History of Flight
On November 30, 2014, about 0857 central standard time, a Bellanca model 17-30A single-engine airplane (N6629V) was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during the landing approach to runway 36 at Jesse Viertel Memorial Airport (VER) in Boonville, Missouri. The commercial pilot was fatally injured and three passengers sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Day marginal visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that departed Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS) in Chesterfield, Missouri, at about 0740, originally destined for Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (MKC) in Kansas City, Missouri.
The day before, the pilot had flown from MKC to SUS. After landing around 1207, the pilot informed a fixed-base operator (FBO) line technician that the battery was depleted due to an unspecified charging system malfunction. The pilot removed the battery for charging. Later, around 1800, he reinstalled the recharged battery and ran the engine for 5–7 minutes. He then removed the cowling and adjusted a subcomponent of the alternator control unit (ACU). Following another 10-minute engine test run, the pilot noted that the ammeter still showed a slight discharge and expressed discomfort with departing at night. He and his passengers stayed overnight in the pilot's lounge. The airplane was towed to the self-serve fuel pump to avoid further battery drain.
The pilot prepaid for 20 gallons of fuel. The line technician observed the pilot nearly filled the right inboard tank with 13 gallons before switching to the left inboard tank. The left inboard tank contained less fuel than expected; the pilot added the remaining 7 gallons, bringing the level to about 2 inches from the top. The pilot did not purchase additional fuel and stated that both outboard auxiliary tanks were nearly full. The airplane was towed back to the ramp.
According to air traffic control (ATC) data, the accident flight departed runway 26L at 0740:50 initially transmitting a VFR beacon code (1200). At 0751:03, the code stopped and the airplane became a primary-only radar target, consistent with the transponder being turned off. The flight proceeded west-northwest. At 0836:21, the airplane descended below radar coverage. At 0855:30, a VFR beacon return reappeared about 2.3 miles north of VER at 1,500 feet msl. The airplane entered a left downwind for runway 36 at 1,200 feet msl. The last radar return at 0856:49 was about 0.9 mile southwest of the runway threshold at 1,100 feet msl (about 400 feet above ground).
One surviving passenger reported that en route at 2,000–3,000 feet msl, the airplane encountered a line of dense clouds near Sedalia, Missouri. The pilot attempted to fly beneath the clouds at about 1,500 feet msl before reversing course toward a nearby airport. The pilot used an Apple iPad Mini for navigation. Approaching VER from the west, a left base-to-final turn was made for runway 36. The landing gear extended normally, but when power was reduced, the engine lost power. Brief restoration occurred with throttle advance, then total power loss. The pilot made rapid throttle and mixture changes with no effect. As the pilot prepared for a forced landing, the airplane experienced an aerodynamic stall about 250 feet above ground.
Personnel Information
The 63-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with single and multiengine land and sea ratings, and an instrument rating. He also held a flight instructor certificate. His last aviation medical examination on April 11, 2014, issued a third-class medical certificate with corrective lenses limitation. No previous accidents or enforcement proceedings were on record. A flight review was completed on November 12, 2014. According to his logbook and spreadsheet, he had accumulated 3,036 hours total flight time, with 2,955 hours as pilot-in-command, 2,428 hours in single-engine airplanes, and 608 hours in multi-engine airplanes. He had logged 43 hours in actual instrument conditions, 175 hours simulated, and 233 hours at night. In the previous 6 months, he flew 19 hours; in the prior 90 days, 10 hours; and in the month before the accident, 3 hours.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a 1970 Bellanca model 17-30A Super Viking, serial number 30312. It was a single-engine, low-wing monoplane with an all-wood wing and fabric-covered steel-tube fuselage, powered by a 300-horsepower Continental Motors IO-520-K engine. The airplane had a retractable tricycle landing gear and a maximum gross weight of 3,325 pounds. The pilot purchased the airplane on July 5, 2014. The recording tachometer indicated 621.4 hours at the accident site; total airframe time was 2,858.7 hours. The engine had 1,429.7 hours since major overhaul on December 10, 1976, and 206.1 hours since top overhaul on December 8, 2007. The last annual inspection was on November 1, 2014, at 2,853.5 airframe hours, and the airplane had flown 5.2 hours since. No unresolved airworthiness issues were found.
Meteorological Information
The National Weather Service Surface Analysis Chart for 0900 CST showed a strong cold front east of the accident site with low stratiform clouds behind it. Surface visibility restrictions in fog and mist were reported at nearby stations. Satellite imagery depicted a band of low stratiform clouds over the accident site westward through the Kansas City area. At 0855, VER reported wind 310° at 13 knots gusting 16 knots, broken ceilings at 2,600 ft and 3,400 ft agl, overcast at 4,100 ft agl, 10 miles visibility, temperature 11°C, dew point 7°C, altimeter 29.82 inHg. At DMO near Sedalia, conditions included broken ceilings at 1,700 ft and 2,400 ft agl, overcast at 3,000 ft agl. At MKC, IFR conditions prevailed: 800 ft ceiling and 4 miles visibility with mist. The pilot did not obtain a formal weather briefing.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted a harvested soybean field on a 305° magnetic heading. Three parallel depressions matched the landing gear spacing. The main wreckage was upright about 24 ft from initial impact, located about 0.4 miles south of the runway 36 threshold. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Wing flaps were about half deflection. The landing gear selector was down, but all three gear assemblies collapsed. The main fuel selector was off; a first responder had moved it from AUX to OFF during rescue. The auxiliary fuel selector was in the RIGHT position. The master switch was on, transponder on/altitude encoding, electric fuel pump off. Functional tests of the electric fuel pump and stall warning system revealed no anomalies. No evidence of mechanical malfunction or failure was found.
Fuel tank examination: left main contained about 5 gallons, right main 3.5 pints, left auxiliary near its 17-gallon capacity, right auxiliary about 11 gallons. No fuel in the supply line to the engine-driven fuel pump; the gascolator drain had fractured. Trace fuel was found in the fuel pump outflow line. No fuel in the line to the fuel manifold valve. The engine remained partially attached. Mechanical continuity was confirmed; compression and suction were noted on all cylinders. Both magnetos produced spark. The propeller separated from the engine; blades showed minor damage consistent with impact. No mechanical malfunction or failure was found that would have precluded normal engine operation.
Additional Information
The accident flight duration was at least 1 hour 17 minutes. According to the owner's manual, expected fuel consumption at 2,500 ft and 77% power was 16.1 gallons per hour, so at least 20.7 gallons would have been used; higher power or insufficient leaning would consume more.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy attributed the pilot's cause of death to multiple blunt-force injuries. Toxicology tests were negative for carbon monoxide, ethanol, and all drugs and medications.
Tests and Research
Four personal electronic devices were recovered. The pilot's iPad Mini had the ForeFlight application showing route information from SUS to MKC (186 nm, course 281° magnetic, estimated time 1 hour 10 minutes at 160 knots true airspeed, fuel consumption 17.4 gallons). No track history was recorded for the accident flight. A passenger's Samsung Galaxy S III had four photos taken between 0826:47 and 0831:51 showing increasing cloud cover from clear to overcast stratocumulus. The other two devices (Motorola Droid and Apple iPod Touch) contained no pertinent data.