FTW97FA302

Witnesses at the airport observed the airplane make a low pass down the runway, pull up to an altitude of 'approximately 300 feet' AGL, and roll to the left. One of the witnesses reported that when the airplane reached the inverted position, its nose was pointed down. Another witness reported that the airplane completed an 'aileron roll,' began a second roll, and upon reaching the inverted position, pitched down 'just like a split S.' Both of these witnesses reported that they had observed the pilot rolling the airplane 'many' times before. Witnesses off the airport observed the airplane's right wing tip and nose simultaneously impact the ground. Examination of the airplane wreckage at the accident site, which was located about 1/4 mile from the departure end of the runway, revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical discrepancies.

History of flight

On August 8, 1997, at 0945 central daylight time, a Beech G35 airplane, N44T, registered to and operated by the pilot, impacted terrain following a loss of control while maneuvering near the Alpine-Casparis Municipal Airport, Alpine, Texas. The airplane was destroyed and the commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 local personal flight that originated from the airport about 10 minutes before the accident.

During a telephone interview, a mechanic, who operated a business at the airport, reported to the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) that the purpose of the flight was to warm up the airplane's engine prior to performing a cylinder compression check as part of a scheduled 100 hour/annual inspection of the airplane. He observed the airplane "come down" runway 05, pick up speed, pitch up, and roll to the left. As the airplane reached the inverted position, he noted that its nose was pointed down. The mechanic stated that he had observed the pilot roll the airplane "many times before."

During a telephone interview, a line service technician, employed by the fixed base operator at the airport, reported to the IIC that the airplane had departed on runway 23 and was west of the airport when he heard the pilot announce on the local traffic advisory frequency that he was going to make a low pass down runway 05. He then asked the pilot what the ceiling was, to which the pilot replied, "300 to 400 feet." He observed the airplane do a "fly-by" down runway 05, pitch up, complete an "aileron roll," remain in the upright position for less than a second, and then begin a second roll. As the airplane reached the inverted position, its nose went down "just like a split S." The line service technician reported that he heard the airplane's engine running throughout the event. He estimated the ceiling at the airport was "slightly more than 600 feet," since he could see the top of Sul Ross Mountain, and reported that the winds were calm and the visibility beneath the overcast was "good." He stated that he had seen the pilot "do rolls before." When asked to estimate the number of times he had observed the pilot rolling the airplane, he replied "many times" and said the number was in the "double digits."

In a written statement provided to the IIC, another witness, a pilot who was standing in front of the mechanic's hangar at the airport, reported that he observed the airplane takeoff on runway 23 and "10 to 15 minutes later" fly down runway 05 "at approximately 50 ft. above runway and cruise speed." At the end of the runway, the airplane "pulled up at a 10 degree angle" to an altitude of "approximately 300 ft." and rolled to the left. "Upon completion of the roll the direction was approximately 150 degrees and approximately 70 degrees nose down at approximately 200 ft. AGL." According to the witness, "the engine appeared to be developing full power throughout the maneuver." The witness reported that "the weather at the time was cloudy, ceiling approximately 1000 ft., visibility 8-10 miles."

In a written statement provided to local authorities, a witness, who was "working outside at the old plant site across from the airport," reported that he "heard an airplane coming over, looked up and saw that the plane was upside down, then [it] rolled over upright." He further reported that the airplane "continued to roll and turned right back from the direction it came from and went nose first into the ground."

In written statements provided to the IIC, two witnesses, who were riding bicycles southbound on Highway 118, reported that they saw the airplane fly over the highway from west to east at a "low" altitude. (The Alpine-Casparis Municipal Airport is located on the west side of Highway 118 about 2 miles northwest of the town of Alpine.) One of the bicyclists stated that "it appeared the pilot was trying to gain elevation - the plane climbed and banked to the right." He further stated that the airplane "seemed to continue to roll over to the right" and "seemed to hit nose and right wing tip almost at once." The other bicyclist reported that the airplane was "traveling straight up and then started turning hard to my right (still very low) [and] not having enough room to level out - the plane crashed nose and wing into the ground."

Personnel information

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single and multi-engine land and instrument ratings. Under the business name, Skies of Texas, the pilot operated an air charter service, which was issued a Title 14 CFR Part 135 single-pilot on-demand air taxi certificate, certificate number VXKA538U, on July 31, 1992. The pilot successfully completed a Part 135.293(b) competency check in the accident airplane on August 28, 1996.

A review of the pilot's logbook by the IIC revealed that he had logged a total of 2,719 hours flight time. In the 90 days prior to the accident, the pilot had logged 111 hours flight time of which 53 hours were in the accident airplane. In the 30 days prior to the accident, the pilot had logged 32 hours of flight time of which 22 hours were in the accident airplane. On the day prior to the accident, the pilot had logged one flight, a roundtrip of 2.7 hours duration from Alpine to El Paso and return, which was made in the accident airplane.

Aircraft information

The airplane was issued a standard airworthiness certificate in the utility category on February 4, 1957. A review of the airplane's maintenance logbooks by the IIC revealed no evidence of any uncorrected mechanical discrepancies. The records indicated that the last annual inspection was performed on December 10, 1996, at an hour meter reading of 726.5 and an airframe total time of 2,658.5 hours. The last recorded maintenance was an engine oil change, performed on July 23, 1997, at an hour meter reading of 821.5. According to the pilot's logbook, the airplane had been flown 3.9 hours since the oil change on July 23. Based on the preceding information, the airplane's total airframe time at the beginning of the accident flight was calculated to be 2,662.4 hours.

Wreckage and impact information

The accident site was located approximately 1/4 mile from the departure end of runway 05 in level sparsely vegetated terrain. The first evidence of ground contact was a linear ground scar measuring approximately 2 feet wide and 20 feet long, oriented on a measured magnetic heading of 124 degrees. Fragments of green glass from the right navigation light lens were found in the northwest end of this ground scar. A slash mark, oriented perpendicular to the ground scar, extended northward from the southeast end of the ground scar for a distance of 2 feet 8 inches. A circular crater, measuring about 8 inches deep at its center and containing pieces of windshield Plexiglas, the propeller hub, and one propeller blade, was located at the southeast end of the ground scar.

The main wreckage, consisting of the fuselage, empennage, both wings, and the engine, was located approximately 20 feet southeast of the crater. The other propeller blade was located approximately 150 feet from the main wreckage on a measured magnetic heading of 170 degrees. Both propeller blades displayed chordwise scratches and leading edge gouges. Pieces of windshield Plexiglas, parts of instruments, and fragments of right wing leading edge skin were found scattered on the ground to the south of the main wreckage with the farthest pieces located approximately 200 feet from the main wreckage. An area of discolored vegetation was noted extending southward from the main wreckage.

The fuselage was resting upright on a measured magnetic heading of 176 degrees. The tail cone was partially separated from the cabin section of the fuselage, which was compres