Accident
On May 25, 2011, at approximately 1613 eastern daylight time, a Hawker Beechcraft Corporation 58, registration N77AR, collided with mountainous terrain near Murphy, North Carolina. The airline transport pilot and three passengers sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to Aero Resources Corporation and operated by Friendship Flying Service, Inc., under 14 CFR Part 135 as an on-demand, non-scheduled domestic passenger flight to Wendell H Ford Airport (K20), Hazard, Kentucky. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Fulton County Airport (FTY), Atlanta, Georgia, at about 1543.
Flight History
The flight plan indicated three occupants; however, the operator reported that an additional individual asked to be flown to K20 before departure. After departure, the pilot contacted Atlanta Terminal Radar Approach Control at 1544, advising he was at 1,700 feet. The flight was radar identified and cleared to 9,000 feet. Communications were transferred to Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center, and normal communications continued until 1611, when the pilot was advised to contact Knoxville Approach Control. At 1611:50, the pilot established contact with Knoxville, advising he was at 9,000 feet. The controller did not respond. At 1612:18, the pilot stated, “Knoxville seven seven alpha romeo we gotta declare an emergency got a fire,” but did not specify the location or magnitude of the fire. The controller asked if he planned to land at McGhee Tyson Airport, but the pilot did not respond, and no further transmissions were recorded.
Radar data from the NTSB showed seven transponder returns between 1612:24 and 1612:48, with the flight proceeding north-northeast and descending. The last two returns lacked altitude or had erroneous reports. Two primary radar returns followed; the last was at 1612:57, located at 35 degrees 11.055 minutes North, 084 degrees 09.7686 minutes West. The accident site was approximately 3,100 feet from that point. A witness reported hearing a twin-engine airplane flying straight and level about 1,500 feet above the mountains in a northwesterly direction. The witness heard the engines accelerate, then saw the right wing dip and the airplane pitch nose down. The engines accelerated further, and he lost sight over a ridge before hearing an explosion. He did not observe smoke or flames. Another witness at Unaka Community Cemetery heard the airplane low and loud, saw a “sharp right turn,” then heard an explosion resembling a “sonic boom” and saw black smoke. He estimated the time at 1618. A third witness heard engine surging, then a loud explosion that rattled his windows. He saw smoke and arrived at the crash site about 10 minutes later, noting the fuselage was on fire.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 26, held commercial, airline transport pilot, and certified flight instructor certificates. He had airplane single-engine and multi-engine land ratings, and instrument airplane rating. He held a first-class medical certificate with a limitation to wear corrective lenses, issued July 12, 2010. On his last medical application, he reported 2,250 hours total flight time. His resume listed 2,469 hours total time, 2,370 hours as pilot-in-command, and 652 hours in multi-engine airplanes. He was hired by Friendship Flying Service on March 1, 2009. He completed Part 135 training in September and October 2010, including abnormal and emergency procedures for aircraft fires. His initial checkride was on October 5, 2010, and a subsequent checkride on April 13, 2011, both in the accident airplane. In the 90 days before the accident, he flew 153 hours, with 121 in the accident make and model; in the 30 days prior, he flew 72 hours, with 57 in the accident airplane.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 1976 as a Beechcraft Model 58, serial number TH-757. It was powered by two 285-horsepower Continental Motors IO-520-C engines and equipped with Hartzell PHC-J3YF-2UF propellers. A combustion-type heater was installed in the nose section. The airplane had been inspected in accordance with annual inspections at 100-hour intervals. The last annual inspection was on April 21, 2011, at about 11,915 hours total time. Airworthiness Directive 2004-21-05, applicable to the combustion heater, was complied with at that inspection. The heater had accumulated about 2,713 hours since overhaul, exceeding the recommended 1,500-hour overhaul interval. The cockpit was equipped with circuit breaker toggle switches; Airworthiness Directive 2008-13-17 required replacement of these switches, which was accomplished on November 25, 2008. The airplane hour meter at the start of the accident flight was approximately 3,230, corresponding to about 11,949 hours total time.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane crashed in a wooded area near residences. An extensive postcrash fire consumed about 5 acres. Major structural components, including the cockpit, cabin, instrument panel, nose compartment, empennage, and inboard wings, were nearly consumed. Separated components were located up to 470 feet from the main impact. The combustion heater was observed at the scene but not recovered. Examination revealed no evidence of preexisting cracks. The pitch control cables remained connected, but the aileron chain was separated. An electrical wire with a ball on the end was retained. The wreckage was examined for evidence of an in-flight fire, but no conclusive findings were documented. The airplane was not equipped with flight recorders.
Meteorological and Communications Information
A surface observation at McGhee Tyson Airport at 1553 reported wind from 190 degrees at 21 knots gusting to 26 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 34°C, dew point 12°C, altimeter 29.85 inHg. The accident site was about 38 nautical miles south-southwest of TYS. Witnesses reported no rain, scattered clouds, and no breeze. Communications with air traffic control were normal until the emergency declaration; no difficulties were reported.