DEN03FA023

The airplane was on an instrument flight plan at night, with a destination of Little Rock, Arkansas. The pilot reported a loss of engine power, and he diverted into Hot Springs, Arkansas. The airplane impacted a brick house, approximately 6,000 feet short of the runway. The airplane engine ignition system's single-drive dual-magneto exhibited evidence of melted plastic on its four-lobe breaker cam. The cam itself exhibited "bluing" discoloration and was dry of lubrication. The internal damage to the magneto suggested that the breaker cam's shaft had been forcibly pushed into the magneto. Evaluation of the magneto housing revealed a 7/8-inch gouge, which matched the dimension of its hold-down clamp. The magneto had been removed during the airplane's last annual inspection for a normal maintenance inspection. The airplane had flown approximately 148 hours since its annual inspection.

History of flight

On December 5, 2002, at approximately 1858 Central Standard Time, a Rockwell Commander 114, N314M, was destroyed when it struck a house subsequent to a loss of engine power while in cruise flight near Hot Springs, Arkansas. The instrument rated private pilot received serious injuries, and his passenger was fatally injured. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country personal flight that originated from Dallas, Texas, 1 hour, 36 minutes before the accident. The pilot was flying on an IFR (instrument flight rules) flight plan (he canceled his IFR flight plan approximately 2 minutes before impact) and his destination was Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Controller (ATC; tower control) at Adams Field, Little Rock, Arkansas, said that the airplane departed at 1113, on an IFR for Addison Airport, Dallas, Texas. The pilot's flight planning sheets indicate that the 253 nautical mile (nm) flight would take approximately 1 hour, 50 minutes to fly. While at Addison Airport, the pilot had the airplane fueled (topped off) with 30 gallons of 100 LL (low lead) and 2 quarts of oil. ATC at Addison Airport said the airplane departed at 1722, and was cleared IFR, at 9,000 feet, for his route back to Little Rock, Arkansas.

On the voice tapes, retrieved from Memphis ARTCC (Air Route Traffic Control Center), the pilot had requested a descent down to 7,000 feet at approximately 1851. At approximately 3 1/2 minutes later, the pilot asked to divert to Hot Springs, Arkansas, due to an "engine problem." The ARTCC controller cleared him direct, and told the pilot that the airport was at his 10 o'clock position for 4 nm. The pilot closed his flight plan and changed his radio frequency to Memorial Field's CTAF (common traffic advisory frequency).

Witnesses at Memorial Field's FBO (fixed base operator) facility said that the pilot called in reporting that his engine had "quit." Another pilot, flying near Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was monitoring the same CTAF frequency and reported that the accident pilot did declare an emergency for "some kind of engine malfunction." He next heard the accident pilot say "we are not going to make the airport. We are going into the lake."

At 1859, numerous 911 emergency calls were received by the Garland County Sheriff's Department reporting that an airplane was going down. One individual said it sounded like "fire crackers or something back firing." Another said the engine was running "really bad." The airplane impacted a lake-side house, at approximately 6,000 feet from the end of the runway.

Personnel information

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with single engine land and instrument ratings. He was issued a third class airman's medical certificate on March 19, 2001. The certificate contained no limitations. On an insurance application, dated October 24, 2002, the pilot reported that he had 825 hours of flying experience, with 617 hours in make and model. He said that he had 125 hours of flight experience during the last 12 months. He also indicated that his last flight review was on March 1, 2001.

The pilot purchased the airplane on September 8, 1998, with 3,070 hours of flight time on it.

Aircraft information

The airplane was a single engine, propeller-driven, four seat airplane, which was manufactured by Rockwell Commander Aircraft Company, in 1977. The airplane had a maximum takeoff gross weight of 3,140 pounds. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-540-T4B5D, reciprocating, normally-aspirated, fuel injected, direct-drive, air-cooled, horizontally-opposed, six-cylinder engine, which had a maximum takeoff rating of 260 horsepower at sea level. Maintenance records indicate that the last annual inspection was completed on February 18, 2002, and at that time the total time on the airplane was 3,646 hours. This annual inspection included the removal of the magneto (Bendix Ignition System D-3000 single-drive dual magneto) for a required 500 hour inspections.

