History of Flight
On October 13, 2015, at 1134 mountain daylight time, a Beech G35 airplane, registration N394CW, collided with terrain near Eaton, Colorado. The commercial-rated pilot and a passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a personal flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Lyons-Rice County Municipal Airport (LYO), Lyons, Kansas, at 0918 central daylight time, destined for Greeley-Weld County Airport (GXY), Greeley, Colorado.
The LYO airport manager reported that the airplane had been purchased by a new owner on October 10, 2015, and was stored at LYO. On the accident morning, the owner arrived at LYO about 0800. The manager helped fuel the main tanks with 17.4 gallons of 100 low-lead fuel; the pilot was not present during fueling. The pilot and owner departed after 0900 for a meeting in Greeley.
Several witnesses reported hearing the engine sputter, as if running out of fuel. The airplane was observed flying north, then turned west and nosedived out of sight. The wreckage was found in a harvested corn field.
Radar data showed the airplane departed LYO at 0918 CDT, proceeded northwest, approached GXY from the southeast at about 1127 MDT, flew northbound at 400 ft agl, then climbed to 900 ft agl. About 8 miles north of GXY, at 1,100 ft agl, it entered a left turn and descended. The last radar point at 1134 MDT showed the airplane at 350 ft agl on a southwest heading. Main wreckage was 460 ft from that point on a heading of 215 degrees.
Two GXY airport employees heard an expletive on the UNICOM radio at about 1130 MDT; no other transmissions were noted.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 35, held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land, multi-engine land, single-engine sea, and instrument ratings, along with a flight instructor certificate for single-engine airplanes. He received a first-class FAA medical certificate on March 13, 2014, valid as third-class at the accident time. He reported 290.9 total flight hours with 50.8 hours in the previous six months. Logbook review showed 464 total hours, 131 hours in the accident make and model, and 24.3 hours in the last 30 days (1.5 in the accident airplane). The pilot's wife stated the flight was a business trip, not instructional.
The passenger and airplane owner, age 41, had applied for a student pilot certificate and third-class medical on March 6, 2013, but was not issued the certificate. A previous medical application from 2000 listed 5 total flight hours. The owner's wife stated he was not a pilot and had not started flight training. An LYO employee said the owner intended to take lessons with the accident pilot.
Aircraft Information
The Beech G35 Bonanza (serial number D-4863) was a four-place, low-wing, high-performance airplane with retractable landing gear, manufactured in 1956. It was equipped with a Continental Motors E225-8 engine and a two-bladed Hartzell constant-speed propeller.
Logbook review indicated an annual airframe inspection on May 7, 2015, at 5,091 hours total time, and a 100-hour inspection on engine and propeller at tachometer time 778.60 hours.
The airplane remained registered to the previous owner due to unprocessed paperwork.
The previous owner stated that on October 10, 2014, after the sale, the new owner and pilot flew the airplane to LYO with full main and auxiliary fuel tanks; wing tip tanks were empty. The airplane had dual control arms with a yoke on the left side only; the original throw-over yoke was disconnected but remained in the airplane.
Meteorological Information
The pilot requested a Lockheed Martin Flight Services online weather briefing at 1630 MDT on October 12, which contained standard forecasts valid through 2100 MDT October 12 or 0100 MDT October 13. No other weather information was obtained.
An NTSB meteorologist prepared a Weather Study Report. At 1115 MDT, GXY reported wind from 340° at 14 knots gusting 19, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 26°C, dew point -3°C, altimeter 30.21 inHg. At 1135 MDT, wind from 340° at 9 knots gusting 16, similar conditions.
Several pilot reports near the accident time described turbulence as extreme-severe to moderate. An AIRMET Tango issued at 0845 MDT forecast moderate turbulence below flight level 180. Surface wind at GXY was gusting 10-20 knots, with varying direction. A frontal boundary moved southwest across the area, a focus for low-level wind shear and turbulence.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was a harvested corn field about 8 miles north of GXY. The wreckage path included three impact points: first with red glass fragments, a crater with debris, and a third with green glass. The main wreckage came to rest upright about 45 ft from the crater, oriented 303 degrees.
The windscreen was broken. The nose keel with engine partially attached separated and inverted under the right wing. The right wing remained attached but distorted; the right wing tip separated. Left wing was impact damaged with outboard half separated. Left main landing gear collapsed; right gear extended. Rear fuselage buckled left. Empennage and flight controls not visibly damaged. Cabin door separated.
The dual flight control arm was impact separated; a single yoke found; a throw-over yoke with blue tape on mount was found in debris. Control cables continuity was established.
Fuel selector valve was positioned to right main tank. Fuel quantities: Right MAIN empty (20 gal), Right AUX 4-4.5 gal (10 gal), Right TIP empty (15 gal), Left MAIN 1 gal (tank breached, 20 gal), Left AUX empty and breached (10 gal), Left TIP empty and separated (15 gal). Note: AUX tanks should have equal fuel due to interconnected outputs.
The engine rotated manually with compression and suction; crankshaft undamaged; magnetos produced sparks. Spark plugs from No.1 cylinder were "worn out severe", others normal. Carburetor had a small amount of contamination, no fuel found. Engine-driven fuel pump separated and could not be rotated.
Propeller blade A remained attached but loose, with rearward bending; blade B separated with forward bending and a gouge. Postaccident examination found no preimpact mechanical malfunctions.
Additional Information
An iPad, iPhone, and GPS receiver were recovered. The iPhone had a ForeFlight route "KLYO KGXY" showing 322 nm, 2 hr 28 min en route, 24.7 gal fuel consumption. At the accident site, the iPhone displayed a route time of 2 hr 32 min, 25.9 gal fuel, airspeed 150 mph, fuel consumption 10 gph. The GPS receiver contained a flight log from September 17, 2015, not pertinent.
The fuel quantity indicator was a single gauge with a switch to select tanks. The previous owner advised the pilot to set engine at 2,350 rpm and 23.5 inHg MP for about 12 gph consumption, and to switch tanks at specific intervals to keep fuel even. A previous flight on October 10, 2015, consumed 17.4 gallons in 1.5 hours (11.6 gph).
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies on the pilot and passenger on October 14, 2015, listed cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, manner accident. FAA toxicology tests were negative for tested drugs.