History of Flight
On November 17, 2013, at approximately 0555 eastern standard time, a Focke-Wulf FWP 149D, registration N132FW, was destroyed while on approach to Duplin County Airport (DPL) in Kenansville, North Carolina. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
The airplane had departed Albert J. Ellis Airport (OAJ) in Jacksonville, North Carolina, at 0543, which is located 20.9 nautical miles southeast of DPL. According to the pilot's wife, he planned to fly to Michigan to attend a funeral. The night before, he mentioned that he would stop at Henderson Field Airport (ACZ) in Wallace, North Carolina, for fuel and then again at a midpoint before continuing. He noted a cold front moving in and that he was monitoring it. When attempts to contact him failed the next day, his wife notified local authorities and the Federal Aviation Administration. An Alert Notice was issued, and the wreckage was located by ground crews on the evening of November 18 at 2213.
A lineman at OAJ reported seeing an airplane taxiing on the ramp that morning, observing its beacon and silhouette but unable to read the registration. He heard it take off heading west, and recalled that the weather was very foggy.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 37, held a commercial pilot certificate with an instrument airplane rating issued January 7, 2011, and a second-class airman medical certificate issued February 13, 2009, with no limitations. His logbook showed 656 hours of pilot-in-command time and a total of 695 hours in the make and model. He had completed 23 flight hours in the 30 days prior to the accident, including 62.8 hours of actual instrument time and 50.8 hours of simulated instrument (hood) time.
Aircraft Information
The three-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane, serial number 132, was manufactured in 1960. It was powered by a Lycoming Flugmotor GO-480-BIA6 engine (serial L4506) producing 264 horsepower, equipped with an MT propeller (D94315). Maintenance records showed a conditional inspection completed on February 19, 2013, at an airframe total time of 4,308.3 hours and a total time of 5,160.6 hours. The airplane was equipped with the instruments and equipment required for instrument flight under CFR Part 91.205. A lineman at OAJ assisted the pilot in servicing the nose strut two days before the accident; no other maintenance was reported.
Meteorological Information
There was no record that the pilot obtained an official preflight weather briefing. Recorded weather at OAJ (elevation 93 feet) at 0555 reported winds calm, overcast ceiling at 200 feet above ground level (agl), visibility 1/2 mile, temperature 54°C, dew point 52°C, altimeter 30.16 inches of mercury. All observations between 0335 and 0955 reported overcast ceilings at 200 feet agl. At DPL (elevation 137 feet), conditions at 0555 were winds calm, overcast ceiling at 100 feet agl, visibility 1/2 mile in fog, temperature 54°C, dew point 54°C, altimeter 30.17 inches of mercury.
Communications and Radar
Radar data from New River Marine Corps Air Station (NCA) showed a primary target 1 mile north of OAJ tracking northwest toward DPL between 0525 and 0555. The target first appeared at 0543:52, no secondary target was observed. Radar was lost at 0546:27, reappeared at 0546:45, and was lost again at 0547:57 about 8 miles northwest of OAJ (20 miles northwest of NCA); it did not reappear. The airplane was not transmitting a Mode C signal.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage was found in a wooded area 1/2 mile from the approach end of runway 23 at DPL. All major components were present. The airplane rested nose-down at the base of a tree, with a debris path about 100 yards long on a magnetic heading of 230 degrees. The propeller and engine were buried about 4 feet in a crater.
The cockpit was crushed aft, and the instrument panel was crushed. Flight controls were in their respective positions, but the canopy was separated. Instruments were impact-damaged; both navigational indicators were captured at a heading of 230 degrees. Control continuity was confirmed from the stick to the flight control surfaces. The fuel selector was in the right tank position. The nose gear was broken off the strut.
The empennage sustained damage: vertical and horizontal stabilizers were attached but impact-damaged, with accordion crushing on leading edges. The left wing separated at the root, was fragmented, and exhibited accordion crushing. The left aileron, flap, main landing gear, and fuel tank were separated. The fuel cap was locked. The right wing remained attached but was accordion-crushed along the leading edge; the wing tip separated. The right main landing gear was down and locked; the landing gear position switch was in the down position. The right fuel tank held about 5 gallons of fuel and was breached.
The propeller remained attached; blades showed twisting, curling, and bending. Engine examination revealed continuity, compression, and suction from all cylinders. Spark plugs had dark gray color; some were oily. No anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation. The pressure carburetor was fractured, and the fuel pump functioned when tested.