Accident Details
On December 18, 2013, at about 0720 central standard time, a Raytheon Aircraft Company model G36, registration N89SN, impacted trees and terrain during a forced landing attempt near Panama City, Florida. The airline transport pilot sustained fatal injuries and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Grey Aviation, Inc. as a business flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated under an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight departed from North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport (F45), West Palm Beach, Florida, at about 0554 eastern standard time and was destined for Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida (DTS).
Approximately 60 miles from the destination, the pilot reported to Tyndall air traffic control (ATC) that he had lost all engine power. The controller provided information on nearby airports, and the pilot maneuvered the airplane toward Sandy Creek Airpark (75FL), a fly-in community. The pilot reported the airport in sight, after which radio and radar contact were lost. The wreckage was located in a heavily wooded swamp about one mile east of 75FL. No witnesses to the accident were identified.
Pilot Information
The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and multi-engine land. He reported a total flight experience of 5,000 hours, including 50 hours in the preceding six months, on his most recent medical certificate application dated March 20, 2013. The medical certificate included a restriction to wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. According to the airplane's owner, the accident pilot was the sole pilot since the aircraft was purchased on August 28, 2013. The aircraft flight logbook indicated about 53.5 hours of flying time had accumulated since purchase.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a 2006 Raytheon Aircraft Company model G36 powered by a Continental IO-550B engine rated at 300 horsepower at 2,700 rpm, equipped with a Hartzell three-bladed constant-speed propeller. The Hobbs time recorded at the accident site was 734.2 hours. The last annual inspection on the airframe and engine occurred on August 22, 2013, at an airframe total time of 683.0 hours Hobbs time. The last recorded maintenance included Garmin G1000 upgrades on October 3, 2013, at Hobbs time 722.8 hours. No recorded flight or engine data was obtained from the G1000 system because the required Secure Digital (SD) card was not installed.
Meteorological Information
The 0658 CST surface weather observation from Tyndall Air Force Base (PAM), located about 5 miles southwest of the accident site, reported sky clear, wind from 020 degrees at 9 knots, visibility 10 statute miles or greater, and an altimeter setting of 30.32 inches of mercury.
Medical and Toxicological Findings
A postmortem examination of the pilot was performed by the District 14 Medical Examiner in Panama City, Florida, on December 20, 2013. The autopsy report listed the cause of death as "Blunt Force Head Trauma" and the manner as "Accident." Forensic toxicology testing conducted by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory indicated no carbon monoxide in the blood, no ethanol detected in the vitreous, and cyanide testing was not performed. Dextromethorphan was detected in the blood but not in the urine, and ibuprophen was detected in the urine.
Survival Aspects
First responders noted that the pilot's lap belt remained attached and he was seated in the left cockpit seat; however, he was slumped forward and to his right. The pilot's shoulder harness was not attached and was undamaged.
Engine Examination and Test Run
The engine was examined at Continental Motors in Mobile, Alabama, on April 8 and 9, 2014. Due to minimal impact damage, a test run was attempted without disassembly. The oil cooler was replaced due to impact damage, dried mud was removed from the intake system, and the engine contained about 11 quarts of oil. Spark plugs were cleaned of rust from prolonged storage and operated normally on a test bench. Installed in a test cell, the engine started on the first attempt and ran smoothly across all throttle settings, from idle to full throttle (2,648 RPM observed), with all parameters within normal operating range. Magneto checks were normal.
Fueling History
According to a flight logbook recovered from the wreckage, the airplane was parked at Tampa International Airport (TPA) from November 17–22, 2013. On November 22, 18.2 gallons of 100LL aviation gasoline were purchased at a fixed base operator at TPA. This was the last known fuel purchase for N89SN. The airplane arrived at F45 on November 22 after a direct flight from TPA and remained there until the accident flight on December 18. Personnel at F45 reported no fuel was purchased for the airplane between November 22 and December 18. The Hobbs meter showed the airplane departed TPA at 729.9 hours and the accident site recorded 734.2 hours, indicating 4.3 hours elapsed since the last fueling. The amount of fuel on board after the last refueling could not be determined.
ATC Communications
A transcript of communications provided by Tyndall ATC recorded the pilot stating at 0715:36, "We're losing uh oil here for some reason." However, audio examination by the NTSB Vehicle Recorders lab determined the term "oil" was unintelligible.