MIA00FA265

During an IFR flight when near the destination airport, the pilot was provided the most current weather for the closest airport and also with the current altimeter setting required for the approach. The flight was cleared for the non-precision approach and according to two pilot-rated witnesses who were related to the pilot and were waiting at the airport for the flight to arrive, the weather conditions at the airport consisted of a ceiling at 500-600 feet and the visibility was 3 statute miles. No weather reporting was available at the destination airport. The airplane was observed on the downwind leg flying beneath the clouds and 644 feet abeam the runway with the landing gear extended and what appeared to be approach flaps. One of the witnesses reported that he heard a sound he associated with the propellers being placed in the low pitch position and also heard the engines increase rpm what he thought was full power for what he thought would be a missed approach. The airplane then began turning base leg when the flight had passed 10-20 degrees past the numbers; the bank angle increased to approximately 70-75 degrees and the nose then pitched down and the airplane impacted the ground. The witness reported that the engine sound did not change from the moment he heard power applied to the point of impact. Examination of the engines, propellers, and flight controls revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The flap selector switch was found in the down position and the left flap actuator was found in the full down position; no determination could be made as to the position of the right flap actuator. The stall speed increase with a 70 and 75-degree angle of bank is 73 percent and approximately 100 percent, respectively.

History of flight

On September 9, 2000, about 1026 central daylight time (all times central daylight time), a Beech 58P, N58PB, registered to Winter Park Aviation, Inc., experienced a loss of control and collided with terrain while circling to land during a VOR/DME or GPS-A approach to the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Airport, Brookhaven, Mississippi. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was destroyed and the airline transport-rated pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The flight originated about 0737, from the Orlando Executive Airport, Orlando, Florida.

The pilot received IFR clearance for the flight to the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Airport, and was cleared for takeoff at approximately 0737. Air traffic control (ATC) communications were transferred to several ATC facilities then at 0926, transferred to the Houston ARTCC. Copies of the chronological summary of communications with the facilities are an attachment to this report.

According to a transcription of communications with the Houston ARTCC, at 0926:35, the pilot advised the controller that the flight was level at flight level 180. The controller acknowledged the report and at 0930:39, the pilot advised the controller, "...I was just getting the uh awos with uh Hattiesburg and the mccomb weather I'd like to proceed direct to the mccomb vor for the vor dme approach into brookhaven please." The flight was cleared direct to the McComb VORTAC. The flight continued and was cleared to descend and maintain 12,000 feet mean sea level (msl), followed by a descent clearance to 11,000 feet msl. At 0957:57, the flight was cleared direct to the McComb VORTAC, which was acknowledged by the pilot. The flight was cleared to descend to 10,000 feet msl, then at 1002:21, cleared to descend at pilots discretion to 3,000 feet. The pilot acknowledged the transmission from the controller and at 1007:08, asked the controller, "center it's eight papa bravo would you happen to have the latest mccomb sequence over." The controller responded, "November five eight papa bravo the mccomb one four four niner observation wind one two zero at six visibility six haze ceiling six hundred broken and one thousand broken three thousand overcast altimeter three zero zero one." The pilot acknowledged the controller's transmission and at 1014:04, the pilot advised the controller that the flight was at 3,000 feet msl. The controller advised the pilot the McComb altimeter setting was 30.01 inHg, which was correctly repeated by the pilot. At 1014:21, the controller stated, "...maintain three thousand until established on a portion of the approach cleared for approach into uh brookhaven municipal airport." The pilot responded at 1014:29, "three till established cleared for the approach...." The controller then advised the pilot to report cancellation of the IFR clearance or down time on the communication frequency or if unable through the Greenwood Radio and change to the advisory frequency was approved. The pilot acknowledged the controller's transmission; there were no further recorded transmissions from the pilot with the Houston ARTCC.

Review of radar data revealed that the last radar target occurred at 1021:11, when the flight was approximately 8 nautical miles and 155 degrees from the destination airport. A copy of the provided radar data is an attachment to this report.

A witness who was located approximately 4 nautical miles south-southeast of the airport reported hearing a loud popping and "smothering noise" but he did not see the airplane. He also reported a "heavy overcast" existed. A copy of his witness statement is an attachment to this report.

The pilot's father and stepbrother who are both pilot-rated were at the airport at the time of the accident. The pilot's stepbrother verbally reported in part the day after the accident that he heard the airplane fly over from the east to the north. He walked onto the ramp and observed the airplane flying northeast bound parallel to the runway with the left wing probably over the rotating beacon. He also reported that he thought the downwind leg was closer in than a traffic pattern for a Baron. The rotating beacon tower was later measured and found to be located 644 feet south of the south edge of the runway. He heard what he thought was full power applied for what he thought would be a missed approach and a change in sound he associated with the propellers being placed in low pitch. The flaps appeared positioned to the approach setting and the landing gear was extended. He observed the airplane turning base when the flight was approximately 10-20 degrees past the approach end of the runway then observed the airplane bank approximately 70-75 degrees to the left. He reported thinking to himself for the pilot to execute a missed approach and later reported that he believed the excessive bank angle was due to being close-in on the downwind leg and also due to a tailwind of 7 knots while turning on the base leg. He verbally and later reported that the left wing stalled and the airplane then pitched nose down and impacted the ground; it did not spin. The engine sound remained the same after hearing full power applied until the impact. He later reported that when the left wing stalled, "...full right aileron was applied in an attempt to fly-out of the stall." He never lost sight of the airplane from the first sighting to the moment of impact and he did not hear any engine related problems or see smoke trailing the airplane during flight. A copy of the statement from the stepbrother and a transcription of the interview are attachments to this report.

Additional witnesses located near the airport reported seeing the airplane in a "real sharp turn" and the airplane, "...began to dive toward the ground out of control. Then the aircraft hit the ground noise [sic] first and burst into flames." Copies of the witness statements are an attachment to this report.

Personnel information

The pilot was the holder of an airline transport pilot certificate with the ratings airplane multiengine land. He also was the holder of a commercial pilot certificate with the ratings airplane single engine land. He was issued a first class medical certificate with no limitations on December 11, 1998. Review of excerpts from his pilot logbook provided to the FAA revealed he logged a total time of approximately 5,080 hours.

He attended SimCom located in Orlando, Florida. According to their records, his last training took place over a two-day period beginning on November 27, 1999, and ending the next day with a Pilot Proficiency Certificate issued. There were 2 recorded sessions on the first day and 1 recorded session on the last day. A landing from a circling approach and circling approaches were satisfactory performed on the last day of training. Copies of his training records are an attachment to this report.

Aircraft information

The permanent airplane maintenance records were initially provided to the FAA aviation safety inspector assigned to the investigation. The inspector reviewed the provided maintenance records and returned them to the pilot's stepbrother before NTSB examination. Copies of the maintenance records were requested by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) during an interview with the pilot's stepbrother the day after the accident, in the form of a voice mail message to the pilot's stepbrother on January 22, 2001, and again during a phone conversation with the pilot's stepbrother 8 days later. He reported at that time that an attorney handling the pilot's estate had possession of the maintenance records and he (pilot's stepbrother) would have a complete copy of the maintenance records mailed to my attention. Copies of the maintenance records were not provided.

The fuel