DEN05FA047

Witnesses said the engines were "running rough, cutting out, or backfiring and sputtering" as the airplane flew towards the airport. As the airplane made its landing approach, it was "high and extremely fast, one engine was windmilling, the other [engine was] running OK." He then heard an engine "spool up for a go-around." The airplane was seen to bank left about 80 degrees. At about 100-150 feet, the tail seemed to slip to the right and the plane banked further left and went inverted. The plane went into the building inverted and pointing slightly to the left. Post-impact fire destroyed the airplane and substantially damaged the building. Both engines were disassembled and inspected. Carbon-fouling of the top and bottom spark plugs from cylinders 1 and 6 on the left engine were the only discrepancies noted. Disassembly of both propellers revealed the left propeller "did not have power and was not feathered." The right propeller "was operating at moderate or high power."

History of flight

On April 3, 2005, approximately 1450 mountain daylight time, a Beech E55, N3FJ, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed when it departed controlled flight during an aborted (balked) landing or attempted go-around and impacted a parking lot and industrial building adjacent to the Fort Collins Downtown Airport (3V5), Fort Collins, Colorado. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was fatally injured. The flight originated approximately 1420.

The pilot had told his wife he was going to go fly. She reminded him they were having dinner with friends. He said he would be gone for about an hour.

There were several witnesses who either saw or heard the airplane as it flew towards the airport. They said the engines were "running rough" (witnesses 1 and 5), "cutting out" (witness 2), "backfiring and sputtering" (witnesses 3 and 4), and flying level between 200 and 300 feet (witness 5) or 400 feet (witness 4). Witness 6, a flight instructor who had just taken off from the airport, said he heard the pilot report entering the traffic pattern. He said the pilot's voice was "calm, routine."

Some witnesses said the airplane was landing; others thought it had just taken off. Witness 15 said the airplane was "way too low not to be landing," and was "quieter" than it had been when she saw it take off 30 minutes before. Others said the airplane was "high and extremely fast" (witnesses 8, 9, and 10). Witness 10, a flight school employee, observed the airplane throughout its landing approach. He said it "was high and hot, 100 kts+, approaching mid-field, (1) engine was windmilling, the other running OK." Asked which engine was windmilling, the employee said he was not sure. The airplane passed behind some buildings and his view was blocked, but he heard the engine "spool up for a go-around. I knew he was in trouble because of his high speed at mid-field and the fact of only (1) engine running." When the employee sighted the airplane again, it "hit the ground and exploded into a big fire ball and was followed by a lot of black smoke."

Other witnesses said the airplane was taking off. Witness 7 said the airplane was having "engine trouble, sputtering," as it was taking off. Witness 11, a student pilot who was preflighting his airplane on the ramp, stopped to watched "the Baron departing runway 11." He wrote, "As the airplane was gaining altitude, it began to bank to the left . . . The bank continued to about 80 degrees to the left. At about 100-150 feet, the tail seemed to slip to the right and the plane banked further left and went inverted. The plane went into the building inverted and pointing slightly to the left."

Other witnesses, who were stopped at traffic lights or driving near the airport perimeter, saw the airplane "twist to one side and then spiral several times" (witness 12); "flipping back and forth and it went into a spin (witness 13); "[do] a couple of flips in the air and then it just dropped nose first" (witness 16), and "[go] out of control doing circles and flips" (witness 17). Witness 18 saw the airplane "in a nose dive spinning around," and witness 19 saw it "spin a few times." Most of the witnesses who saw the finals seconds of flight conceded that the airplane made a left bank, rolled inverted, and descended nose first (11, 20, 21, 23).

Of the witnesses who said the airplane was either landing or taking off, none could attest to actually seeing the airplane touch down or being on the runway.

Personnel information

The pilot, age 72, held a private pilot certificate with airplane single/multiengine land and instrument ratings. He also held a special issuance third class medical certificate, dated August 14, 2003, with the limitation, "Must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. Not valid for any class after August 31, 2005."

According to his most recent FAA application for a third class airman medical certificate, the pilot estimated he had logged 1,000 hours total time, but 0 hours in the previous 6 months.

When the pilot applied for airplane insurance on July 16, 2004, he listed the following flight time (in hours):

Total time: 997

Retractable: 622

Multiengine/Beech E55: 173

Based on records kept by the airplane's co-owner, the following flight time was calculated (in hours):

Total time: 1,024.7

Beech E55: 200.7

Last 12 months: 27.7

Last 90 days: 5.2

Aircraft information

N3FJ (s.n. TE-879), a model E55, was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation in 1972. It was powered by two Continental IO-520-C engines (s.n. 223114-72C, left; 231786-R, right), each rated at 285 horsepower, driving two Hartzell BHC-C2YF-2CHYF propellers each with two FC8475-6R blades.

According to the airplane's maintenance records, the last annual/100-hour inspections were accomplished on April 10, 2004, at a Hobbs meter reading of 2,390.1 hours. Total airframe time was 3,657.1 hours, and engine total times were 2,319.4 hours (1,078.1 hours since major overhaul). The engines had been overhauled on August 4, 1988, at a Hobbs meter reading of 1312.2 hours. The propellers were overhauled on June 26, 1998, at a tachometer reading of 2002.0 hours.

The most recent weight and balance check was made on October 2, 2003. The most recent pitot-static/altimeter/transponder/encoder check was made on July 18, 2003 (Hobbs, 2,342.9 hours). The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) battery was also changed on that date. On July 18, 2003, vortex generators were installed (Hobbs meter, 1,407.5 hours). On July 18, 1997, gamijectors were installed on both engines (Hobbs, 1,938.1 hours).

Meteorological information

Weather recorded 5 minutes after the accident by the Automated Weather Observation Station (AWOS) at the Fort Collins-Loveland Airport (FNL), located 10 miles southeast of the accident site, was as follows: Wind, 190 degrees at 10 knots, gusts to 15 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles (or greater); sky condition, clear; temperature, 23 degrees C.; dew point, -8 degrees C.; altimeter setting, 29.74 inches of mercury.

Aerodrome information

Fort Collins Downtown Airport (3V5) is located 2 miles east of the city. It is situated at an elevation of 4,939 feet msl. The main runway is 11-29 (5,300 feet x 44 feet, asphalt). There is an unnumbered east-west runway that is used principally by ultralite aircraft.

Wreckage and impact information

The accident occurred at a location of 40 degrees, 35.184 minutes north latitude, and 105 degrees, 01.919 minutes west longitude, and at an elevation of 4,926 feet msl. The airplane impacted an asphalt parking lot, rebounded, and skidded backwards into the loading bay of an industrial building. It also hit two guard posts embedded in the asphalt. The closed overhead door was crushed inward and partially collapsed on the airplane. On impact, the airplane exploded and burned. The building and a utility trucked parked nearby sustained fire damage.

The building, Poudre Valley Air, a heating and air conditioning company, was closed for the weekend. About ten company vehicles, mostly trucks, were parked in the parking lot. The parking lot was surrounded by a chain link fence. Examination of the vehicles, fence and surrounding buildings and trees revealed no evidence that they hade been struck by the airplane. Parking lot impact marks began 50 feet from, and continued up to, the airplane. The marks were mostly shallow gouges and scrapes.

The nose section aft to the passenger cabin was completely consumed by fire. Both elevators and trim tabs remained attached to the horizontal stabilizer. The outer half of the left elevator was burned off. The rudder, crushed at the top, and trim tab remained attached to the vertical stabilizer. The right wing skin w