancelled the operation with the FAA approach controller without explanation. Witnesses observed the airplane trailing white and black smoke. One witness said he saw the airplane trailing black smoke with its engine making a banging sound. Three witnesses at the accident airport said the airplane had smoke and flames coming from the airplane's cowl and along the windshield as it approached the airport. They said the airplane banked right at a low altitude with its right wingtip striking the ground. The airplane caught fire during the collision sequence. The on-scene investigation revealed the engine, left side of the fuselage, bottom of left wing and its strut and the horizontal stabilizer and elevator were covered with oil film. The engine's oil filler tube was missing. The three filler tube mounting screws were not found at the accident site. Two of the 3 filler tube screw mounting holes had 2 of the screw threads next to the engine case's exterior surface pulled upward. The third screw hole threads were not pulled. The number 6 cylinder valve rocker arm cover had 5 of its 6 screws missing. The remaining screw was loose. The number 6 cylinder's bottom spark plug lead nut was disconnected. Its threads were not pulled. Examination of the engine revealed about 70 percent of the oil screen was covered by silver and bronze colored metallic debris. Holes were observed on the engine's left crankcase section near cylinders number 2 and 6. The engine's internal components suffered damage typical of oil loss and heat distress. The fracture face features on the engine's fractured left crankcase section were typical of overstress.

History of flight

On March 21, 1998, at 1752 central standard time, a Cessna U206G, N506SD, piloted by a commercial pilot was destroyed during a collision with the ground and post-impact fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 parachute jump flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot and five parachute jumpers were fatally injured. The flight departed Independence, Missouri, exact time unknown.

The pilot of N506SD contacted the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Kansas City International Airport approach controller at 1740:22. The pilot referred to his flight as "...Skydive Six." The controller told the pilot that his airplane was 4-miles northeast of the Independence, Missouri, airport. He asked the pilot to "...say your request." N506SD's pilot did not respond. The controller made three more attempts to contact the pilot.

During the third radio transmission to N506SD the controller repeated his earlier position report and advised the pilot of air traffic. At 1741:23, N506SD's pilot responded, "...Skydive six going to one one thousand." At that time radar data showed N506SD was at 3,000 feet above mean sea level (msl). Times between the radio contacts were filled with wind and engine noise according to the FAA records.

At 1749:39, the FAA record reflects the controller heard engine and wind noise again from an unknown source. Fourteen seconds later, the record showed, an unknown source said, "What the .... was that?" At 1750:24, the report showed that the engine and wind noise ended. The controller called N506SD's pilot at 1750:54. The pilot responded, "...skydive six is, uh, cancelling, uh jumps operations." The controller responded, "...roger and I think you got a little...button sticking on your mike every now and then, I'm getting a hot mike from you." There was no further response from N506SD's pilot. At 1750:55, radar showed N506SD was flying at 3,700 feet msl. According to the radar data, the highest altitude N506SD had flown to was 5,200 feet msl.

A witness located about 8-miles northeast of the accident site said, he saw the airplane about 1-mile south of his position. He said the airplane "...was trailing a heavy stream of white smoke..." as it was heading west about 2,000-feet above the ground. He said his wife observed the white smoke and "...instances of black smoke mixed within the white steam." This witness said he observed the airplane fly out of sight trailing the smoke.

A witness about 2-miles north of the accident airport said he observed the airplane flying south-southwest over his property about 500-feet above the ground. As N506SD passed over the witness, he said its engine was making a banging sound and had black smoke coming from the engine cowl area.

Two witnesses at the Grain Valley Airport, Grain Valley, Missouri, said they observed N506SD approaching from the northeast about 100-feet above the ground. According to these witnesses, the airplane had flames exiting the engine cowl's top rear area. These flames were going up the windshield. One witness reported that he saw two bright lights that "...looked like flares falling from [the] plane as it went past us... ."

A third witness at the accident airport said he saw the airplane flying about 150-feet above the ground. As it passed his position he said "...it started to smoke heavy off the right side. The smoke was dark black at first, then turning a light yellow or brown color." He said the airplane rolled to the right, pitched down, and dropped from his line of sight. Several other witnesses reported that N506SD had approached the airport with white and black smoke coming from its cowling. As the airplane descended toward the airport, they reported seeing black smoke and orange flames coming from the cowl.

Other witnesses said the airplane flew low over a tree line paralleling the east-west oriented Gateway Western Rail Road tracks on the airport's south boundary. They said the airplane appeared to bank to the right at a low altitude. Witnesses reported that the right wing struck the ground, the airplane cartwheeled, and came to rest on fire.

Personnel information

The pilot possessed a commercial pilot certificate with single and multi-engine land airplane ratings. The certificate was issued on July 6, 1971, according to an FAA Form 8060.4, Temporary Airman Certificate, found in one of the three logbooks made available by the family for review. According to FAA records, the pilot did not possess an instrument rating. His commercial pilot certificate priviledges were limited to visual flight rules operations.

One logbook showed the pilot had flown 1,848.8 total hours between July 16, 1969 and December 31, 1979. A second logbook, dated between January 16, 1975, and September 14, 1985, showed he had a total time of 2,947.6 hours. The third logbook had one entry in it showing successful completion of a flight review on August 16, 1992, in a Cessna 172. This logbook showed a second flight review entry that was successfully completed in a Cessna 182. The entry did not show the date of the flight review. There were no other written or flight time entries found in this logbook. According to FAA records, the pilot obtained an airplane type rating in a Lockheed L-18 on May 6, 1994. Excerpts of the pilot's logbook are appended to this report.

Aircraft information

N506SD's airframe logbook showed its annual inspection had been completed on November 5, 1997. At that time, the airplane had 7,280 hours on its airframe. A copy of the logbook is appended to this report.

N506SD's engine had been overhauled on March 8, 1991, by Mid- States Aircraft Engines, Incorporated, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On May 29, 1994, Air Repair, Incorporated of Cleveland, Mississippi, reported that the N506SD's engine crankcase was unairworthy because it was "...cracked at forward left through bolt and leaking oil." On June 7, 1994, John Jewell Aircraft, Incorporated of Holly Springs, Mississippi, installed a "...certified crankcase..." on the engine. It was returned to service. Copies of the engine logbooks are appended to this report. The engine was installed on N506SD's airframe on July 15, 1995. At that time the logbook showed it had 774 hours since major overhaul.

Wreckage and impact information

N506SD's main wreckage was located about 60 feet north of the east-west railroad tracks that border the airport's south boundary. About 60 feet east of N506SD's main wreckage was a depressionj in the ground measuring about eight feet in diameter and six to 10 inches deep. The depression had burnt earth and vegetation in and around its perimeter. This area contained small pieces of aluminum and plastic that had been damaged by fire. The Cessna party member identified components of the nose landing light assembly in this area. About 40 feet east-southeast of the ground depression a ground scar, about 30 feet long, varying in width between 18 and 10 inches, was observed. The scar varied between eight and three inches in depth. The Cessna party member identified components from the right wing tip at the ground scar's starting point. About 160 feet southeast of the ground scar's beginning, freshly broken trees limbs were observed at the tops of trees that were about 30 feet high. Pieces of the trees were found along the railroad track embankment and around the damaged trees.

Examination of N506SD's wreckage revealed the left horizontal stabilizer's top and bottom surfaces were oil covered. Fragments of 1/4 inch thick clear plexiglass were found with the convex curved side covered with a thin film of oil and soot. Oil streaks were observed on the top and bottom of the left wing's main strut. Oil streaks were observed on the left wing's lower surface from the wing strut junction point inboard to the wing