History of Flight
On April 27, 2008, at about 1019 eastern daylight time, a Mooney Airplane Company M20M, registration N429RM, owned by RKJ Aero LLC, experienced an in-flight loss of control shortly after takeoff from Chesterfield County Airport (FCI) and crashed into a house in Midlothian, Virginia. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight to Franklin Municipal-John Beverly Rose Airport (FKN). The airplane was destroyed by impact and postcrash fire; the certificated private pilot and pilot-rated passenger were killed. The house was destroyed, and its sole occupant sustained serious injuries from burns.
The airplane remained on the ramp with the engine running for about 15 minutes, then taxied to runway 33 and waited at the approach end for another 15 minutes. An employee of a fixed base operator reported no radio calls on the common traffic advisory frequency from the pilot. According to communications transcripts, at 1007:46, an occupant contacted Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control requesting IFR clearance. The controller cleared the flight to FKN via Harcum VORTAC, maintain 2,000 feet mean sea level (msl), expect 5,000 feet, and assigned departure frequency 134.7 MHz and transponder code 5321. At 1009:08, the controller released the flight for departure with a heading of 180 degrees.
A witness reported that during takeoff, the airplane was below the tree-line when abeam the windsock and disappeared into clouds after passing the departure end of the runway. Radar data showed the first target at 1016:03 near the departure end at 300 feet msl. The flight climbed to 1,100 feet, turned left to west-northwest, climbed to 1,300 feet, then turned right to northwest, climbing to 1,800 feet. At 1017:50, the airplane turned left, descended to 1,600 feet, then climbed back to 1,800 feet. At 1018:27, it began a right descending turn, losing 1,000 feet in 10 seconds with groundspeed increasing from 140 to 170 knots. The last radar target at 1018:40 showed the airplane at 600 feet msl near the accident site.
Witnesses near the accident site described the airplane flying beneath cloud bases in a southerly direction at 50–60 feet above ground level, wings level, in a slow descent. One observer saw a large part separate and heard engine sound decrease, with the propeller turning slowly. Another witness heard the engine “stalled” and attempting to restart. A third witness, hearing a constant engine roar, observed the airplane descending at about a 45-degree angle with no recovery. A fourth witness reported engine “missing and sputtering” and saw the airplane descending at a 45-degree angle before impact. At 1019:26, a controller issued a low-altitude alert advising the pilot to climb and maintain 2,000 feet immediately; no response was recorded.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 40, held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land and instrument ratings, issued in February and April 2007, and a third-class medical certificate with no limitations. His logbook, heat-damaged, indicated approximately 332 total flight hours, 271 as pilot-in-command, including 23 hours of actual instrument time. The right front seat occupant, age 72, held a commercial pilot certificate with single- and multiengine land, instrument airplane, and helicopter ratings; his most recent medical certificate was issued in 1979.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in July 2000 as a Mooney M20M, serial number 27-0301, powered by a Lycoming TIO-540-AF1B engine and a McCauley three-bladed constant-speed propeller. It was equipped with electrically controlled Precise Flight speedbrakes in each wing and electrically actuated flaps connected by a single jackshaft. The copilot side of the instrument panel had no flight or engine instruments. Total time 5 days before the accident was 732.7 hours. The pilot’s wife reported a pre-existing “sticking flap” issue; a mechanic from a Mooney Service Center cycled the flaps but did not perform an inspection. No maintenance was performed at FCI.
Meteorological Information
A surface observation at the departure airport at 1019 reported wind from 360 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, overcast ceiling at 800 feet, temperature 17°C, dew point 13°C, and altimeter 30.15 inches of mercury. No preflight weather briefing was recorded.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The crash site was 3.8 nautical miles from the departure end of runway 33 on a magnetic heading of 311 degrees. The airplane impacted a wood-framed house, which was destroyed by impact and fire. The lower fuselage panel was found 600 feet northwest, undamaged by fire. Ground scars before the house indicated a heading of 130 degrees, attributed to engine and right wing contact. The landing gear was retracted. The flap actuator and jackscrew were not located, so flap position could not be determined. The left speedbrake was found retracted; the right speedbrake was partially deployed with one frame end displaced. The engine was separated from the airframe; impact and fire damage precluded operational testing. The propeller hub remained attached; one blade was bent, and two were separated. Cockpit and cabin components showed extensive impact and fire damage.
Medical and Pathological Information
Postmortem examinations determined the pilot’s cause of death as massive blunt force trauma and the passenger’s as corporal fragmentation due to massive blunt force trauma. Toxicology tests were negative for volatiles and drugs in both individuals. A test on the passenger’s muscle specimen detected carbon monoxide at less than 7 percent saturation.
Tests and Research
Examination of the digital camera, PDA, and engine monitor revealed no stored images or data. Fracture analysis of left rear window pieces indicated overstress initiation at the bottom edge within the window frame, with subsequent rapid fracture.