History of Flight
On November 5, 2011, at approximately 1644 eastern daylight time, a Beech D-45 (T-34B), registration N34KT, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain after a loss of control during initial climb at Wings Field Airport (96FL) in Williston, Florida. The certificated flight instructor and private pilot sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, destined for Spruce Creek Airport (7FL6) in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Witnesses reported that the airplane executed an exaggerated soft-field takeoff on runway 36, becoming airborne within a few hundred feet. It then ballooned upward, settled, but leveled off just above the turf runway and accelerated. As it passed abeam witnesses—friends of the flight instructor—several puffs of smoke from the smoke system were seen emanating from the exhaust, and the wings were observed to "wag" up and down once or twice. After reaching the end of the runway, the airplane abruptly pitched up aggressively to a 60-70 degree nose-up attitude, climbing momentarily to about 200 feet above ground level. It then yawed and rolled simultaneously to the left to approximately a 300-degree heading while pitching nose down. Engine power was heard to "come back up," and the airplane turned right to about a 090-degree heading. The nose oscillated up and down, and the airplane "fell like a rock," disappearing behind trees bordering the departure end of the runway. The sound of impact was then heard.
Personnel Information
According to FAA records, the flight instructor held an airline transport pilot certificate with multiple ratings, including airplane single-engine land. His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued on June 29, 2011, and he had accrued 40,000 total flight hours.
The private pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on December 1, 2010, and he had logged 383.2 total flight hours.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a two-place tandem ex-military trainer, equipped with a constant-speed propeller and retractable landing gear. It featured dual flight controls and duplicate instrumentation in both cockpits, emulating the flight characteristics of higher-performance aircraft. The airframe was primarily aluminum, with ailerons, elevators, rudder, and stabilizers constructed mainly of magnesium. Originally powered by a Continental IO-520-BB fuel-injected engine, it was later modified to an IO-550-B/BP producing 300 horsepower with a three-bladed McCauley propeller. A Blackwell Aviation DFS-21 smoke system was installed on June 21, 2001.
The airplane was manufactured in 1956 and served the U.S. Navy before being transferred to the National Museum of Naval Aviation in 1993. It was sold in 1998 and converted from military T-34B to civilian D-45 configuration on December 24, 1998, involving removal of the aileron-rudder interconnect and elevator downspring, and installation of a stall warning system. The flight instructor purchased the airplane on August 14, 2000. Previous accident history included a 2004 event where the landing gear was selected up prematurely during takeoff at Spruce Creek Airport, resulting in substantial damage and repairs. Another event in 2008 involved a propeller strike after a gear-up landing, requiring engine disassembly and reassembly. The most recent annual inspection was completed on November 1, 2011; at that time, the engine had 321.6 hours since overhaul and the airframe had 10,535.10 total hours.
Meteorological Information
No weather broadcast or recording facilities were at 96FL. Two windsocks were present: one near midfield on the east side of runway 36, and another approximately 2,200 feet down the runway on the west side atop a hangar. At the time of the accident, little or no wind was present at the surface. Nearby weather observations: Ocala International Airport (18 nautical miles east) at 1650 reported winds from 030° at 10 knots gusting to 16 knots, 10 miles visibility, overcast ceiling at 2,800 feet. Crystal River Airport (23 nautical miles south) at 1655 reported winds from 050° at 12 knots, 10 miles visibility, overcast ceiling at 3,400 feet.
Airport Information
Wings Field Airport was privately owned, uncontrolled, with dense trees on all sides. It had a single turf runway oriented 18/36, 3,300 feet long and 100 feet wide. The threshold was displaced 1,250 feet due to trees 200 feet from the approach end, 45 feet in height. Obstacles on the departure end included trees 300 feet from the runway end, 55 feet in height.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest after impacting left wing first in a shallow nose-down pitch attitude, striking the top of a tree with no debris path. The left wing's outer panel leading edge was bent upward, the wing wrinkled at midspan, and the aft inboard trailing edge at the wing root exhibited compression damage. No evidence of preimpact failure of the airframe or engine was found. The pitot tube and static ports were clear; fuel caps were closed and latched. Throttle, propeller, and mixture levers were in full forward positions. Fuel boost pump switches were off; landing gear was retracted; flaps were up. All trims were neutral, and control continuity was established. The propeller had separated from its mounting flange; blades exhibited s-bending, leading edge gouging, and chordwise scratching, with a tree portion showing a 45-degree cut indicative of a propeller strike. The engine had separated from its mounts but remained partially attached by cables, wires, and hoses. Examination of engine components revealed normal operating signatures, with no evidence of preimpact malfunction.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies performed by the State of Florida Medical Examiner District 8 determined that the cause of death for both pilots was injuries sustained in the airplane crash. Toxicological testing of the flight instructor (rear cockpit) and private pilot (front cockpit) was conducted at the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory. The flight instructor's specimens were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and drugs. The private pilot's specimens were negative except for Naproxen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
Tests and Research
Witness statements indicated that the flight instructor had been providing instruction on formation flying, and the private pilot had flown the first four legs of the day. On the morning of the accident, they departed Spruce Creek Airport with two other T-34s, flew to Keystone Airpark, performed low passes with the smoke system, landed, and later continued with another T-34 to two additional airports before arriving at Wings Field. Witnesses described the flight instructor as competent but spontaneous and aggressive, a showman who often performed aerobatic maneuvers and low passes. They noted that the observed takeoff maneuver was one he had performed many times, and they speculated he was trying to impress others. When the airplane pitched up at the end of the runway, one witness likened the maneuver to a "Hammerhead" and a "classic departure stall"; another described it as a "classic power-on stall."
Reference to the NATOPS Flight Manual for the T-34B noted light control forces and rapid response. Stall characteristics include an extremely clean break with rapid recovery; a skidded turn stall can produce a fast stall without typical warning, leading to rolls of 90 to 360 degrees with significant altitude loss. Examination of the stall warning system lights revealed that their filaments displayed evidence of distortion and stretching, indicating they had been illuminated at the time of impact.
Probable Cause
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