History of Flight
On May 29, 2015, at about 2115 central standard time, a Beechcraft A-36 airplane, registration N221D, impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Hale County Airport (PVW) in Plainview, Texas. The pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was conducted as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site. An instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed. The flight departed PVW destined for Boerne Stage Field Airport in Boerne, Texas.
A handheld GPS recovered from the accident site showed that the flight departed runway 22 at about 2119, banked left, and reached approximately 80 ft above ground level at a groundspeed of 86 knots before the recording stopped less than 1 minute later. Several witnesses reported seeing the airplane take off to the southwest, execute a sharp left turn, and then descend straight down. One witness stated they could not believe anyone would take off in the approaching storm. Another witness reported hearing the engine at full throttle and then seeing the airplane traveling very fast toward the ground.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and instrument ratings. No pilot logbooks were available for review. The pilot's most recent Federal Aviation Administration second-class medical certificate was issued on October 13, 2014, with no limitations. On his medical certificate application, the pilot reported approximately 950 total hours of flight time.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA records, the six-seat airplane, serial number E927, received its original airworthiness certificate on September 30, 1976, and was registered to the pilot on April 13, 2011. The last annual inspection was completed on December 3, 2014, at a recorded tachometer time of 6,705.4 hours.
The engine, originally a Continental Motors IO-520-BB, was converted to an IO-550-B-RA engine, serial number 578094, by RAM Aircraft under Supplemental Type Certificate SE10746SC-D when it was overhauled on August 11, 2011, at an engine total time of 2,471.7 hours. The last logbook entry, dated February 18, 2015, indicated 621 hours since the overhaul and conversion.
Maintenance records showed the airplane was retrofitted with an Aspen Avionics EFD1000, which replaced all primary flight instruments, and a Garmin 430W, combining GPS, navigation, and communication information. Paint damage was noted in September 2014 after the airplane was flown into inclement weather. The pilot's report stated he "flew into a building storm not visible or on XM weather."
Meteorological Information
At 2058, the pilot filed an IFR flight plan and obtained weather information from ForeFlight, including conditions at the destination, TAF, METARs, SIGMETs, AIRMETs, and other data. The closest official weather station was at Hale County Airport (PVW), located 1 mile from the accident site at an elevation of 3,374 ft.
At 2055, the PVW AWOS reported wind from 100° at 4 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies below 12,000 ft, temperature 21°C, dew point 17°C, altimeter 30.05 inHg, and remarks of lightning distant west. At 2115, the AWOS reported calm wind, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 21°C, dew point 16°C, altimeter 30.09 inHg, and lightning distant west and northwest. At 2135, wind shifted to 300° at 26 knots gusting to 36 knots, visibility 10 miles, light rain, scattered clouds at 4,500 ft and 6,000 ft, broken ceiling at 6,500 ft, temperature 16°C, dew point 11°C, altimeter 30.17 inHg, and lightning distant southwest through northwest. Visual flight rules ceilings existed at the surface at the accident time. Sunset was at 2051, and civil twilight ended at 2119. The approaching storm was visible to witnesses.
The TAF valid at the accident time, issued at 1820, forecast wind from 060° at 10 knots, visibility greater than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 ft, and a broken ceiling at 25,000 ft. Temporary conditions between 2100 and 0100 included variable wind at 25 knots gusting to 45 knots, 2 miles visibility, thunderstorms and heavy rain, and a broken ceiling of cumulonimbus clouds at 3,000 ft.
The Lubbock WSR-88D radar at 2115 showed a squall line with lightning north and west of the accident site. A gust front, depicted by a red line, was moving eastward over the accident site at the accident time. A severe thunderstorm warning including the accident site was issued at 2046, and another at 2113. A severe thunderstorm watch was valid through 2300. The warnings reported 60 mph wind gusts and hail.
FAA Advisory Circular AC 00-24C describes thunderstorm hazards, noting that a gust front causes a sudden wind shift and increase in wind speed along with potential moderate-to-severe turbulence up to 1,000 ft and occasionally to 3,000 ft agl. Gust fronts can extend up to 15 miles from the main precipitation core.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The main wreckage came to rest in a flat grass field about 1,100 ft southeast of runway 04/22, on a magnetic heading of 130° at an elevation of 3,609 ft. A postimpact fire ensued.
The airplane impacted terrain in about a 20° nose-down attitude. Ground scars were consistent with a near-vertical impact and with the landing gear being extended at initial impact, though fire damage precluded determination of landing gear actuator position. A propeller blade fractured at impact and separated from the crankshaft; the hub separated from the propeller flange. The remainder of the airframe continued on a southeasterly heading, impacting the ground about 100 ft from the initial impact point.
The main cabin door separated and came to rest left of the main wreckage, about 162 ft away. The separated nose landing gear was near the initial impact point, 152 ft from the main wreckage. The left main landing gear was left of the debris path, 74 ft from the main wreckage, and the right main landing gear was right of the debris path, 90 ft from the main wreckage. The postimpact fire consumed major portions of the fuselage, empennage, and wings. Flap actuator housings were consumed, precluding measurement.
The engine crankcase remained intact but sustained extensive thermal damage. Crankshaft rotation established continuity with the camshaft and connecting rods. All six cylinders were borescoped with no anomalies, produced compression, and rocker arms and valves operated normally. Both magnetos produced spark on all posts during impulse coupling. The ignition harness produced spark on upper spark plugs for cylinders 1, 3, and 5; other leads could not produce spark due to thermal damage. Spark plugs displayed normal operating and wear signatures. Fuel and oil system components showed thermal damage. No evidence of mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation was found. The separated propeller displayed leading-edge polishing, chordwise scratches, leading-edge gouging, and twisting deformation consistent with being under power at impact.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy of the pilot attributed the cause of death to blunt force injuries of the head, neck, torso, and extremities. Toxicology testing performed by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory was negative for all substances tested.