MIA02FA148

The single-engine airplane impacted an 80-foot tree after the pilot lost control shortly after takeoff. The airplane impacted trees with little to no forward speed in a nose low pitch attitude. A number of tree limbs were freshly cut by the propeller. The private pilot flew the airplane for approximately 40 minutes prior to departing on the accident flight. The accident flight included approximately 300 pounds of fuel on board, 100 pounds of ballast weight in the baggage area, a 359-pound passenger in the rear seat, a 170-pound front seat passenger, and the 170-pound pilot. This brought the gross weight of the airplane to approximately 200 pounds in excess of its maximum gross weight limitations. The calculated center of gravity (CG) was less than one inch from its most aft CG limit. No pre-accident anomalies with the engine or airframe were noted that would have contributed to the accident. The 145-hour pilot obtained a check out in the accident airplane three days prior to the accident. This was the first flight in the accident airplane since the checkout. The checkout lasted approximately one hour and included a questionnaire and a weight and balance calculation and discussion.

History of flight

On August 11, 2002, about 1640 central daylight time, a Beech C23 single-engine airplane, N24041, was destroyed when it impacted a tree and terrain shortly after takeoff from the Centerville Municipal Airport (GHM), Centerville, Tennessee. The private pilot and his two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Tullahoma Aviation Inc., of Tullahoma, Tennessee, under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the local personal flight. The flight departed GHM shortly before the accident.

The pilot rented the airplane and had departed from Tullahoma about 1515, with a female passenger. The flight landed about 40 minutes later at Centerville. The pilot shut down the engine, and both occupants exited the airplane. The female departed the area. According to witnesses, the pilot and two male passengers boarded the airplane, and the flight departed to the north. The airplane was observed at a low altitude in a left turn. The airplane then entered a nose-low attitude, impacted a tree, and then the ground. A post-crash fire erupted.

The burnt remains of the wreckage were located at 35 degrees 51.015 minutes north latitude and 87 degrees 25.771 minutes west longitude, approximately 0.8 nautical miles north-northeast of the departure end of GHM.

Personnel information

The pilot was issued a second-class medical certificate on May 29, 2002, with no limitations. According to that medical certificate application, the pilot accumulated 145 hours total flight time, of which 80 hours were accumulated within the previous six months. The pilot's logbooks were not located during the course of the investigation.

According to Tullahoma Aviation personnel, the pilot had received a checkout (lasting approximately one hour) in the accident airplane three days prior to the accident flight. The Tullahoma Aviation personnel added that this was the pilot's first trip in the accident airplane since the checkout. The pilot listed a total of 141 hours on Tullahoma Aviation's rental agreement checkout form.

Aircraft information

According to the Tullahoma Aviation personnel, the aircraft maintenance records were kept in the aircraft and are presumed destroyed. A student at Tullahoma Aviation made copies of some of the maintenance record entries in preparation for a check ride and provided them to the NTSB investigator-in-charge. According to the maintenance record copies, the aircraft underwent its last annual inspection on June 6, 2002, at an aircraft total time of 5,559.56 hours. As of August 5, 2002, the airplane had accumulated a total of 5,628.04 hours.

The pilot, who weighed 170 pounds (according to his medical certificate), was sitting in the left front seat. One male passenger weighing about 170 pounds (according to a witness) was sitting in the right front seat, and a male passenger, weighing 359 pounds (according to the autopsy report) was seated in the rear seat. The owner of the airplane told investigators that two 50-pound bags of gravel, used to balance the airplane when there were only two occupants in the front seats, were in the baggage compartment. The owner also told investigators that the airplane was full of fuel when it departed Tullahoma, and there should have been about 300 pounds of fuel onboard the airplane at the time of the accident.

Using the aforementioned information and weight and balance information provided by the owner, investigators calculated weight and balance information for the accident flight. The calculated weight of the airplane at the time of the accident was 2,657 pounds, with a center of gravity between 116.77 and 117.67 inches aft of datum. The maximum takeoff and landing gross weight for the accident airplane was 2,450 pounds, with an aft center of gravity limit of 118.3 inches aft of datum.

Meteorological information

At 1653, the closest weather observation facility located in Nashville, Tennessee (approximately 41 miles northeast of the accident site), reported the wind from 010 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 7 statute miles, a few clouds at 7,500 feet and scattered clouds at 25,000 feet, temperature 88 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 66 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 30.11 inches of mercury.

The GHM airport elevation was 768 feet msl, and the computed density altitude at the time of the accident was 2,662 feet.

Wreckage and impact information

The aircraft came to rest in a forested area with closely spaced trees. The airplane impacted an 80-foot tree and came to rest in an upright position at the tree's base. No visible damage to the trees in the area was noted, with the exception of those trees that closely surrounded the wreckage. A post-impact fire ensued, destroying the aircraft.

The left wing separated from the fuselage and was fragmented. One three-foot section of the left wing was located in the tree, while the majority of the left wing was found on top of the left half of the horizontal stabilator. The wing sustained a large amount of post-impact fire damage. The left aileron was separated from the wing, exhibited impact damage on its outboard end, and was partially consumed by the fire. The aileron hinges remained attached to the aileron and had portions of the wing still attached to the hinges. The aileron pushrod end remained attached to the aileron, but the remainder of the pushrod separated from the rod end. The left aileron bell crank was located in the wreckage. The bell crank had separated from the wing, but the aileron pushrod remained attached to the bell crank. One of the left aileron control cables remained attached to the bell crank, while the remaining control cable bell crank attachment arm was found fractured. The other aileron control cable was located in the wreckage, with the fractured bell crank attachment arm attached. The left flap was separated from its wing and sustained fire damage. The left main landing gear remained attached to the main wing spar.

The right wing remained attached to the airplane but was later removed for transport to a hangar for further examination. The post-impact fire consumed the right wingtip and a majority of the inboard portion of the wing. The leading edge displayed a large impact mark (approximately 2 feet in length) near its mid-span. The impact mark exhibited chord-wise crushing in the aft and downward direction. The right flap was separated from the wing and consumed by the post-impact fire. The right aileron remained attached to the wing, and its pushrod, bell crank, and cables remained intact and attached. The right main landing gear separated from the wing spar.

The post-impact fire consumed the fuselage. The forward terminating ends of both elevator control cables remained attached to the control column. Both aileron cables remained attached to the aileron control column chain. Both forward ends of the rudder control cables were located in the cockpit remains and their terminating ends were intact. The manual flap actuator handle was in the retracted position. The fuel selector handle was selected to the right fuel tank position. A substantial amount of gravel was located within the fuselage remains, and was confirmed to be the two fifty-pound ballast weights (originally contained in two canvas bags) utilized in the rear of the airplane.

The empennage remained attached to the aft fuselage. The horizontal stabilator remained intact, but exhibited a large amount of fire consumption damage. The left half of the stabilator sustained an impact mark with chord-wise crushing approximately one foot inboard of the fiberglass tip attach point. The stabilator trim tab remained attached to the stabilator, and its actuator measured 1.25 inches, which according to the manufacturer, corresponded to approximately 3 degrees tab d