The only documented maintenance that was done on the airplane's engine, after the February 18, 2002, annual inspection, was an engine oil change on October 15, 2002, with a tach time of 3,762.8 hours.

At the time of the accident, the airplane had 3794.65 hours, or 149 hours since annual.

Meteorological information

At 1853, the weather conditions at Hot Springs Memorial Field, Hot Springs, Arkansas (elevation 540 feet), 050 degrees for 2 nm from the accident site, were as follows: wind calm: visibility 10 statue miles; cloud condition clear; temperature 37 degrees Fahrenheit; dew point 27 degrees Fahrenheit; altimeter setting 30.36 inches. The official sunset, on December 5, 2002, at Hot Springs, Arkansas, occurred at 1702. On the same day, the moon rose at 0835 and it set at 1824.

Communications

The FAA did not transcribe the recorded transmissions between the pilot and Memphis ARTCC because the pilot canceled IFR services just prior to the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board did transcribe the last approximate 6 minutes before the pilot left the ARTCC frequency, but due to lack of equipment, the exact time of each transmission was not captured. The following transcript is from approximately 1851 to 1857:

Pilot: Aero Commander 314 Mike, we'd like to descend out of 9ner, if we could, down to 7.

Memphis Center: 314 Mike descend and maintain 7,000, Hot Springs altimeter remains 30.35.

Pilot: 9 for 7, 13 Mike.

Approximately 3-½ minutes later.

Pilot: Center 14 Mike, ah, we've got an engine problem here. I'd like to go ahead and ah cancel, or rather re route and stop at Hot Springs.

Memphis Center: 14 Mike ..[stepped on] .. descend and maintain 3,000, Hot Springs is at 10 o'clock at 4 miles, do you have it in sight.

Pilot: I've got it in sight now.

Memphis Center: 14 Mike cleared to Hot Springs, Springs via direct and you're cleared visual approach to Hot Springs.

Pilot: Ok, we'll go ahead and cancel, ah, now and go ahead into ....[broken].

Memphis Center: 14 Mike, roger, cancellation and ah, give me a call when your on the ground at Hot Springs if you would on this, on 118.5.

Pilot: And well can you give me, ah, the local frequency there please.

Memphis Center: Stand by.

Memphis Center: 14 Mike, stand by one.

Memphis Center: 14 Mike 123.0, I believe is the Unicom over there.

Pilot: ok 23.0, we've had ah, ah, big loss of airspeed and power, and my exhaust gas temperature is way off the scale. I'm not exactly sure what is going on. I'm going to put it down.

Memphis Center: 14 Mike roger that, and, like I say I'd like a call on the ground if you would please. No traffic observed in the pattern, you can change to advisory, and I would like a call.

Pilot: 123.0.

Memphis Center: 123.0.

Pilot: Thank you.

End.

Airport information

The Hot Springs Memorial Field (elevation 540 feet), Hot Springs, Arkansas, is not serviced by a control tower. The airport has two runways: 05-23 which is 6,595 feet, and 13-31 which is 4,099 feet. Runway 05 has four instrument approaches to it. They include an ILS/DME and a VOR instrument approaches. The airport is serviced by a Unicom/CTAF of 123.0 MHz.

Wreckage and impact information

The airplane was located in the southwest side of a brick home (N34 degrees, 27.79 minutes; W93 degrees, 07.31 minutes; elevation 407 feet) with its' engine in the second floor master bedroom, and its' empennage and mid to aft fuselage extended to the ground. The longitudinal orientation of the airplane was 050 degrees. There was no postimpact fire, but rescue personnel reported a strong smell of fuel at the scene.

All of the airplane's major components were accounted for at the accident site. The left wing was separated from the fusel