History of Flight
On July 24, 2011, about 0920 central daylight time, a Piper PA-46-350P, registration N46TW, operated by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage after impacting powerlines and terrain during takeoff from runway 27 at Rantoul National Aviation Center Airport-Frank Elliott Field (TIP) near Rantoul, Illinois. A post-impact ground fire ensued. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions; an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed. The pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries. The flight originated from TIP and was destined for Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) near Sarasota, Florida.
A witness from the fixed base operator observed the pilot performing the preflight inspection inside a hangar. Approximately 80 pounds of luggage was loaded behind the rear seat. The witness reported that the pilot's wife told the pilot she needed to use the restroom, to which the pilot replied to "hurry because a storm front was coming." The engine start was normal, and both passengers were seated in the rear forward-facing seats during taxi.
Another witness, a commercial pilot at the airport, reported observing the airplane take off from runway 27 and then begin a turn to the south. The landing gear was retracted when the airplane was about 500 feet above ground level. The witness noted an arriving weather front with strong winds from the northwest that appeared to "push the tail of the plane up and the nose down." The airplane descended, struck powerlines, and impacted terrain, after which it caught fire. The witness stated the engine was producing power until impact.
Personnel Information
The 56-year-old pilot held a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane ratings. A medical examination on February 25, 2010, granted a third-class medical certificate with a corrective lenses limitation. At that time, the pilot reported 1,850 total flight hours.
Aircraft Information
N46TW was a Piper PA-46-350P, serial number 4622071, an all-metal airplane with a semimonocoque fuselage, pressurized cabin, wing flaps, spoilers, constant speed propeller, and retractable tricycle landing gear. It was configured for six occupants (two cockpit, four cabin) with a certified maximum takeoff weight of 4,318 pounds.
The airplane was powered by a 350-horsepower Textron Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A turbocharged, fuel-injected reciprocating engine (serial number L-12770-61A). The engine was shipped on May 4, 2007, originally installed on N534P, and then installed on the accident airplane on June 11, 2011. It had accumulated 200.7 hours since new at installation. The airplane's Hobbs meter read 609.5 hours, and total time was 2,580.5 hours at installation.
The propeller was a three-bladed Hartzell HC-I3YR-1E with hub serial number HK1295B and blades serial numbers 1129, 1130, and 1132.
The last annual inspection was completed on February 4, 2011, at which time total time was 2,560.4 hours and Hobbs meter read 589.4 hours.
Meteorological Information
The individual presumed to be the accident pilot obtained a Direct Users Access Terminal weather briefing and filed an IFR flight plan at 1449 on July 23, 2011, for an 0830 departure on July 24. None of the briefing products remained current at the time of the accident. The area forecast outlook for northern Illinois expected thunderstorms during the morning hours.
At 0915, TIP recorded winds from 300 degrees at 14 knots gusting to 21 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; scattered clouds at 5,000 and 10,000 feet; temperature 29°C; dew point 24°C; altimeter 30.06 inches of mercury; with remarks of lightning in the distant north and northwest.
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center issued a Mesoscale Discussion at 0615 for potential heavy rain across northern Illinois.
One passenger photographed the approaching weather system before boarding and during taxi; pictures sent around 0914 depicted a defined shelf, rotor, or arc cloud marking the boundary of the low-level outflow of the approaching storm. Dark conditions under clouds indicated approaching precipitation.
Airport Information
TIP was a public, non-towered airport at an elevation of 737 feet, with runways 18/36 and 9/27. Runway 27 was asphalt, 5,000 feet long by 75 feet wide.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Separated powerlines lay on the ground north of a field about one-half mile south of runway 27 near South Century Boulevard and Tuskegee Avenue. The airplane came to rest south of the powerlines. A debris path extended 177 feet long and 75 feet wide, with a magnetic heading of about 150 degrees from the powerlines to the main wreckage. Grass along the path was charred.
One propeller blade separated and came to rest on Tuskegee Avenue about 30 feet east of the path start. The other two blades were embedded in terrain about 35 and 38 feet south of the start. A navigation light cover was found about 88 feet south. The engine and forward fuselage rested on their left sides near the path end about 177 feet south. The left wing separated and was found about 15 feet northwest of the fuselage; the right wing was east of the fuselage. The empennage came to rest southwest. Sections of wings and fuselage were discolored, deformed, and melted.
On-scene examination revealed no pre-impact anomalies. Engine and flight control cables showed overload failures. Main landing gears were retracted; nose gear was under the engine. Flap jackscrew showed 16 exposed threads (10-degree flaps). Elevator trim had seven threads (neutral). Fuel selector linkage was consistent with right tank selection. Cabin door locking pins were extended. A section of powerline was near the right wing root.
Engine accessories were discolored and deformed. The crankshaft rotated when an accessory gear was turned. All cylinders except number two produced thumb compression; after removing melted media from the number two cylinder's exhaust rocker, normal valve operation was observed. The number two cylinder's intake spring did not return its valve to seated position; manually seating it allowed compression.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Champaign County Coroner's Office listed the pilot's cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute's Final Forensic Toxicology Accident Report was negative for tested substances.
Fire
The charring and deformation were consistent with a post-impact ground fire collocated with the debris path.