History of Flight
On July 22, 2008, about 1350 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 402B, registration N3990C, was substantially damaged when it struck a building and the ground in Ocean Ridge, Florida. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to reposition the airplane from Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA), West Palm Beach, Florida, to Pompano Beach Airpark (PMP), Pompano Beach, Florida, for maintenance. PMP was about 22 miles south of LNA. Line personnel at LNA reported that the pilot purchased 20 gallons of fuel, which were evenly dispensed into the two tip tanks.
The pilot reported that after takeoff from LNA, he kept the landing gear extended because he was aware of a problem with the gear and believed he could not retract and successfully re-extend it. He flew south over the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway at an altitude of 800 to 1,000 feet. About 5 minutes into the flight, he experienced a "loss of engine power." In one interview, he mentioned problems with the left engine; in another, the right engine. In a written statement to police 6 days after the accident, he did not specify which engine but stated he attempted to identify which engine(s) were causing trouble. He reported losing altitude rapidly and "wagging" the wings to make fuel usable. He stated he "must have blanked out" and last remembered seeing the top of the town hall building just before impact. The airplane struck the Ocean Ridge town hall building, about 8 miles south of LNA.
Witnesses reported the airplane traveling north to south at low speed with the landing gear extended and wings rocking, and that the engines were operating.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 50, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument ratings. He reported 1,560 total flight hours in 2004. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued in February 2008. Despite requests, he did not provide his logbook or other information.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was an all-metal, twin-engine, low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear, manufactured in 1975. It was powered by two Continental TSIO-520 series engines with three-bladed constant-speed propellers. The pilot had previously owned the airplane but sold it in September 2007; the new owner did not hold any pilot certificates.
Meteorological Information
The 1347 surface weather observation at an airport 6 miles south of the accident site included winds from 160 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 2,500 feet, temperature 30°C, dew point 25°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.08 inches of mercury.
Communications
No air traffic control communications or radar tracking data were located for this flight.
Wreckage and Impact Information
After striking the building, most of the airplane came to rest inverted on the ground against a concrete utility pole. There was no post-impact fire. The left wing separated from the fuselage, and the left tip tank separated from the left wing. The right wing and fuselage were structurally separated but remained attached by wires and control cables. The outboard section of the right wing, including the tip tank, separated. The fuselage fractured just aft of the pilot seats. The horizontal stabilizer separated. The left engine was found about 25 feet from the main wreckage with its propeller separated; the right engine and propeller remained attached. All three landing gear were in the down and locked positions. The left landing gear, left engine nacelle, and a portion of the left inboard wing were on the building roof.
Additional Information
Maintenance records showed only three annual inspections from February 2002 to March 2006. The most recent annual inspection was in March 2006 when the airplane had 7,221.9 total hours and a Hobbs reading of 942.5 hours. No later entries were found.
Detailed examination of the cockpit revealed the throttle, propeller, and mixture controls at or near full forward. The left magneto switches were on; the right magneto switch for the right engine was off. The left alternator and battery master switches were on; the right alternator master was off. Circuit breakers for several systems were activated (disabled). The Hobbs meter read 969.1 hours, with a placard stating "Total Time Add 6279.4 Hrs." The landing gear handle was in the retracted position, but other components were consistent with gear extended. Flight control continuity was established. Elevator trim was at the extreme nose-down position, aileron trim at right-wing-down (producing a left-wing-down rolling moment), and rudder trim neutral. The flap selector was at 30 degrees, with the indicator between 0 and 15 degrees.
Right propeller blades remained in the hub; two undamaged, one bent aft. The spinner had crush damage. The left propeller hub fractured; one blade separated with spanwise scoring and aft bending, another bent aft, and a third exhibited "S" bending with scoring.
Fuel system examination showed the left fuel selector knob in the OFF position, with its valve between LEFT MAIN and OFF. The right fuel selector knob was between OFF and LEFT MAIN (crossover), with the valve in OFF. The left main (tip) tank was breached; the left auxiliary tank was intact. The right main tank was intact; the right auxiliary tank was breached. An unknown quantity of fuel was in each main tank. Water-detecting paste tests were negative. The electric fuel pumps were operational.
Left engine examination revealed significant impact damage, precluding a test run. Teardown showed no pre-impact abnormalities. The right engine was borescoped and dye penetrant inspected; no cracks were found. In a test cell, it started and ran normally, producing rated horsepower.
Performance data from the owner's manual indicated climb to 5,000 feet consumes about 8 gallons, and cruise fuel consumption ranges from about 21 to 40 gallons per hour. The flight duration and power settings could not be determined.