History of Flight
On May 9, 2009, at 1610 Pacific daylight time, a Beech BE-95-A55, registration N1533Z, impacted terrain while maneuvering at low altitude near Minden, Nevada. The flight was operated by a private pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no visual flight plan was filed. The flight departed Minden-Tahoe Airport around 1600.
According to witnesses reported to the Douglass County Sheriff, the pilot had taken four friends from an outdoor working group on a local flight. The airplane made two to three passes over the group. On the final pass, witnesses reported the airplane was slightly above house tops, between 100 and 300 feet above ground level, traveling from northeast to southwest. The airplane executed a sudden steep climbing left turn, appeared to decelerate at the top, then dropped nose-first into a grass field. Witnesses consistently described a 90-degree angle of bank just before descent. Engines were heard "running perfectly" throughout the maneuver.
A hiker to the west photographed the airplane just before impact. The image shows the airplane over the pasture with landing gear and flaps retracted; the airplane's shadow is directly below, at a distance of 2 to 4 wingspans.
A Garmin 295 handheld GPS unit was recovered. Data was disjointed with altitudes below ground elevation. The flight track appears to start mid-flight near the accident location, making a rough figure-eight pattern before ending over the accident site. The final leg shows a northeast-to-southwest track at approximately 120 knots ground speed.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 58, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and sea, multiengine land (VFR only), and instrument airplane, issued May 30, 1996. He held a third-class medical certificate issued December 12, 2008, with a requirement for corrective lenses.
Examination of the pilot's logbook showed incomplete records: two entries for 2005, one for 2006, one for 2008. His most recent flight review was April 28, 2008. A friend (also a pilot) stated the accident pilot made irregular logbook entries and used it only for required flights like check rides. The witness said the pilot operated an aircraft sales company at Minden Airport and flew almost daily. On his December 12, 2008 medical application, the pilot reported 4,700 total flight hours and 90 hours in the previous 6 months. He also held an airframe and powerplant mechanic certificate with inspection authorization issued May 3, 1994, renewed March 2009.
Aircraft Information
The five-place, low-wing, twin-engine airplane, serial number TC-326, was manufactured in 1962. It was powered by two Teledyne Continental Motors IO-470-L 260-horsepower engines with McCauley two-bladed constant-speed propellers. Maintenance records were not located. Weight and balance documentation was also unavailable.
Using the Pilot's Operating Handbook stall speed chart, stall speed for 60 degrees angle of bank at max gross weight (4,880 pounds), flaps up, power idle, was estimated at approximately 105 knots.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage was in an open grass field with moist soft earth and mud, surrounded by rural farm houses. Impact was confined to the immediate location with no ground scars. The nose and both engines were embedded about 2.5 feet. The tail and fuselage were elevated. All control surfaces and flaps were present on their hinges. Both wings exhibited leading-edge crushing. The cabin space was collapsed to about half normal size; the nose was crushed up and aft. First responders removed the cabin roof to access victims and reported fuel odor and leakage. Wreckage orientation was 342 degrees magnetic.
Control continuity was established from tail and ailerons to cockpit. All cables passed through guides and attached to appropriate components. Left flap actuator measured 3.5 inches extended; right measured 4.0 inches, corresponding to about 10 degrees flap. Engine control cables were traced from engines to cockpit, all attached to throttle bodies or propeller governors. Left fuel selector was set to "AUX"; right to "MAIN." Hobbs meter read 4001.1.
Complete engine examinations: left engine rotated with thumb compression on all cylinders; right engine could not rotate due to impact damage but continuity was verified via borescope. All magnetos sparked at all fixtures. Fuel was present in both engines' manifold valves. No preimpact mechanical malfunction was found.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on May 11, 2009 by the Washoe County Medical Examiner found blunt trauma to the head, abdomen, and extremities. Cause of death was reported as multiple injuries due to blunt force trauma.
Forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot was negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol. Diphenhydramine was detected in blood and liver.
Additional Information
The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3A) describes accelerated stalls, noting that during flight, angle of attack is determined by airspeed, gross weight, and load factors from maneuvering. At the same weight, configuration, and power, a given airplane stalls at the same indicated airspeed without acceleration. However, excessive maneuvering loads from steep turns or pull-ups cause stalls at higher indicated airspeeds. Such accelerated maneuver stalls tend to be more rapid and severe, occurring at higher airspeeds and possibly lower pitch attitudes, which may be unexpected. Failure to take immediate recovery steps may result in complete loss of flight control, notably power-on spins.