History of Flight
On December 4, 2023, at about 1120 central standard time, a Beech E95 (N369BB) was conducting a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight out of Huntsville International Airport (HSV), Alabama. The aircraft departed HSV around 1058 and flew northwest to a practice area. At 1120, while at approximately 5,700 ft mean sea level and 18 miles northwest of HSV, the flight instructor declared a mayday to ATC, reporting that the airplane was in a spin. Radio and radar contact were lost thereafter. ADS-B data showed the airplane slowed, then entered a steep descent until data ended. The aircraft came to rest upright in a harvested cottonfield, oriented on a magnetic heading of 210°, with no debris path. The nose and both engines were canted right; landing gear and flaps were fully extended. All four fuel tanks were breached but caps secured.
Personnel Information
The flight instructor had logged about 1,599 hours total flight time, including 322 hours in multi-engine airplanes, of which 251 were in the same make and model, with 29 hours in the accident airplane in the preceding 90 days. The private pilot held a single-engine land rating and was receiving multi-engine instruction. He had about 284 total hours, with 7 hours multi-engine experience, all in the accident airplane across four lessons starting May 9, 2022; his last flight in this airplane was May 11, 2023.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Flight control continuity was confirmed for rudder, elevator, and aileron systems. Both engines remained attached. The left propeller had two blades; one undamaged, one mud-buried. The right propeller also had two blades; one mud-buried, the other showing rearward bending and chordwise scratching. Engine examinations at a recovery facility revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Left engine: top spark plugs removed, electrodes intact and gray; valvetrain continuity verified; thumb compression on all cylinders; both magnetos produced spark. Right engine: similar findings; no issues identified that would preclude normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies on both occupants, performed by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, listed the cause of death as blunt force injuries. Toxicological tests for the flight instructor were negative for drugs and alcohol. For the pilot, various substances were detected: Chlorpheniramine in cavity blood and urine; Doxylamine in cavity blood and urine; Dextromethorphan, dextrophan, metoprolol, amlodipine, and valsartan in both; sacubitril, desethyl sacubitril, hydroxychloroquine, guaifenesin, and acetaminophen in various specimens.
Tests and Research
ADS-B data performance analysis indicated that the airplane slowed to an airspeed slightly above the wings-level stall speed, then entered a steep descent. The study suggested that power was being reduced on one or both engines before the descent. Estimated airspeed approached the published stall speed and minimum control speed before the spin was reported.