Flight History
On July 7, 2012, at approximately 0404 central daylight time, a Beech E90, registration N987GM, operated by Win Win Aviation, Inc., of De Kalb, Illinois, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Karnack, Texas. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. No flight plan had been filed for the positioning flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight departed De Kalb Taylor Municipal Airport (DKB) around 0230, en route to Brownsville, Texas.
The airplane had been recently purchased from an air medical company and was undergoing maintenance and refurbishment for skydiving operations. The pilot, a contract pilot, arrived at the operator's facility on July 6 around 1430 to check on the airplane. The owner instructed him to wait for the chief mechanic to inspect a recent propeller installation. The chief mechanic returned around 0010 on July 7 but reported being too tired to perform the inspection and left after telling the pilot to return in the morning. The pilot departed DKB approximately 0230.
At 0336:45, the pilot contacted Dallas Fort Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZFW ARTCC) and reported level at 14,500 feet mean sea level. At 0359:12, the controller advised of an area of moderate precipitation 15 miles ahead. The pilot acknowledged. At 0359:57, the pilot checked in with ZFW Sector 52, reporting 14,500 feet. At 0402:55, the controller transmitted that moderate, heavy, and extreme precipitation was at 12 o'clock and two miles, and that it had just become extreme. The pilot requested a deviation recommendation; the controller suggested a right turn to the west. The pilot acknowledged a 25-degree right turn. At 0403:55, the pilot said he would keep going right. At 0404:01, the controller approved. At 0405:08, the controller asked if the pilot was through the weather, but received no response. Multiple attempts to contact the pilot failed.
Witnesses near the accident site reported a severe thunderstorm with lightning, thunder, and heavy rain passing through at the time of the accident.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with multi-engine and single-engine land ratings. The certificate included a limitation: "Not valid for carriage of persons for hire in airplanes on cross-country flights of more than 50 nautical miles or at night." He was issued a second-class medical certificate on June 14, 2012, with a corrective lenses restriction. On his most recent medical application, he reported 5,300 total flight hours. According to operator records, his most recent flight review was on July 6, 2011, and his logbook indicated 9,103.6 total hours and 6,525.4 hours in multi-engine airplanes, with 718 actual instrument hours. He did not hold an instrument rating. The operator described him as an experienced pilot, typically flying for skydiving companies, and noted that he likely was not familiar with the installed weather avionics. This was his first flight in the accident airplane.
Aircraft Information
The Beech E90 (King Air), serial number LW-65, was a high-performance, low-wing, twin-engine airplane powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28 engines (680 hp each). It was equipped with four-bladed Hartzell propellers. Flight controls were installed for the left seat only. Maximum takeoff weight was 10,100 lbs. The airplane received its standard airworthiness certificate on August 20, 1973, and was maintained under a continuous airworthiness inspection program. Maintenance records showed Phase 1-4 inspections completed on June 30, 2012, with airframe total time of 15,081.2 hours. The left engine had 31,056 hours total; the right engine had 7,859 hours total. The airplane was equipped with a Bendix/King RDS-82 weather radar and a BFGoodrich WX-900 Stormscope.
Meteorological Conditions
Harrison County Airport (ASL), 10 miles southwest of the accident site, reported at 0355: wind calm, visibility 10 miles, broken ceiling at 8,000 feet, temperature 22°C, dew point 20°C, altimeter 30.01 inHg. At 0415, wind from 190° at 3 knots. Radar summary at 0415 showed 40-50 dBZ reflectivity over the accident site, indicating very strong to intense echoes. WSR-88D radar from Shreveport (23 miles southeast) showed VIP level 4-6 conditions (very strong to extreme) around the accident time. Lightning data indicated lightning near the accident site at least five minutes before the accident. A Weather and Radar Processor (WARP) plot showed the controller's display had moderate, heavy, and extreme precipitation along the flight path from 0358:55 onward. No SIGMETs, AIRMETs, or pilot reports were active for the area. There was no record of the pilot receiving a weather briefing.
Wreckage and Impact
Portions of the airplane were located around 1100 by the Civil Air Patrol and Texas Department of Public Safety. The fuselage came to rest in a wooded area. The wings, engines, horizontal stabilizers, and vertical stabilizer were separated from the fuselage and scattered within a 1-mile diameter. No evidence of in-flight or post-impact fire was found. Structural fractures exhibited overstress features without fatigue. The left wing fractured at two locations consistent with upward bending. The right wing separated at the fuselage intersection with upward bending. The vertical stabilizer separated at its attachment points. The horizontal stabilizers separated with evidence of down bending. The main cabin door was closed and latched. Landing gear were retracted. The left engine and propeller separated; the propeller was found with leading edge chordwise scoring, nicks, and gouges, and the spinner was crushed. The left engine fuel control unit was near the shutoff position; the right engine fuel control was at an undetermined position.