2008 Beech 95-B55 Crash at Walker County Airport (N727BC)

Accident Overview and Flight History On June 29, 2008, at approximately 0756 central daylight time, a Beech 95-B55, registration N727BC, was destroyed after a loss of control in flight following takeoff from Walker County Airport (JFX) in Jasper, Alabama. The flight, a personal trip under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, was destined for Jack Edwards Airport (JKA) in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The pilot, who was the aircraft's owner, and three passengers were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed during the flight, which departed JFX around 0750. No flight plan was filed for the trip. Witnesses at the scene described the aircraft in a nose-up pitch attitude of about 30 degrees, descending in a wings-level, tail-low spin around the yaw axis. One witness estimated the aircraft was 300 to 400 feet above the trees and below the cloud layer, while another reported seeing it about 600 feet above the ground. The aircraft came to rest in flat, wooded terrain about 1 mile west of JFX. Radar data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed the aircraft first appearing on a southerly track about 1 mile southwest of JFX at 1,200 feet. It accelerated from 100 knots to 120 knots and climbed to 1,700 feet before turning north. During the turn, it descended to 1,300 feet and accelerated to 140 knots. Over the next 2 miles, the aircraft climbed and descended between 1,300 feet and 2,600 feet, with speeds varying between 100 and 160 knots, before descending to the crash site.