History of Flight
On April 5, 2014, about 1830 eastern daylight time, a Bellanca 17-30A airplane, registration N8259R, impacted trees and terrain while on approach to runway 7 at the Ohio University Airport-Snyder Field (UNI), near Albany, Ohio. The airline transport rated pilot was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial wing and fuselage damage. The flight was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual flight rules (VFR) conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI), near Blountville, Tennessee, about 1715, destined for UNI.
The pilot was returning the airplane to its base after a cross-country flight. Fueling receipts and witnesses at TRI indicated that about 1500, the airplane was serviced with 36 gallons of aviation gasoline (avgas), complying with the pilot's request to "top all tanks." A witness observed the fuel service and saw the pilot recheck the filler neck caps.
Flight service had no record of a weather briefing or flight plan for N8259R. The pilot used VFR flight following from air traffic control (ATC). About 12 miles from UNI, the pilot reported UNI in sight to the Huntington, West Virginia, approach controller, who then terminated flight following and advised switching to the UNI advisory frequency.
A witness living across and south of US Highway 50 by the Diamond Stone Quarries heard and saw the airplane. She described the left wing low and right wing high, and said the airplane hit a neighbor's tree at the end of her driveway. The engine sounded "normal" with constant pitch. She reported the airplane flying up and down sideways and contacted 9-1-1.
Other witnesses traveling on US Highway 50 near the quarries reported the airplane heading toward the airport in sunny weather with "some clouds." They saw the airplane "nose dive" onto quarry property at low altitude; the back of the airplane hit a tree before impacting the ground. One witness noted the left side contacted the ground, and another heard a "buzzing" noise after the crash.
Personnel Information
The pilot held an FAA airline transport pilot certificate with multi-engine land rating and commercial privileges for single-engine land airplanes. His most recent medical certificate was a third-class special issuance, dated October 28, 2013, with limitations for corrective lenses and a reported history of diabetes requiring oral medication. He reported 25,075 total flight hours and 20 hours in the preceding six months. A flight review was completed on June 11, 2013.
Aircraft Information
N8259R was a 1972 Bellanca 17-30A, serial number 30475, a single-engine, low-wing monoplane with all-wood wing construction and fabric-covered steel-tube fuselage. It had retractable landing gear and a three-bladed constant-speed propeller. The FAA issued a Standard Airworthiness Certificate on August 25, 1972.
The last annual inspection was completed on October 1, 2013, at which time the airframe had 3,867.69 hours. The engine was a Continental IO-520-DCK, rated at 300 hp for takeoff and 285 hp for maximum continuous, serial number 158316-6-D. It had 3,746.54 total hours and 676.18 hours since overhaul. The propeller was a Hartzell HC-C3YF-1RF, serial EC75, with unknown total time and 688.94 hours since overhaul.
Meteorological Information
At 1835, UNI reported wind from 340 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet, temperature 9°C, dew point -3°C, altimeter 30.15 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The main wreckage came to rest inverted next to a tree line north of US Highway 50, about 1,970 feet northwest of the start of runway 7's prepared surface and 2,300 feet northwest of its displaced threshold. Trees showed broken branches along a 300-foot path with debris including red glass fragments, left outboard wing tip, paint chips, wood fragments, and clear plastic. A ground scar paralleled the highway; a depression with displaced tree roots and trunks was observed east of the scar. The propeller was mostly below the surface, with one blade tip exposed; charred tree trunks were present. The three propeller blades remained attached to the hub; the crankshaft flange had separated. The distance from the ground scar start to the propeller was about 35 feet at 080 degrees. The inverted main wreckage was about 20 feet east of the depression. The engine was displaced rearward onto the firewall, which was deformed into the cabin. The left outboard fuel tank separated from the wing. Fuel odor was present, and fuel leaked from filler neck covers. The emergency locator transmitter switch was off.
Examination of the witness's driveway tree revealed broken branches with dark separations not consistent with recent breaks; no airplane debris was found there. First responders reported debris on quarry property north of Highway 50.
The wreckage was moved to a hangar. Flight control continuity was established from empennage to cockpit; aileron cables moved when the yoke tube was rotated. No preimpact anomalies were found. Engine control cables traced without issues. Fuel selectors were in detents; avgas exited the fuel hose when air pressure was applied. The electric fuel pump pumped avgas. The tachometer read 3,891.10; altimeter Kollsman window indicated 30.14 inHg.
Propeller disassembly revealed no preimpact anomalies. The engine was examined and test-run; it ran up to full throttle and accelerated without hesitation. Cylinders, ignition, and fuel system showed no preimpact anomalies. No water was detected in fuel samples.
Additional Information
A family member provided a 72-hour history. The pilot slept by 2300 on April 3, caught a bus to Sun 'n Fun on April 4, stayed up until 0030 for flight planning, departed Sun 'n Fun at 1005, landed at Dublin, Georgia, at 1210 for fuel and a break, had diet coke and crackers, departed for TRI at 1350, arrived at 1520, had coffee and crackers, and visited family.
During the trip, the family member noted the engine seemed harder to start, requiring the boost pump to be left running at Dublin. In cruise, leaning below 14 gallons per hour caused a distinct vibration. At TRI, fuel leaked from under the cowling after engine start but stopped; the engine ran normally through runup.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Athens County Coroner's Office listed the cause of death as multiple trauma injuries. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute toxicology report showed glucose detected in urine (12 mg/dL) and hemoglobin A1C detected in blood (6.1%).
Tests and Research
A Garmin GPS 295 found in the wreckage contained no data from the accident flight. The engine was test-run at the manufacturer's facility; no preimpact anomalies were detected.