History of Flight
On February 21, 2008, at approximately 2005 eastern standard time, a Beech A36, registration N3815T, was substantially damaged after impacting terrain while on approach to Greater Cumberland Regional Airport (CBE), Cumberland, Maryland. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a business flight. The airplane departed Yeager Airport (CRW), Charleston, West Virginia, at about 1850 with an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan filed for CBE. The pilot made a brief landing at Upshur County Airport (W22), Buckhannon, West Virginia, to secure an unsecured door, then continued to CBE, climbing to 5,000 feet mean sea level.
At 1948:17, air traffic control cleared the airplane for the localizer/DME approach to runway 23. The pilot reported inbound at 2002:34. Radar contact was lost at 2003:46 when the airplane was approximately 12 miles northeast of CBE at 3,700 feet msl due to insufficient radar coverage. The pilot acknowledged being off radar. No further communications were received. The wreckage was located on February 22, 2008, at 1746 by search and rescue in a wooded, sloped area about 3 miles northeast of the airport.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 76, held an airline transport pilot certificate with multiengine land rating, a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land and instrument ratings, and a flight instructor certificate. He was also an FAA designated pilot examiner. According to his logbook, he had approximately 11,500 total flight hours, with 9.7 hours in the previous 30 days and 49.1 hours in the previous 90 days. He logged about 1,400 hours in actual instrument conditions and 1,000 hours of night flying. In the six months before the accident, he flew 13 hours in actual instrument conditions and 5 hours at night. He held a second-class medical certificate issued October 1, 2007.
Aircraft Information
The 1981 Beech A36 was equipped with a Teledyne Continental Motors IO-550-B5 engine. The most recent annual inspection was performed on March 9, 2007. It had a TKS Ice Protection System (installed June 2003) and an Avidyne EX500 multifunction display with Garmin 430 GPS and XM satellite weather. On February 17, 2008, the airplane was flown on a roundtrip IFR flight from CBE to Stevensville, Maryland, with no anomalies reported. After that flight, it was refueled with 32.7 gallons of 100LL and the TKS fluid reservoir was topped off.
Meteorological Information
A weather observation at CBE at 2006 reported wind from 150° at 6 knots, visibility 1 1/4 statute miles, ceiling 600 feet overcast, temperature -6°C, dew point -7°C, altimeter 30.31 inHg.
Aerodrome Information
Greater Cumberland Regional Airport is located at 39°36'55.5"N, 78°45'39.1"W, elevation 775 feet msl. Runway 5/23 is 5,048 feet long, 150 feet wide, grooved asphalt, with medium intensity runway edge lighting and a 4-light PAPI at 3° glide path. The LOC/DME approach to runway 23 has a minimum descent altitude of 1,400 feet msl and required visibility of 1 statute mile, with the missed approach point at 0.9 DME.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane first struck 60-80 foot tall trees at the top of a ridgeline about 1,240 feet msl, approximately 3.13 miles northeast of the airport. It continued striking trees for about 1/10 mile before impacting the ground inverted at about 1,090 feet msl. The debris path was oriented on a 110° heading, and the final resting position was at a 065° bearing from the runway. A postcrash fire consumed most of the wreckage. All major parts were accounted for; the cockpit and cabin were destroyed by fire. Both wings had leading edge crushing and extensive fire damage. About 7 feet of empennage remained with rudder and vertical stabilizer; left elevator remained partially, right elevator was intact except for counterweight. Flight control continuity was confirmed from rudder and elevator to the forward cockpit, and from the cockpit to left wing root and right aileron bellcrank. Ailerons remained connected at both wings. Left flap actuator indicated 15° extension; right flap actuator was destroyed. The engine was fire damaged but attached; the three-bladed propeller had evidence of rotation at impact (S-bending). Crankshaft continuity and valve train continuity were verified; thumb compression was attained on all cylinders. Borescope inspection revealed no mechanical malfunctions. Both magnetos produced spark. Fuel pump drive coupling was intact; mixture and fuel manifold screens were clean. Spark plugs were intact; fuel injectors (No. 5 and 6 impact damaged) were clear of debris. Both vacuum pumps showed melted drive couplings but no preimpact failures.
Medical and Pathological Information
Toxicological testing by the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team was negative for alcohol but positive for atenolol in lung and liver tissue. Atenolol is a beta blocker used primarily for cardiovascular disease. An autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Baltimore, Maryland, on February 23, 2008, stated "no non-traumatic abnormalities" of the cardiovascular system were found, and the cause of death was multiple injuries from the accident.