History of Flight
On May 15, 2009, at approximately 1142 central daylight time, a Beech A36, registration N191MK, operated by a private pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, crashed into trees and subsequently the ground in a field in Beauregard, Alabama. The flight, conducted under instrument flight rules with a filed flight plan, had departed Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (DTS), Florida, at 1041, destined for Newnan Coweta County Airport (CCO), Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot and one passenger were killed; two passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged.
According to surviving passengers, while cruising at about 7,000 feet, the pilot reported engine problems. The pilot instructed the two rear passengers to move forward to aft-facing seats and secure their seatbelts. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, which briefly succeeded but stopped again after about 30 seconds. Passengers heard the pilot inform air traffic control that they would attempt to land in a field. The airplane then struck trees; one passenger was knocked unconscious. Both rear passengers egressed through the open cockpit and called 911.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 56, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane, issued March 26, 1985. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued June 20, 2008, with a restriction requiring corrective lenses for near vision. The pilot's logbook showed 1,618 total flight hours, about 600 hours in A36 airplanes, and 40 hours in the accident airplane since modification with a turbo normalizing system.
Aircraft Information
The six-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane, serial number E-3362, was manufactured in 2000. It was originally equipped with a Teledyne Continental Motors IO-550-B engine rated at 300 horsepower. On January 12, 2004, a Tornado Alley Turbo, Inc "Whirlwind System II" turbo normalizing system and General Aviation Modification, Inc "turbo GAMIjectors" were installed.
Weight and Balance Information
Prior to the outbound flight from CCO to DTS, the pilot's daughter drained about 25.4 gallons of fuel from the main tanks. Calculated weights for that flight were within limits after draining. For the return flight from DTS to CCO, with the pilot and front passenger weighing 340 lbs, two aft passengers 340 lbs, 50 lbs baggage, and 13 lbs oxygen, the estimated fuel on board was 24.4 gallons plus 20 lbs in tip tanks. Calculated takeoff weight from DTS was 3,774.4 lbs, within CG envelope. Had the 25.4 gallons not been drained, the weight would have been 3,927.4 lbs, outside the CG envelope.
Meteorological Information
Recorded weather at Auburn-Opelika Robert G. Pitts Airport (AUO) at 1135: wind 120 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, scattered clouds at 3,900 feet, altimeter 30.19 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The main wreckage was located at N032°32'59", W085°24'12" in a hay field about 4.3 miles from AUO. Initial tree impact occurred about 150 feet before ground impact. The airplane traveled about 60 feet before coming to rest atop a round hay bale. The impact attitude was approximately 30 degrees nose-low, right wing down, with a ground heading of 120 degrees. All flight controls were accounted for with continuity established.
The engine, cowling, and nose gear separated forward of the firewall. The cockpit entrance door, windscreen, and side windows separated. Safety restraints had been cut by emergency personnel. The instrument panel was inverted and folded left. The fuel selector valve was found selected to the right tank and contained no fuel; subsequent testing revealed no anomalies. The left main fuel tank bladder was intact with about 1 quart of fuel; the left tip tank was breached with about 0.5 gallons. The right main fuel tank was breached with no fuel; the right tip tank contained about 4.5 gallons. No evidence of fuel leakage or browned grass was observed. Both tip tank transfer pumps functioned normally when tested.
The engine was separated from its mounts and came to rest about 10 feet forward of the cockpit. All three propeller blades remained attached: one with minor leading edge damage, one bent forward at mid-span, and one bent aft with chordwise damage. Engine accessories remained intact. The engine was later test-run at Teledyne Continental Motors; it started normally, accelerated without hesitation, and produced rated horsepower. Fuel was present in the fuel control lines after shutdown.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy was not performed. Blood specimens were obtained and submitted for toxicology. The FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory found no ethanol or other drugs detected in blood; carbon monoxide and cyanide tests were not performed.
Additional Information
Fueling records indicated that before departure from CCO, 74 gallons of usable fuel were in the main tanks and 10 gallons in each tip tank. The pilot's daughter drained 25.4 gallons from the main tanks (estimated 15 from left, 10 from right). Usable fuel capacity per main tank is 37 gallons. At departure from CCO, the airplane had about 48.6 gallons in main tanks and 10 gallons per tip tank. The Tornado Alley Turbo Airplane Flight Manual Supplement recovered from the aircraft contains performance data for lean-of-peak operation only. According to Teledyne Continental Motors Service Information Directive 97-3E, an IO-550-B engine at full RPM should flow no more than 26.6 gallons per hour, but the TAT supplement states the mixture must be manually adjusted if fuel flow exceeds 35 gallons per hour. The supplement does not provide fuel consumption data for rich-of-peak operation. Performance calculations indicated the engine would have burned more than 48.6 gallons at the initial loss of power as depicted by the engine monitor's non-volatile memory. The airplane was equipped with a JPI engine monitor, but fuel flow was not recorded.