History of Flight
On August 17, 2019, about 1613 eastern daylight time, a Cessna T303, registration N303TL, was destroyed when it impacted a house in Lagrangeville, New York. The private pilot and one person on the ground were fatally injured. Two passengers and one person on the ground sustained serious injuries, and another person on the ground sustained minor injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Earlier that day, the pilot and two passengers departed from Republic Airport (FRG) and flew to Orange County Airport (MGJ) in Montgomery, New York, for a business meeting. After the meeting, they departed MGJ for a return flight to FRG, with a planned fuel stop at Sky Acres Airport (44N) in Lagrangeville. The passenger seated in the copilot's seat reported that the flights from FRG to MGJ and from MGJ to 44N were uneventful. The pilot performed an engine runup before departing FRG; the passenger did not recall whether runups were performed before departing MGJ or before the accident flight.
At 44N, the pilot purchased 100 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel. Surveillance video showed that both engines were shut down for about 10 minutes while the pilot and one passenger added fuel to both wing tanks. No fuel samples were taken from the sump drains after fueling. After boarding, the pilot made several unsuccessful attempts to start the left engine over about 30 seconds, then attempted to start the right engine several times over another 30 seconds. The right engine started on the last attempt, and the left engine started after about 10 seconds of cranking. No smoke was visible during the starts. The airplane idled for about 2 minutes, then taxied to the opposite side of the fuel pump and stopped for about 45 seconds with engines idling. The pilot then taxied to runway 17 without stopping for an engine run-up (the airplane was out of camera view for about 14 seconds near the end of the taxiway). A rolling takeoff was performed, and the airplane lifted off near the windsock, located about 2,100 ft from the runway 17 threshold.
Shortly after liftoff, at an altitude less than 50 to 100 ft, both engines lost partial power. They did not stop completely but sounded as though they were not getting full RPM and began stuttering. The airplane drifted left over grass adjacent to the runway, corrected, then tracked straight over the grass. Beyond the runway end, the airplane did not climb, and the passenger saw trees and a structure. The pilot pitched up to clear obstacles, then began a left turn. As the airplane reached the house, the left wing struck the ground, and the right wing struck a tree and the house. The airplane had very little forward motion after initial impact. The passenger estimated altitude remained below 100 ft for the entire flight. No radio calls or warnings were made; no warning bells or alarms were heard. The pilot and both passengers wore seatbelts and shoulder harnesses.
The airport manager, who was mowing grass, described the rotation as very abrupt. After rotation, the airplane maintained shallow bank angles but the nose was high and the airplane yawed slightly left, then corrected right before disappearing behind a fuel tank. When it emerged, the nose was initially lower, then pitched up again near the end of the runway. The manager did not hear engine noise due to ear protection.
Another witness reported the airplane flew straight for a short distance then quickly turned left about 40-45°, appearing deliberate and controlled. She noted the wings remained level during the turn.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast data showed that after reaching the end of the runway, the airplane climbed from about 675 ft to 775 ft pressure altitude (about 20 to 120 ft agl) in a gradual left turn. Groundspeed decreased from about 80 knots to 69 knots. Pressure altitude then decreased to 725 ft (about 50 ft agl), groundspeed to 66 knots, and the left turn radius decreased until data ended about 100 ft west of the accident site.
Aircraft Information
According to the pilot operating handbook (POH), engine mis-starts without black smoke can result from an excessively lean mixture or vapor lock. If vapor lock is suspected, the primer switch (auxiliary fuel pumps) should be turned on for 5 to 10 seconds before starting the engine. The auxiliary fuel pumps should be on for takeoff, landing, or anytime vapor is suspected, such as in hot day/high altitude conditions or climbs conducive to fuel vapor formation.
The POH prescribes a "Hot Day Takeoff" procedure including a static runup and evaluation of maximum engine RPM. The procedure includes leaning the mixture if necessary to ensure sufficient RPM and establish minimum fuel flow. Normal maximum RPM should be 2,400 and must be at least 2,300. The procedure does not specify an ambient temperature range but states it should be performed on warm humid or hot days with heated engines and oil/cylinder temperatures near mid-scale or higher. Adjustments and performance penalties apply if RPM is between 2,300 and 2,400.
Meteorological Information
At 1653, weather at Hudson Valley Regional Airport (POU), about 8 miles southwest of the accident site, included temperature 30°C, dewpoint 20°C, wind from 170° at 7 knots, and altimeter setting 29.93 inches of mercury. Density altitude at 44N (field elevation 697 ft) was 2,633 ft.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The fuselage forward of the aft bulkhead was destroyed by fire. Most wreckage was within the right half of the house foundation perimeter, which was consumed by fire. The empennage was largely intact, found leaning against the rear wall on a heading of 030° magnetic. The left wingtip, left engine, right engine, and right navigation light lens were found oriented along a line from the rear of the house to a bush, roughly wingspan length perpendicular to the empennage. The cabin heater was found about 15 ft away.
Flight control continuity was confirmed from remaining cockpit tubes to rudder, elevator, and outboard aileron bell cranks. Neither aileron pushrod was found. Cable ends were at attachment points; the right aileron cable was fractured near the bell crank. Rudder and elevator trim actuators were near neutral; aileron trim could not be determined. Landing gear was retracted. Flap jackscrew actuator indicated retracted. Cockpit instruments were consumed by fire; only a vacuum gauge lens was found. Two electric fuel boost pumps were not located. Remnants of both fuel selector valves were thermally damaged, preventing determination of position.
Engine and propeller controls were found, but preimpact positions and cable continuity could not be determined due to thermal damage. Several spark plugs, rocker arms, and pushrods were loose and unidentifiable.
The left engine was upright with thermal and impact damage; crankshaft could not be rotated. All six cylinders remained attached with varying damage; some cylinder heads melted away. The left three-blade propeller remained attached; one blade was visible, two thermally destroyed.
The right engine was inverted; crankshaft could not be rotated. Cylinder bases were attached; some cylinder heads were separated or melted. The right three-blade propeller was separated from the flange; three blade shanks were located near the engine, but blade portions were thermally destroyed.
Pistons on the right engine Nos. 1 and 3 showed no pre-ignition or detonation signatures; other pistons had thermal damage precluding identification.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy of the pilot performed by the Office of the Medical Examiner, Dutchess County, New York, listed cause of death as thermal injuries and smoke inhalation, with a contributing cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Toxicology testing at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified cocaine at 51 ng/mL in the pilot's urine but not in iliac blood. Benzoylecgonine was present in blood (72 ng/mL) and urine (3,084 ng/mL). Ecgonine methyl ester was detected in blood and urine. Anhydroecgonine methyl ester, a pyrolysis product of smoked crack cocaine, was detected in urine. No carboxyhemoglobin level was reported in iliac blood.
Additional Information
An FAA inspector obtained a 100LL fuel sample from the fueling station at 44N; it was blue and contained no water.