History of Flight
On November 20, 2019, about 0600 central standard time, a Raytheon (Beechcraft) A36 airplane, registration N88855, was destroyed when it struck terrain near San Marcos, Texas. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a business flight.
The pilot had filed an instrument flight rules flight plan and received a clearance for departure. However, after takeoff, the pilot did not contact air traffic control and transmitted no distress calls. Radar tracked the aircraft after departure but contact was lost shortly thereafter.
A witness observed the airplane taxi past his hangar before departure. The airport’s weather observing station reported an overcast ceiling of 300 ft above ground level and 1/4-mile visibility at that time. The witness stated that actual visibility was even lower, as he could barely see the airplane near the runway due to poor weather. He reported the engine sounded normal and that engine rpm increased, indicating the airplane departed.
The wreckage was located about half a mile northeast of the departure runway.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a temporary airman’s certificate issued on November 12, 2019, for Second-in-Command (SIC) privileges on a Cessna 650. According to a review of the pilot’s resume, the pilot had 81 total hours of instrument experience, both actual and simulated.
Weather
At 0556, the automated weather facility at HYI recorded wind from 179° at 4 knots, 1/2-mile visibility in fog, an overcast cloud ceiling at 300 ft above ground level, temperature 63°F, and dew point 63°F. The pilot accessed weather information via ForeFlight the night before and about one hour before departure, which included a forecast for continued low instrument flight rules (LIFR) conditions through the morning.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane impacted terrain in a firearm target practice area. The entire wingspan exhibited accordion-like crush damage. The cabin area was crushed, and the engine was buried in the ground. Damage and ground scars were consistent with a near-vertical impact attitude. There was no post-crash fire.
Control continuity was partially established from the cockpit to flight control surfaces through cuts made by first responders. The landing gear was retracted, and the flap actuator was extended about 1 3/8 inches, corresponding to a flaps-retracted position.
Wing fuel tank bladders were ruptured; the fuel selector was positioned on the right fuel tank. Residual fuel was consistent with 100LL aviation fuel and contained no water.
The airplane was equipped with a standby instrument air pump driven by an electric motor. The pump had separated from the motor and was disassembled; the carbon rotor and vanes were impact damaged. The drive coupling was intact. The engine-driven instrument air pump remained attached to the engine; its drive coupling was also intact, with impact-damaged carbon rotor and vanes. All fracture edges were sharp and broken pieces remained tightly together.
The engine displayed significant impact damage, and the crankshaft could not be rotated by hand. Internal components were viewed via borescope. Rocker covers were removed with no discrepancies noted in the valve train or accessory section. Both magnetos were removed and rotated by hand, producing spark from each top ignition lead. The engine-driven fuel pump was intact and its driveshaft rotated with some binding. Top sparkplugs exhibited normal-colored combustion deposits and electrodes rated “worn out-normal” per the Champion Check-a-Plug guide.
The fuel throttle body and mixture control were recovered; the throttle plate was in the full open position. All control arms remained attached to shafts with intact hardware. The fuel screen was free of debris.
The propeller separated from the crankshaft flange; two blades remained in the hub, and the third separated. All three blades showed leading edge gouging and twisting.
Medical Examination
The Central Texas Autopsy, PLLC, under authority of the Justice of the Peace, Caldwell County, conducted an autopsy on the pilot. The cause of death was determined to be multiple traumatic injuries. Toxicological testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for ethanol and tested-for drugs.