Accident Overview
On January 21, 2017, about 1245 eastern standard time, a Hawker Beechcraft G36, registration N979BA, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near West Caldwell, New Jersey. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Flight History
The airplane departed from Essex County Airport (CDW), Caldwell, New Jersey, bound for Westchester County Airport (HPN), White Plains, New York. According to air traffic control (ATC) information from the Federal Aviation Administration, at 1213 the pilot contacted clearance delivery and was instructed to contact ground control. He was advised that the field was reporting instrument meteorological conditions and to file an instrument flight plan. At 1219, the pilot called for his instrument clearance to HPN; the controller advised that the filed altitude of 1,500 ft was not suitable for the route and destination. At 1221, the pilot received an instrument clearance to HPN at an altitude of 3,000 ft. At 1227, the pilot advised he was ready to depart. Several transmissions followed without response from the pilot. At 1231, the pilot again stated readiness to depart, and at 1237 inquired about the weather and whether he could depart under visual flight rules. At 1243, the departure controller issued a release for departure and instructed the tower to have the pilot climb directly to 3,000 ft. The pilot was cleared for takeoff on runway 22 to climb to 3,000 ft.
At 1244, air traffic controllers described the airplane as “barely climbing,” in a left turn, and leveling off well below its assigned altitude. Review of ATC recorded audio transmissions from the airplane revealed the sound of a stall warning during transmissions from the pilot for about 13 seconds before impact. Controllers then observed the airplane descending and saw a smoke plume about 1 mile south of the airport.
Impact and Wreckage
Review of radar data, security camera video, and photographs indicated that after takeoff, the airplane turned left, climbed to about 400 ft above ground level, and then began to descend. It struck the roof of a warehouse with the left wing, impacted terrain in a nose-low attitude while rotating left, and then contacted the ground with the belly of the airplane. A fire erupted.
Examination of the wreckage revealed that the landing gear was down, the three-bladed propeller had separated from the engine during impact, and the majority of the cabin had been consumed by fire. The engine and firewall had separated from the fuselage. Control cable continuity was established for all flight controls from the flight control surfaces to breaks in the system and from breaks to the forward cabin. The right flap actuator indicated the right flap was retracted. The inboard left wing had been consumed by fire. The left and right elevator control rods in the aft tail area were fractured.
Pilot Statement
After the accident, the pilot told police officers that he owned the airplane and that it had just undergone an annual inspection. He stated that he had departed from CDW to return to HPN via a filed flight plan. He advised that during his climbout at about 800 ft, the airplane would no longer gain altitude, “wouldn’t pull up,” and began to lose altitude. He said he had no warning lights or audible alerts and that the engine was running normally. He attempted to abort the takeoff and return to the field but was unable to contact the tower for a mayday call before crashing.
Maintenance History
The airplane’s most recent annual inspection was completed on January 16, 2017. At that time, the airplane had accrued 251.9 total hours of operation. According to the maintenance repair company that performed the inspection, they started the annual inspection and some avionics checks on December 13, 2016. During the inspection, they found a crack in the right flap actuator mount, which was repaired. Two other issues were repaired: an ignition switch that had a hot ground in every position but off, and a fuel drain on the left wing that was leaking.
Engine and Component Examination
Detailed examination of the engine and its components was conducted. The engine remained attached to the firewall via control cables, exhaust pipe clamps, starter motor, alternator wiring, and temperature wires. The engine mounts were fractured. The crankshaft was fractured aft of the propeller flange. The fuel pump, throttle body, fuel metering unit, fuel manifold valve, and fuel injection nozzles were examined and showed no preimpact anomalies, except for some impact damage. The oil sump showed no preimpact leaks, and the oil appeared fresh. The magnetos and ignition harnesses displayed signs of corrosion, likely from heat and firefighting efforts. Bench testing of the magnetos revealed intermittent sparking initially, but after a few seconds they produced spark through all rpm ranges. The ignition harnesses had a cut and pinching damage on the lead associated with the No. 1 cylinder top spark plug.
Additional Information
According to the Hawker Beechcraft Corporation G36 Pilot’s Operating Handbook, a stall warning horn located forward of the instrument panel sounds a warning signal as the airplane approaches a stall condition. The signal is triggered by a sensing vane on the leading edge of the left wing. The warning signal becomes steady as the airplane approaches a stall condition.