Accident Overview
At 1603 eastern standard time on January 4, 2015, a Raytheon Aircraft Company A36 single-engine airplane, registration N349EA, was substantially damaged after impacting terrain while maneuvering near Parker City, Indiana. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated by the pilot and registered to Black Gold Aviation, LLC, of Norris City, Illinois. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91.
Flight History
The flight originated from Carmi Municipal Airport (CUL) in Carmi, Illinois, around 1400 central standard time, destined for Delaware County Regional Airport (MIE) in Muncie, Indiana. Prior to departure, the pilot completed two practice instrument approaches at CUL and obtained a weather briefing. On the first departure, the autopilot would not engage, so the pilot returned to CUL. After checking the circuit breaker and fuse with no issues, the pilot cycled the avionics master switch, and the autopilot was determined to be functioning. The pilot then departed again at 1400.
At 1549, air traffic control (ATC) instructed the pilot to descend from 9,000 feet to 4,000 feet. While performing the descent checklist, the pilot switched fuel tanks, at which time the engine lost power. The pilot stated he was certain the engine restarted, resulting in him being "behind the airplane" in cockpit duties. ATC informed the pilot he was flying in circles and losing altitude. The pilot felt the airplane was in a spin and attempted to regain control. The airplane broke out of the cloud layer, and the pilot observed snow and poor visibility. He located a harvested cornfield and decided to land there. The pilot did not recall why he chose to execute the off-airport landing. During the landing, the airplane impacted terrain and trees.
A witness near the accident site observed the airplane at low altitude traveling at high speed in a northerly direction. The witness saw the airplane pitch nose up to almost vertical flight, then turn to a west-southwest heading before impacting the cornfield. The airplane bounced and then struck trees.
Pilot's Reflections
After the flight, the pilot noted several reasons he considered for not performing the flight: it was his first long flight after the annual inspection, and he did it in poor weather; he had limited flying time due to his work schedule and the airplane being in annual for two weeks; his personal minimums for approach ceilings were 1,000 feet, but the ceiling at MIE had dropped to 850-900 feet at the time of arrival; the autopilot had malfunctioned on the first departure, which had never happened before; and he felt he should not have switched the fuel tank selector, as he had not used that much fuel.
Weather Conditions
At 1553, the MIE automated surface observing system reported wind from 270 degrees at 16 knots, gusting to 25 knots; visibility 3/4 mile; decreasing snow and mist; sky broken at 1,200 feet and overcast at 1,800 feet; temperature 0°C; dew point -2°C; altimeter 30.02 inches of mercury.
Aircraft Examination
Examination by two Federal Aviation Administration inspectors and technical representatives from Textron Aviation and Continental Motors revealed the three propeller blades were twisted and bent aft. The forward fuselage was crushed upward and distorted. The flaps and landing gear appeared retracted. No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were noted that would have precluded normal operation.