History of Flight
On June 18, 2010, at 2226 mountain standard time, a Hawker Beechcraft Corporation A36, registration N155FT, collided with terrain approximately 10 miles northeast of Seligman, Arizona. The commercial pilot, who was also the registered owner, operated the airplane under Part 91. The pilot sustained fatal injuries and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. An Alert Notice was issued on June 22, and the wreckage was located at 1030 on June 23.
According to a family member, the pilot departed from Los Alamos, New Mexico, around 1930 and flew to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he obtained fuel at 2000. The family member indicated that the pilot had been drinking alcohol, was under emotional distress, and departed without providing details of his destination. A Los Alamos Police Department report noted that the pilot began binge drinking on June 16, continued through the week, and had an altercation with a family member on June 18. He left home and went to the airport, where family members stated he departed in his airplane. The family waited to report him missing until June 22 due to his past history and belief he would return.
Radar data from Hill Air Force Base showed a track moving east to west with a gradual descent during the final portion of the flight. At 2224, the altitude was 8,800 feet msl, decreasing to 7,100 feet msl at the last target at 2246, approximately 1/4-mile east of the accident site.
The accident site was in mountainous desert terrain at an elevation of about 7,050 feet msl. The terrain rose out of the desert with isolated mountains reaching similar heights; the base of these mountains and the flat terrain connecting them were approximately 1,000 feet lower.
Personnel Information
The 54-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate for single-engine land and instrument, and a second-class medical certificate issued August 18, 2008, with a limitation for corrective lenses. His logbook showed about 1,179 total flight hours, with the last logged flight on June 13, 2010, and 151 hours of night flight time. His FAA Airman file indicated an incident on August 18, 1997, when he attempted to depart from an unlit dirt airstrip at night, resulting in a runway departure and left fuel tank rupture; he was arrested for intoxication.
Aircraft Information
The low-wing, retractable-gear airplane, serial number E-1922, was manufactured in 1981. It was powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors IO-550-B(55) engine and equipped with a Hartzell constant-speed propeller. An annual inspection was completed on July 6, 2009, at a tachometer reading of 593.2 hours and airframe total time of 3,730.8 hours. The oil and filter were changed on February 14, 2010, at 683.4 hours tachometer time. The most recent maintenance was replacement of the right-side engine exhaust on April 14, 2010, at 716.5 hours tachometer time. The pilot had flown approximately 17 hours since the exhaust maintenance.
Medical Information
An autopsy by the County of Coconino Medical Examiner listed the cause of death as multiple blunt force trauma, with manner undetermined. FAA toxicological testing detected ethanol, methanol, N-butanol, and N-propanol in muscle, lung, and heart; putrefaction was noted. Carbon monoxide and cyanide testing were not performed, and no tested drugs were detected in muscle.
Meteorological Information
The closest official weather report, from H.A. Clark Memorial Field Airport in Williams, Arizona (34 nautical miles east), at 2235 reported clear skies, 10 miles visibility, wind from 120 degrees at 3 knots, temperature 17°C, dew point -8°C, and altimeter 30.20 inches of mercury. According to the US Naval Observatory, the moon was in its first quarter, sunset at 1953, end of civil twilight at 2023, moon transit at 1825, and moonset at 0023 on June 19.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane impacted the eastern side of a mountain at about 7,050 feet msl. The first identified point of impact contained propeller pieces, engine fragments, and small wing sections. The debris field extended west-southwesterly and included all major portions of the wreckage. The engine was found on the western side of the mountain, about 900 feet from the first impact point and down a steep slope.
All four corners of the fragmented wreckage were identified. Control continuity from the empennage to forward carry-through spar was established. The control column had separated. Flaps and landing gear were retracted. Trim setting suggested 10 degrees nose-up trim. The debris field was oriented 240 degrees magnetic on a 20-30 degree slope. A plastic vodka bottle was found unbreached with residual liquid consistent with its labeled contents.
Examination of the recovered airframe, flight control system, and engine components revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction.
Additional Information
The Federal Aviation Administration's Advisory Circular 61-134, "General Aviation Controlled Flight Into Terrain Awareness," defines CFIT as an airworthy aircraft flown under control of a qualified pilot into terrain with inadequate awareness of the impending collision. 14 CFR Part 91.17 prohibits acting as a crewmember within 8 hours of consuming alcohol, while under the influence, while using any drug affecting safety, or with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater.