History of Flight
On July 1, 2017, about 0153 central daylight time, a Cessna 421C airplane, registration N2655B, was destroyed in an in-flight breakup near Catawba, Wisconsin. The commercial pilot and five passengers sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and it was registered to Sky King Flying Service, Inc. Dark night instrument meteorological conditions were present, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Waukegan National Airport (UGN), Waukegan, Illinois, about 0025, and was en route to Warroad International Memorial Airport (RRT), Warroad, Minnesota.
Radar data and air traffic control communications from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed that the airplane was flying at about 10,000 ft mean sea level (msl) when the pilot checked in with Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center at 0117. At 0148, the pilot reported lightning off his left wing. The controller advised that the weather appeared about 35 to 40 miles away and the airplane should remain clear. The pilot replied that he had onboard weather radar and stated, "looks like we'll clear it nicely." No further communications were received. Radar data at 0152 showed the airplane at 10,400 ft msl; at 0153, it descended to 9,400 ft msl in a right turn, after which radar contact was lost. No distress calls were made.
A witness driving home heard engine noise, then a pause, then engine noise again, followed by seeing what he thought were aircraft lights that then went out. Another witness, who did not see the airplane, reported hearing a loud sound. Both were near the accident location at the time.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine and multi-engine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on August 11, 2016. His logbook, recovered from the wreckage, showed total flight experience of 2,335 hours, including 463 hours at night. He had no logged flight time between October 21, 2016, and May 5, 2017. In the 60 days before the accident, he logged 11.2 hours, with 1.7 hours at night, on May 7, 2017. His first flight in the accident airplane was on September 29, 2015, with a total of 70.4 hours in that airplane, including 7.5 hours at night. His most recent flight before the accident was on June 16, 2017, also in the accident airplane. His most recent flight review and instrument proficiency check were completed on June 15, 2017.
Aircraft Information
The pilot owned the airplane. A review of the airframe, propeller, and engine logbooks showed that the most recent annual inspection was completed on September 25, 2015. An entry on the annual inspection document dated October 10, 2016, signed by the pilot, stated, "aircraft checks satisfactory." No maintenance discrepancies were noted in the available records.
Meteorological Information
Price County Airport (PBH), Phillips, Wisconsin, located about 15 miles east of the accident site, reported at 0135: wind from 360° at 3 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, a broken ceiling at 600 ft above ground level, temperature 14°C, dew point 14°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.86 inches of mercury. Regional weather radar indicated no convection or thunderstorms near the airplane's flightpath. The accident site was about 25 miles east of convective activity, with no coincidental lightning.
Wreckage and Impact
The accident site was in densely vegetated terrain intersected by a road. Debris was scattered on both sides of the road within a radius of about 1/4 mile. Tree scars and ground impressions indicated the main fuselage impacted in a nose-low attitude. The fuselage came to rest upright, oriented northeast. Both wings separated outboard of their respective nacelles. The empennage was detached and found about 1,200 ft from the main wreckage. The wreckage distribution was consistent with an in-flight breakup. Due to dense vegetation, a drone was used to locate parts not visible from the ground.
The empennage was separated from the fuselage. The rudder was in three pieces; its trim tab was missing. Most of the vertical stabilizer was missing except the top 1.5 ft. The right horizontal stabilizer was largely intact with its leading edge bent downward 45°, and its underside showed wrinkling. Only a small portion of the right elevator tip was found; the right elevator trim tab was missing. The left horizontal stabilizer, most of the left elevator, and the left elevator trim tab were missing. The outboard portion of the right rear spar was found near the empennage.
The left engine, serial number 825104-R, was found separated and submerged in a 9-ft deep crater about 75 ft east of the fuselage. A sump pump was used to recover it. Its propeller assembly was not visible. The right engine was attached to the fuselage via cables and wiring; both wing spars were separated between the fuselage and nacelle. Both engines and propellers were examined: teardown examinations at Continental Motors and McCauley Propellers revealed heavy impact and water damage but no preimpact anomalies. The propellers displayed signatures consistent with rotation at impact, operating at about a 15° reference angle. No evidence of failure or malfunction before the breakup was found.
Flight control cables were examined: rudder, elevator, and aileron continuity was confirmed; aileron cables showed tension overload separations near the wing separations.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office determined the pilot's cause of death as blunt trauma. Toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory found no drugs, ethanol, or carbon monoxide.