2009 Cessna 400 Crash in Huntington, West Virginia (N207JB)

Accident Overview and Flight History On July 5, 2009, at approximately 1256 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 400 (Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing LC41-550FG), registration N207JB, crashed in a wooded area in Huntington, West Virginia. The aircraft was registered to and operated by an individual. The flight was an instrument flight rules (IFR) personal flight from Tri-State Airport (HTS) in Huntington, West Virginia, to Kalamazoo / Battle Creek International Airport (AZO) in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan was filed under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot and passenger were killed, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight departed HTS at 1254. The pilot was returning to AZO, his home base, after visiting family in the HTS area. He filed the IFR flight plan the previous night and received a weather briefing at about 1041 on the morning of the accident. The flight plan was initially filed for one person, with the decision to add a passenger made later that morning. An airport representative reported that the pilot called at 1100 to have the airplane pulled from the hangar and fueled with 10 gallons of Avgas, 5 gallons in each wing tank. The pilot arrived at the ramp at 1210, paid for the fuel, and conducted a preflight inspection lasting about 25 minutes. The airplane was started and taxied out with no observed discrepancies. The pilot received IFR clearance and taxi instructions to runway 12. The tower controller cleared him for takeoff with instructions to turn right for a heading of 210 degrees. A witness near the departure end of runway 12 heard the engine rev up and observed the airplane ascend with no abnormal functions before it turned in the distance. After takeoff, the pilot was instructed to contact departure. Radar data from the HTS airport surveillance radar showed the airplane climbing to 1,500 feet mean sea level (msl) before turning right. The pilot contacted the departure controller, advising he was at 1,900 feet and climbing to 4,000 feet. Radar data showed the airplane continuing to climb to 2,200 feet msl. The controller established radar contact and asked for the on-course heading; the pilot responded 337 degrees. The controller asked if the pilot was in a right turn, which the pilot confirmed. The controller instructed the pilot to continue the right turn to the on-course heading and maintain 5,000 feet msl. The pilot did not acknowledge these instructions. The highest radar contact indicated the airplane was at 2,300 feet msl. At that time, the radar showed the airplane turning left and descending. The last radar contact indicated the airplane was at 2,200 feet msl, after which it was lost from radar. The wreckage was located close to and east-southeast of the last radar contact. A witness on the back porch of his residence heard a single-engine airplane flying low, followed by a loud crash resembling metal hitting trees. The engine noise stopped immediately after the crash, with no prior sound of engine failure or malfunction. The witness called 911, and HTS Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting responded, locating the wreckage 3.5 miles south of the airport.