History of Flight
On December 11, 2015, at about 1422 eastern standard time, the airplane departed from runway 23 at Nemacolin Airport (PA88). Witnesses observed the landing gear retract and then extend, and the airplane entered a left turn consistent with a downwind leg. It descended and was lost from sight before impact. An onboard GPS recorded the flight, showing a climb to 2,457 ft, then a descent and left turn. The last data point was at 1422:22. Personnel discovered the wreckage engulfed in flames; one passenger had egressed and was later transported to a burn center where he died two days later.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land and instrument airplane ratings, and a commercial certificate for helicopter and instrument helicopter. He had about 3,261 total flight hours, with 2,663 hours in the accident airplane make and model.
Aircraft Information
The Beech A36 was manufactured in 1984. Its most recent annual inspection was on November 11, 2015, at which time the airframe had about 4,448.5 hours and the engine about 1,158.8 hours since major overhaul.
Meteorological Information
At 1435, conditions at Garrett County Airport, 17 nautical miles southeast, included wind from 250° at 11 knots gusting to 19 knots, 10 miles visibility, broken clouds at 1,300 ft, temperature 11°C, dew point 8°C, altimeter 29.95 inHg.
Airport Information
PA88 was a privately owned, private-use airport east of Farmington, elevation 2,010 ft. Runway 5/23 was 3,980 ft long and 49 ft wide, with a displaced threshold of 935 ft on runway 23 due to trees. Medium intensity runway edge lights were installed; the precision approach path indicator was disabled.
Flight Recorders
A handheld Garmin GPSMAP 39x/49x series GPS survived thermal damage and data was extracted.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest in a wooded area near a golf course. It struck trees in a left-wing-down, nose-low attitude. The main cabin traveled 152 ft, came to rest facing opposite direction; aft fuselage and empennage inverted. Engine, left wing, right flap, right main gear, and cowlings separated. Landing gear was down. No preimpact structural failure was found. Flight controls exhibited overstress breaks. Fuel selector was on left main tank. Propeller and engine showed no preimpact failure. Door latching mechanisms were examined; the forward cabin door's upper latch hook was not fully extended, the handle not fully locked, and the lower aft latch pin missing. The door had not been modified per Beechcraft Mandatory Service Bulletin No. 2457, which added an overcenter mechanism to prevent in-flight opening. The pilot's spouse reported the door light had illuminated and the door was hard to latch.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsy attributed death to multiple blunt force injuries. The pilot had minimal coronary artery disease. Toxicology identified amphetamine at 0.347 µg/ml in blood and 1.828 µg/ml in urine, and phenylpropanolamine in urine. Amphetamine is a Schedule-II controlled substance; levels above 0.2 µg/ml are consistent with misuse. The report describes effects of amphetamine misuse.