Flight History
On March 21, 2008, at approximately 1625 eastern daylight time, a Beech BE-76, registration N184AA, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while maneuvering after takeoff from Richard B. Russell Airport (RMG) in Rome, Georgia. The aircraft was operated by a flight school based at Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK) in Chamblee, Georgia. The flight was an instructional flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, with a private pilot receiving instruction toward a multiengine airplane rating. The training syllabus included introduction to engine failures on takeoff and initial climb, as well as approaches and landings with an inoperative engine. The airplane departed PDK around 1530. A witness at RMG observed the airplane climbing after takeoff from runway 19, a 6,000-foot-long, 150-foot-wide asphalt runway. The airplane seemed to be climbing at a very slow rate of speed, reaching an altitude of 600 to 800 feet before beginning a left turn consistent with a return to the airport. The airplane then began a nose-first descent toward trees southeast of the airport, impacting in a field surrounded by small trees and shrubs, coming to rest upright on a heading of approximately 040 degrees.
Personnel Information
The flight instructor, age 34, held a commercial pilot and flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine, airplane multiengine, and instrument airplane. He had accumulated approximately 827 total hours of flight experience, including 111 hours in multiengine airplanes, all in the same make and model as the accident airplane. He received his multiengine flight instructor rating on February 29, 2008, and had accumulated about 60 hours of multiengine flight experience as an instructor at the time of the accident. He held an FAA first-class medical certificate issued on October 1, 2007.
The private pilot, age 24, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land and instrument rating. He had accumulated 182 total hours of flight experience, including about 7 hours of multiengine flight experience, all in the same make and model as the accident airplane, which he began flying on March 11, 2008. He held an FAA first-class medical certificate issued on November 14, 2007.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 1981 and equipped with a Lycoming O-360-A1G6D left engine and a LO-360-A1G6D right engine, each with a two-bladed Hartzell propeller. Maintenance records showed the most recent 100-hour inspection was performed on March 4, 2008, at which time the airplane had accumulated about 5,210 total hours. The right and left engines were overhauled on January 6 and February 4, 2005, respectively, and both had operated for about 850 hours at the time of the most recent 100-hour inspection. The most recent annual inspection was performed on May 10, 2007, at a total time of about 5,025 hours. A pilot who flew the airplane for a commercial multiengine check ride on the morning of the accident reported 3.5 total hours flown without any discrepancies.
Meteorological Conditions
At 1653, weather reported at RMG included wind from 180 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear sky, temperature 22 degrees Celsius, dew point -3 degrees Celsius, and altimeter setting 30.06 inches of mercury. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Wreckage and Impact Examination
All major portions of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. A postcrash fire consumed the majority of the airplane forward of the empennage. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the ailerons, elevator, and rudder control surfaces to the forward cockpit area. The fuel selector valve in each wing was observed selected to its respective engine. Measurement of the flap actuator jackscrew corresponded to a 0 to 5 degree flap setting, and measurement of the rudder trim corresponded to a 5 degree nose-left position. The landing gear was observed in the retracted position. Examination of rudder and elevator assemblies revealed no evidence of preimpact discrepancies.
The right engine was observed upright, canted nose-down and to the left, and sustained fire damage. The right engine initially could not be rotated via an accessory drive gear, but after removal of the accessory case and oil sump, it rotated freely via the crankshaft gear bolt. Valve train continuity and thumb compression were attained on all cylinders. The engine-driven fuel pump, fuel hoses, dual magneto, and ignition harness could not be examined due to fire damage. The carburetor was fire-damaged and disassembled; the float was destroyed, but the float hinge pin and needle assemblies were intact. All spark plugs had intact, gray electrodes. A lighted borescope examination of all cylinders revealed no abnormalities. The oil pump rotated freely, but gears in the accessory section exhibited thermal discoloration and did not rotate freely.
The right propeller and crankshaft flange were separated and partially buried in the ground in front of the engine. One blade had torsional twisting, leading edge gouges, and chord-wise scratches; the other blade was curled aft approximately 10 degrees.
The left engine was observed upright, canted nose-down about 30 degrees, and sustained fire damage. The left engine initially could be rotated via the propeller about 10 degrees; after removal of the accessory case and oil sump, the crankshaft rotated freely. Valve train continuity and thumb compression were obtained on all cylinders. The carburetor, engine-driven fuel pump, fuel hoses, dual magneto, and ignition harness could not be examined due to fire damage. All spark plugs had intact, gray electrodes. A lighted borescope examination of all cylinders revealed no discrepancies. The oil pump housing was discolored consistent with heat damage and the pump could not be rotated; disassembly of the oil pump revealed no damage to the gears, gear shafts, or housing.
The left propeller remained attached to the engine. Both propeller blades were oriented about 10 to 15 degrees from the feathered (high pitch) position and rotated to the feathered position after the spinner dome was removed. One blade was not damaged; the other blade was bent aft approximately 90 degrees at mid-span. A subsequent teardown of the left propeller assembly, conducted under the supervision of an NTSB investigator, indicated that examination of the propeller counterweights and spinner was consistent with the left propeller impacting in a low pitch position.
Medical and Pathological Findings
Autopsies were performed on the flight instructor on March 25, 2008, and on the private pilot on March 24, 2008, by a Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner. The cause of death for both pilots was listed as multiple blunt trauma due to an airplane crash. Toxicological testing by the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team was negative for drugs and alcohol.