History of Flight
On September 27, 2010, about 1054 mountain standard time, a Beechcraft F33A, N1600W, collided with a building during landing at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport, Phoenix, Arizona. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage from impact damage and a post-crash fire. The local personal flight departed Phoenix Deer Valley Airport about 0938. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot's family reported that he flew weekly to maintain proficiency, which was the purpose of this flight.
The airplane had a Garmin GPSMAP 196 portable GPS unit installed. An NTSB specialist downloaded recorded information. The data indicated that the flight lasted about 1 hour 16 minutes. The pilot departed to the east, turned north, and climbed to a peak recorded altitude of 8,123 feet msl at 1020:34. He made a right turn to a southerly heading at 1021:13, and began descending. He turned to the southwest for a downwind entry to the north of runway 07L.
A review of recorded ATCT transmissions revealed that the pilot reported inbound for landing at 4,000 feet. He was cleared into the traffic pattern for a left downwind for runway 07L. There were several airplanes ahead of him, and he asked the ATCT to call his turn to left base. After his traffic called a 3 mile final, the ATCT advised him to turn, and he acknowledged.
While on final, the ATCT advised the pilot that he appeared to be low. He responded that he was experiencing engine difficulties, and would try to make the runway. Witnesses reported that the airplane was very low, and the engine was sputtering and backfiring. Several witnesses, including certified flight instructors, stated that the airplane's wings were rocking, and the nose attitude was high. One witness looking head-on noted that the nose pitched down just prior to the airplane colliding with a building. The airplane and building caught fire; one witness reported that the building's sprinkler system activated, and an alarm sounded.
Personnel Information
A review of FAA airman records revealed that the 72-year-old pilot possessed a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, single-engine sea, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. The FAA issued the pilot a third-class medical certificate on February 24, 2010, with limitations that he must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision.
On an insurance application dated September 3, 2010, the pilot reported a total flight time of 1,872 hours as pilot-in-command, with an estimated 647 hours in this make and model. He completed a biennial proficiency check in August 2009.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a Beechcraft F33A, serial number CE-380. A review of the logbooks revealed an annual inspection on May 1, 2010, at a total airframe time of 6,950.4 hours. The tachometer read 702.9 at the last inspection. The engine was a Continental Motors IO-520-BA(8), serial number 280845-R, with total time of 702.9 hours at the last annual inspection.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Investigators from the NTSB, FAA, Beechcraft, and CMI examined the wreckage at the accident scene. The first identified point of contact was a ground scar. The debris path was along a magnetic heading of 052 degrees; the orientation of the fuselage was 052 degrees.
The airplane came to rest inside an industrial building lobby. The fuselage, one propeller blade, empennage, most of the right wing, most of the left wing with the aileron attached, and landing gear were contained within the office space. The engine with two of three propeller blades attached was displaced from the airframe and went through a steel door and frame into a second room.
The ground scar continued across a red curb 10 feet from the office entry; the curb exhibited scuff marks. A scrape mark angled up 38 degrees along the right side of the building entrance, starting about 8 feet high. Above the center of the entrance were two areas with broken concrete and paint transfer marks—one at 1 o'clock (black with red outboard) and one at 11 o'clock (red). The left wing outboard of the aileron actuating rod was along the outside of the north side of the building.
The fuel selector valve was selected to the left tank. The ignition switch was in the BOTH position. The auxiliary fuel pump switch was not observed. The flap position switch was in the OFF position. Control cables for rudder and elevators remained attached, and continuity was established from the control surfaces to the buckled center cabin area. Forward seats were intact and attached to rails; seat stops were not visible. Lap belts were present; shoulder harnesses were hanging from the headliner. Seat belts were not buckled, and first responders did not have to disconnect them to extricate the pilot.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner completed an autopsy and determined the cause of death as smoke inhalation. The FAA Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory performed toxicological testing. Analysis found 41 percent carbon monoxide in blood, no cyanide, no ethanol in vitreous, and 67.87 ug/ml acetaminophen detected in urine.
Tests and Research
Investigators examined the wreckage at Air Transport, Phoenix, on September 29, 2010. The engine was slung from a hoist; spark plugs were removed. The crankshaft rotated freely through 360 degrees. Valves moved approximately the same lift except for cylinder number two exhaust valve, which did not move. Cylinder number two sustained crush damage, missing material, and a broken exhaust rocker arm. Thumb compression was obtained on all cylinders except number two. The fuel pump shaft rotated freely.
A borescope inspection revealed no mechanical deformation on valves, cylinder walls, or internal cylinder head. Combustion chambers and piston heads had white and yellow deposits. Spark plug electrodes on cylinders one, three, and five had white deposits.
Magnetos were manually rotated and produced spark at all posts; impulse couplings engaged.
The throttle body and fuel metering unit were examined. The mixture control lever was fractured at the control cable attachment. When manually manipulated, the lever slipped on the mixture control shaft and moved independently. The bronze control lever was removed; smearing of material was observed at the beveled area. The mixture control shaft had smeared bronze material within the beveled splines.
The throttle lever was cracked near the throttle cable attachment area and moved independently from the throttle control shaft. The throttle lever's beveled area had smearing and deformation; the throttle control shaft had smeared bronze in the beveled spline area.
The JPI EDM-800 unit recorded engine parameters. Data indicated that the engine parameters were correlated for the majority of the flight. At time zero, rpm was 1,077, fuel flow 2.9 gph, MAP 14 inHg. About 850 seconds, rpm increased to about 2,700, fuel flow about 27 gph, MAP about 27 inHg. At 1,398 seconds, rpm reduced to about 2,500, fuel flow decreased to about 19 gph, MAP 22 inHg. At 1,530 seconds, fuel flow reduced to 12 gph. EGT reached peak of about 1,500 °F during cruise. Parameters remained constant until 2,640 seconds when slight variations began, correlated to the flight reversing course and beginning descent.
About 3,600 seconds, EGTs and CHTs began increasing as MAP increased while fuel flow stayed constant. EGTs reached maximum temperatures (1,550 to 1,590 °F) at 4,368 seconds. About 3,900 seconds, rpm and fuel flow began decreasing. Throughout cruise, JPI calculated horsepower was about 60 percent. At 4,490 seconds, horsepower indicated about 55 percent; the airplane was about 2,600 feet msl (1,100 feet AGL) beginning base turn. rpm gradually decreased, EGTs for all six cylinders became erratic. EGTs for cylinders one, two, and six dropped slightly and stayed higher than others. The lowest CHT (cylinder four) differed by 550 degrees from the highest (cylinder two). Data stopped recording at 4,620 seconds. Final MAP was near ambient, rpm about 1,850, fuel flow about 8.3 gph. No spikes were observed in fuel flow.
Additional Information
The Pilot's Operating Handbook states to enrich the mixture as required during descents and select full rich before landing. Emergency procedures for loss of engine power include checking fuel flow and turning the auxiliary fuel pump on if low; if no improvement, turn it off.
CMI Service Bulletin SB08-03 (March 14, 2008) and Revision A (July 30, 2010) addressed throttle and mixture control levers. It noted two types of levers: original bronze with non-machined chamfer, and stainless steel with splined chamfer. The SB provided inspection instructions at every 100-hour or annual inspection for looseness, free play, and proper installation. Revision A stated that all bronze levers must be replaced when removed for any reason. The maintenance logbooks did not indicate the levers had been removed. Part 91 operators are recommended, but not required, to implement service bulletins.