History of Flight
On May 3, 2016, at 1542 eastern daylight time, a Beech V35B airplane, N440H, experienced an in-flight breakup near Syosset, New York. The airline transport pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the planned flight to Robertson Field (4B8), Plainville, Connecticut. The flight originated from Grand Strand Airport, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, about 1240. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) existed near the accident site at the time.
According to air traffic control (ATC) transcripts, about 1522 the pilot reported level at 7,000 ft. Shortly after, he stated that the vacuum system had failed, resulting in loss of the associated gyroscopic instruments and part of the instrument panel. He requested the easiest approach to descend to the destination. The pilot reported operating in visual flight rules (VFR) on top of clouds and wished to continue VFR at 7,000 ft, declining to descend into clouds. The controller asked if he wanted to declare an emergency, and the pilot confirmed, indicating the weather was better at the destination. At 1529, the pilot requested weather for the Hartford-Bradley area and was advised of an overcast ceiling of 1,600 ft. He then requested radar vectors for the GPS approach to 4B8. The pilot reported entering IMC at an unspecified time. At 1538, he reported losing a "little bit" of control. The controller instructed a left turn to 060°. At 1539, the pilot reported more instruments had failed and that he was turning to 060° and trying to return to 7,000 ft. At 1541, the controller offered Republic Airport (FRG) as an alternate, but no further communications were received. Radar data showed the airplane made several course and altitude deviations over Long Island until data ended.
Personnel Information
The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane multiengine land rating and a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on September 3, 2014, at which time he reported 4,000 total flight hours. The pilot's logbook was not recovered.
Aircraft Information
The six-seat, low-wing, retractable tricycle-gear airplane was manufactured in 1973. It was powered by a 285-horsepower Continental IO-520 engine and equipped with a three-bladed, constant-speed McCauley propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed on February 3, 2016, at 6,166 total airframe hours and 520 engine hours. The airplane had flown about 20 hours since that inspection. The vacuum pump was installed on February 10, 2000, at a tachometer time of 5,813 hours, which was 373 hours of operation before the accident. The manufacturer's Service Letter (SL) 58A specified a mandatory replacement time of 500 aircraft hours or 6 years from manufacture for the vacuum pump, but compliance was mandatory only for Part 135 operations, not Part 91. The accident vacuum pump was manufactured in May 1999, making it 17 years old. The airplane was not equipped with a backup or standby vacuum pump.
Meteorological Information
Republic Airport (FRG), located about 8 miles southeast of the accident site, reported at 1553: wind from 040° at 5 knots, visibility 4 miles in mist, broken ceiling at 800 ft, overcast ceiling at 1,200 ft, temperature 11°C, dew point 9°C, and altimeter setting 29.81 inches of mercury. The pilot had received a standard weather briefing earlier that day, which included current conditions and a forecast of overcast ceilings with bases between 1,000 and 2,000 ft and multiple cloud layers with tops above 18,000 ft.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage impacted a populated area comprising residences, fields, and wooded terrain. A debris path extended about 0.4 mile on a magnetic heading of about 010°. The outboard section of the right ruddervator, remaining right ruddervator, and sections of the interior overhead panel were found at the beginning of the debris path. The fuselage, outboard section of the left wing, left ruddervator, and right wing were located about 400 ft farther. The inboard left wing was found another 400 ft farther, and the engine and instrument panel were at the end of the debris path. The outboard left wing had separated near the aileron/flap junction and exhibited paint transfer marks consistent with contact by the right ruddervator. The left aileron had separated and fractured into two sections. The left inboard wing remained attached to the carry-through spar with upward deformation of the spar caps. The right wing had separated near the root, with about 8 gallons of fuel remaining. The right ruddervator had separated; the left ruddervator remained attached. The elevator trim jackscrew measurement corresponded to an approximate 10° tab-up (nose-down) trim setting. Flight control continuity could not be verified due to multiple separations and cabin fragmentation, but all recovered flight control cables exhibited broomstraw separation consistent with overstress.
The propeller had separated from the engine at the crankcase, and the engine came to rest inverted in a 3-ft-deep crater. One propeller blade had separated from the hub; the other two remained attached. All three blades exhibited scoring and bending. The crankshaft could not be rotated due to front engine case damage, but borescope inspection of all six cylinders revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Both magnetos sustained impact damage and could not be tested. The top and bottom spark plugs had intact, light gray electrodes. The engine-driven fuel pump remained attached and its drive coupling was intact and rotated freely. The fuel metering unit and manifold valve exhibited impact damage.
The vacuum pump remained attached to the engine and was removed for examination. The pump housing was jammed and would not rotate; the opposite end of the coupling rotated freely. Disassembly revealed the rotor had separated radially in numerous locations. Three vanes remained intact; three had separated into pieces. Rotational scoring and rubbing marks were observed on the rotor and housing. Debris was noted in the inlet screen, though the engine had impacted a dirt field. A panel-mounted GPS was removed and did not store track data.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Nassau County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy on the pilot. The cause of death was listed as multiple blunt impact injuries. The autopsy also identified significant coronary artery disease. Toxicology testing performed by the FAA's Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory detected diphenhydramine in the pilot's urine (0.03 µg/ml, µg/g) and blood (0.03 µg/ml, µg/g), ibuprofen in urine, and zolpidem in urine (0.007 µg/ml, µg/g) and blood (0.007 µg/ml, µg/g). Diphenhydramine is a sedating antihistamine that carries a warning about impairing mental and/or physical ability for potentially hazardous tasks. Zolpidem is a prescription sleep aid with warnings about sedation and changes in judgment or behavior.