History of Flight
On September 12, 2012, at about 1455 central daylight time, a Piper PA-23-250 airplane, N4842P, impacted terrain following an in-flight breakup near Bullard, Texas. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to X Aviation LLC, Houston, Texas, and operated by a private individual under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated from David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (KDWH), Houston, Texas, about 1355, and was en route to Tyler Pounds Regional Airport (KTYR), Tyler, Texas.
Eyewitnesses reported that the airplane approached Lake Palestine near Bullard while flying several thousand feet above the ground. The airplane made several turns, pitched nose up, climbed, then rolled to the right and headed nose-first toward the ground. Witnesses observed components floating down after the airplane and heard loud engine noises throughout the event.
Pilot Information
The pilot, age 51, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. He had previously been issued a flight instructor certificate for airplane single engine, which expired on August 31, 1983. On April 5, 2012, the pilot was issued a first-class special authorization medical certificate due to hyperthyroidism. According to his logbook, he had accumulated 937.7 total hours, 39.4 hours of multi-engine time, and 24.4 hours in the accident airplane make and model. He obtained his multi-engine land rating on April 28, 2012.
Aircraft Information
The twin-engine, low-wing, six-seat, retractable landing gear airplane was manufactured in 1961 with serial number 27-413. It was powered by two 250-horsepower Lycoming O-540-A1D5 engines driving metal, two-blade, constant-speed Hartzell HC-A2VK-2 propellers. The last annual inspection was conducted on August 31, 2012, at a total airframe time of 6,076.35 hours. The left engine's starter cable was replaced on the day of the accident. No record of other recent maintenance was noted.
Meteorological Information
At 1453, the automated weather reporting facility at KTYR reported wind from 130 degrees at 11 knots, 10 miles visibility, few clouds at 5,000 feet, temperature 90°F, dew point 64°F, and barometric pressure 30.03 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was located on a road near a wooded residential area. Damage to trees was consistent with a steep descent angle. Airplane components were scattered up to one-half mile away. The largest concentration was within a 40-yard radius of the main wreckage, with wing components north and east. Two ground impact craters were found: one for the left engine and one for the fuselage. The main wreckage included the fuselage, empennage, rudder, elevators, both engines, and portions of both wings. Fuel odor was detected.
The left wing was fragmented outboard of the left engine; left flap and a portion of the left aileron were found at the site. The left wing tip was found near a lake shore 175 yards north, and the inboard aileron portion about 500 yards north. The right wing was fragmented outboard of the right engine; right flap and aileron were found 40 yards east. A large right wing section was recovered from a lake 175 yards north, and the right wing tip 380 yards east. Both engines remained attached to wing mounts; the left engine was fractured in multiple places, and its propeller fractured at the first crankshaft web. One blade had leading edge polishing, deep nicks, gouges, and chordwise scratches; the opposite blade had similar damage. The right engine's crankcase was fractured; the propeller hub remained attached, but one blade had fractured from the hub. Both blades displayed curling, leading edge nicks, gouges, and chordwise scratches.
Flight control continuity was established from the controls to the rudder, elevators, and aileron bellcranks. The cockpit section was fragmented, torn, and displaced. The left engine tachometer showed 1,650 rpm (Hobbs 315.4 hours), and the right engine tachometer showed 1,450 rpm (Hobbs 313.8 hours). Most other cockpit instruments were unreadable or destroyed.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Smith County, Texas, determined the cause of death as blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was ruled an accident. Forensic toxicology by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory was negative for ethanol and drugs.
Tests and Research
A layout of the airplane's wings and fuselage showed near-symmetric damage and deformation, with signatures that both wings failed in overload under positive wing loading. Examination of the empennage revealed no signatures of over-travel or flutter.