MIA02FA079

The flight departed from Pompano Beach Airpark and flew to Okeechobee County Airport where approximately 79 gallons of fuel were added to the fuel tanks; no reports of fuel problems were reported by pilots who were later contacted and whom had fueled from the same source either the day before, or the day of. The flight departed reportedly en route to Ormond Beach and after takeoff, climbed to a maximum altitude of 4,400 feet while flying on a northerly heading. The airplane remained on a northerly heading but began descending at an average rate of 200 feet per minute, with several times remaining at the previous altitude. The flight continued north and descended to 2,600 feet and began a right turn. Review of radar data indicates that between the last two radar targets, the airplane lost 1,000 feet of altitude in 12 seconds while turning to the right; the airplane at that time was on top of a layer of fog that extended up to 1,240 feet. A witness reported hearing the sound of an impact and drove to near the accident site but did not observe the wreckage; he did not notify law enforcement. The airplane impacted into a marsh resulting in destruction of the airplane which was located 2 days after the accident. The engines were located but could not be recovered. The fuselage and wings were fragmented. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of an in-flight break-up or of a fire. The stabilator trim was found full nose-down, but the cables were fractured. No autopilot system components were recovered. The autopsy report indicates the loss of most of the brain and heart.

History of flight

On April 2, 2002, about 0826 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-23-250, N91FK, registered to Aquarius Group Ltd., crashed in a marsh near Palm Bay, Florida. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the area at the time due to fog and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was destroyed and the commercial-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The flight originated about 0720 hours, from the Pompano Beach Airpark Airport, Pompano Beach, Florida.

The pilot's wife reported to Brevard County Sheriff Department personnel that she saw her husband last at 0630, on April 2nd, and he intended on flying from Pompano Beach, to Ormond Beach, Florida, for the purpose of having work performed on the autopilot system of the accident airplane. The pilot intended on flying to Macon, Georgia, after work was done to the airplane in Ormond Beach, Florida. He was scheduled to return to Florida from Georgia, on April 3rd. She also reported that her husband typically fueled at the Okeechobee County Airport, Okeechobee, Florida. The pilot's wife did not report her husband's overdue flight to either the FAA or any law enforcement agency.

According to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Air Traffic Control Radar Study (Radar Study), the presumed flight path of the accident airplane was traced backwards from near the accident site area to near the Okeechobee County Airport, then from there to near the Pompano Beach Airpark Airport. It was later determined that the air traffic control tower was not in operation at the Pompano Beach Airpark Airport at the presumed time of departure, and there were no known witnesses who saw the flight depart. The Radar Study indicates that at approximately 0810, a radar target presumed to be from the accident airplane was located north-northeast of the Okeechobee County Airport. The flight track from the presumed accident airplane continued in a northerly direction until 0824:54, when the radar data indicates a right descending turn. The last recorded radar target from the presumed accident airplane was at 0825:53; the reported altitude at that time was 1,600 feet. The crash site was located approximately .3 nautical mile and 120 degrees from the last radar target (a copy of the NTSB Radar Study is an attachment to this report).

A witness who was located approximately 1.6 nautical miles southeast of the crash site reported that on the day of the accident, between 0800 and 0830, he heard a sound that he thought was either an airplane or an airboat. He reported hearing a sound from the engine(s), then heard an impact followed by the sound of birds "screaming." He drove from the location where he heard the sound to near where he thought the noise came from but did not observe the airplane. He did not report the sound to any law enforcement agency. A copy of the NTSB Record of Visit is an attachment to this report.

The wreckage of N91FK was initially located by a St. Johns River Water Management District Employee about 0950 hours, on April 4, 2002.

Personnel information

The pilot was the holder of a commercial pilot certificate with ratings airplane single and multiengine land, instrument airplane. The date of issuance was September 23, 1972. He was issued a second class medical certificate on August 24, 2001, with the limitation, "Must wear corrective lenses for near and far vision." The pilot indicated on the application for that medical certificate that his total pilot time was 14,000 hours and he had accumulated 100 hours in the last 6 months, and he denied having heart or vascular trouble. The pilot indicated on an application for a medical certificate approximately 1 year earlier that his total pilot time was 9,000 hours and he had accumulated 100 hours in the last 6 months.

A review of his pilot logbook that ends with an entry dated March 28, 2002, revealed that he received a biennial flight review on August 25, 2001. He logged a total time of 11,163 hours, of which; approximately, 3,503 hours were in multi-engine aircraft. Excerpts from his pilot logbook are an attachment to this report.

Aircraft information

The airplane was a Piper PA-23-250, N91FK, serial number 27-4311, manufactured on June 26, 1969, and was equipped with a Piper Altimatic IIIB auto-pilot system with automatic trim and autoflight. Two Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 engines, and two Hartzell HC-E2YR-2RBSF propellers were installed. The left engine was last overhauled on July 22, 1994, and was installed in the airplane on August 4, 1994. The right engine was last overhauled on December 8, 1993, and installed in the airplane on December 20, 1993. The left and right propellers were overhauled last on October 28, 1999, and both were installed in the airplane on November 1, 1999.

The airplane was last inspected in accordance with an annual inspection on January 2, 2002. At that time, the airplane total time was recorded to be 4,711.9 hours, and the left and right engines had accumulated approximately 742 hours and 828 hours respectively, since major overhaul. The propellers had accumulated approximately 240 hours since major overhaul at the time of the last annual inspection. Excerpts from the maintenance records and an invoice from the last annual inspection are an attachment to this report.

According to the owner of the facility where the last annual inspection was performed, the airplane owner advised him prior to starting the inspection that the electric pitch trim switch was inoperative. The owner of the facility reported that he checked the electric pitch trim and it operationally checked good before he sprayed contact cleaner on it; he did not disassemble the switch. The initial corrective action for the discrepancy related to the electric pitch trim was "checked OK." Following the annual inspection, the airplane owner test flew the airplane around the traffic pattern and reported after landing that the electric pitch trim was either inoperative or intermittent. The corrective action for the electric pitch trim was changed from "checked OK" to "trim in-op/ need to go to radio shop - noted." The pilot was reportedly advised to have a radio shop repair the electric pitch trim. The airplane owner also advised him approximately 2-3 weeks before the accident that one of the spark plugs was intermittent as evidenced by a 75 rpm magneto drop greater than normal. The airplane owner advised him that he would come by in a couple of days but he did not. The owner of the facility also reported that he was not aware of any problem with the autopilot system and that his company does not perform autopilot repairs. A copy of the NTSB Record of Conversations with the owner of the facility are an attachment to this report.

A review of the maintenance records revealed no record of the electric pitch trim being repaired following the annual inspection.

Meteorological information

According to NTSB Meteorological Factual Report, the area from Lake Okeechobee to Palm Bay, Florida, indicated visual flight rules (VFR) to marginal visual flight rules (MVFR) conditions with fog. Fog and stratus clouds began approximately 17 miles north-northeast from the Okeechobee County Airport, and extended approximately 15 miles north of the Melbourne International Airport, Melbourne, Florida. Based on an upper air observation from a facility located approximately 30 miles northeast of the accident site, the fog top was at approximately 1,240 feet. The report also indicates there were no low-level wind shears or precipitation echoes within 120 miles of the accident site. A special observation (SPECI) from the Melbourne International Airport, Melbourne, Florida (KMLB), at 0825, indicates that the wind was from 240 degrees at 5 knots, the visibility was 4 miles in mist, scattered clouds existed at 100 feet, the temperature and dew point were each 2