Accident
On May 12, 2018, at approximately 2005 central daylight time, a Beech 35-A33 airplane, registered as N486T, collided with trees and terrain during a forced landing near Jacksonville, Alabama. The airline transport pilot was seriously injured, and the passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was destroyed. The flight was conducted as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 in night visual meteorological conditions; no flight plan was filed. The aircraft departed Hartselle-Morgan County Regional Airport (5M0), Hartselle, Alabama, about 1924, destined for Falcon Field (FFC), Peachtree City, Georgia.
The pilot reported that he was familiar with the route and had flown it numerous times. He planned the flight at 5,500 ft mean sea level. Ground operations and departure were uneventful. The first indication of a problem was the smell of smoke. The pilot initially could not determine if the smoke originated outside or inside the aircraft. He turned off electrical equipment to locate the source. After the airplane crossed the boundary of the Talladega National Forest, the engine suddenly sputtered and quit. The pilot reversed course because it appeared darker in the area ahead. He turned on the fuel boost pump and established best glide airspeed. The propeller windmilled, and he believed the engine may have partially recovered. He maneuvered toward a pasture, visible despite darkness.
The pilot then felt heat. The passenger, his daughter, climbed into the rear cabin; he did not believe she fastened her lap belt. He saw flames from the engine compartment and discharged a fire extinguisher. Smoke intensified, so he opened the side window to clear it. Flames persisted. While crossing a ridge, the airplane struck trees, spun, and crashed. The pilot remained inside; the passenger was ejected. The wreckage caught fire. The pilot egressed and found his daughter injured. First responders arrived shortly. The fire eventually subsided.
A witness outside his home reported seeing a single-engine airplane flying westbound about 2002, with the engine misfiring. He saw a ball of light that grew larger. He did not observe the crash.
Personnel Information
The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with single- and multiengine land ratings, plus flight and ground instructor certificates. He reported 3,360 total flight hours, including 65 hours in Beech 35 airplanes. He was also an airframe and powerplant mechanic with inspection authorization and performed maintenance on the airplane.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a 1961 low-wing, single-engine, four-seat retractable tricycle gear aircraft powered by a Continental IO-470-K 225-horsepower engine with a Hartzell constant-speed propeller. The pilot purchased it in October 2015. Annual and 100-hour inspections were completed on January 15, 2018, at 5,326.5 total aircraft hours. Maintenance logs showed no entries for exhaust system components at that time. On March 20, 2018, at 5,329.3 hours, the left exhaust stack was replaced, but the left heat exchanger was not. The Beech 35-A33 Maintenance Manual requires checking the exhaust system for cracks, leaks, and thin walls during 100-hour inspections.
Meteorological Information
Anniston Regional Airport (ANB), about 14 miles southwest of the accident site, reported at 1953: wind calm, visibility 10 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 23°C, dew point 17°C, altimeter 30.09 inHg. Official sunset was at 1934, about 31 minutes before the accident; end of civil twilight at 2002. Moonset was at 1642; the moon was a waning crescent with 10% illumination.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane crashed on a hillside in a forested area about 2 miles southeast of Jacksonville. The wreckage path was oriented west, about 150 ft long. All components were accounted for. The main wreckage (fuselage, empennage, right wing) was mostly consumed by postcrash fire. The separated left wing was found 65 ft east, unburned. Landing gear and flaps were retracted. Flight control continuity was confirmed. No residual fuel was found in wing tanks; the fuel selector and strainer were not located.
The engine, propeller, nose landing gear, and cowling separated. The engine rested inverted against a tree 15 ft from the main wreckage, showing soot and heat damage aft. The upper cowling had soot and blistered paint. The exhaust system remained attached with impact damage; the left muffler/heat exchanger exhibited multiple cracks. Magnetos produced sparks normally. Spark plugs showed normal wear except an oil-soaked No. 1 bottom plug. The engine-driven fuel pump had a loose inlet fitting (about 90° from tight); other fittings were tight. Fuel leaked from the inlet and multiple thermally damaged line locations. The pump could pump fuel when rotated. The throttle assembly and fuel manifold valve were normal. Cylinders showed normal combustion signatures. The propeller had one blade with minor twisting and a sheared tip; the other had minor damage.
Metallurgical examination of the muffler and heat exchanger revealed multiple cracks in the left assembly, including oxidized fractures through the muffler wall and heat exchanger end flanges. Branching intergranular cracks and significant wall thinning due to oxidation were observed. Four cracks through the end faces (0.8-0.9 inch) and a 4.25-inch crack through the aft heat exchanger end flange were noted.