Aircraft Struck Trees After Radar Report Of Climbing Through
2300 Feet
A 2005 Columbia 400
aircraft was felled by impact with terrain after an IFR departure
on July 5th... the NTSB has furnished the initials details in its
investigation of this tragedy.
NTSB Identification: ERA09FA377
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, July 05, 2009 in Huntington, WV
Aircraft: CESSNA 400, registration: N207JB
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may
contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when
the final report has been completed.
On July 5, 2009, about 1256 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 400
(Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing LC41-550FG), N207JB, registered to
and operated by an individual, crashed in a wooded area, in
Huntington, West Virginia, during an instrument flight rules (IFR)
flight from the Tri-State Airport (HTS), Huntington, West Virginia,
to Kalamazoo / Battle Creek International Airport (AZO), Kalamazoo,
Michigan. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the
time and an IFR flight plan was filed for the Title 14 Code of
Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot and
passenger were killed, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight
departed HTS at 1254.
Information obtained from family members and local authorities
reveal that the pilot was on a return IFR flight to AZO, the
pilot’s home base. The pilot was in the HTS area visiting
family members. The pilot filed an IFR flight plan the night before
and obtained a weather briefing that morning of the accident at
about 1041. The flight plan was filed for one person onboard. The
decision to add a passenger was made later that morning.
An airport representative stated that the pilot called at 1100
to have the airplane pulled out of the hanger and fueled. The pilot
requested to have a total of 10 gallons of Avgas added to the
tanks; 5 gallons in each wing fuel tank. At 1210, the pilot arrived
to the ramp, paid for the fuel and started his preflight
inspection. The representative noted that the pilot’s
preflight was about 25 minutes in duration. The airplane was
started and taxied out of the area with no discrepancies
observed.
The pilot received his IFR clearance and contacted the ground
controller for taxi instructions to runway 12. The tower controller
cleared the pilot for take off and to turn right for a heading of
210 degrees. A witness working near the departure end of runway 12
stated he heard and observed the airplane’s engine rev up
before departing from runway 12. He “watched the plane ascend
and noted no abnormal functions and watched him turn in the
distant”. Once airborne, the pilot was then told by the tower
controller to contact departure. The pilot contacted the departure
controller and advised he was at 1,900 feet and climbing to 4,000
feet. The controller advised the pilot he had radar contact and
asked the pilot what was his on course heading. The pilot responded
337 degrees. The departure controller asked the pilot if he was in
a right turn and the pilot confirmed that he was. The departure
controller instructed the pilot to continue the right turn to the
on course heading and to maintain 5,000 feet. The pilot never
acknowledged those instructions and the last radar contact
indicated the airplane was at 2,300 feet mean sea level (msl), at
150 knots.
A witness sitting on the back porch of his residence heard what
sounded like a single engine airplane flying low near his home. A
few moments later, he heard a loud crash sound resembling metal
hitting trees, immediately after, the sound of the flying airplane
stopped. The witness heard no sound of engine failure or other
obvious malfunctions prior to the cessation of engine noise. He
traveled to the ridge top behind his home and did not see anything
that represented a plane crash. He called 911 to report the
occurrence. The HTS Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF)
immediately responded to the notifications and shortly there after
located the wreckage 3.5 miles south of the airport.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 54, held a private pilot certificate with ratings
for airplane single engine land and instrument airplane. He was
issued a third-class medical certificate on March 19, 2009, with
limitations of must wear corrective lenses. He had documented 575
total hours at that time. The pilot had documented in his
pilot’s flight logbook a total of 642 flight hours as of June
28, 2009. Of those hours, 39 hours were in actual instrument flight
and 118 hours were simulated instrument time. The pilot documented
a total of 184 hours in the accident airplane.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 400 (Columbia Aircraft Manufacturer LC41-550FG) was
built in 2005 with serial number 41564. On June 7, 2006 the
airplane was issued a standard airworthiness certificate and
registered in the utility category. The airplane was maintained in
accordance with the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance
program. A review of the airplane’s maintenance records
revealed the airplane had an annual inspection on the airframe,
propeller, and engine on March 9, 2009, at which time the airplane
had accumulated a total of 583 hours. The airplane had maintenance
performed on June 9, 2009, when airworthiness directive 2009-9-9,
dated 5/11/09, was complied with at which time the airplane had
accumulated a total of 602 hours.
Meteorological Information
The closest official weather observation was at HTS, 3.5 miles
north of the accident site. The HTS 1251, METAR was winds from 090
degrees at 4 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; clouds overcast
at 800 feet agl; temperature 19 degrees Celsius (C); dew point 18
degrees C; altimeter 29.87 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was located in a heavily wooded area on a hill
ridge side, at an elevation of 850 feet (ft) MSL. The initial
impact was with 50 ft tall trees. The second impact was with the
ground at the top edge of the ridge. The airplane was in a left
wing low and 50 degrees nose down pitch attitude during the impact
sequence. The energy path of the wreckage was on an approximate
course of 60 degrees along the descending ridge side. The debris
field fanned outward from the initial tree impact point to 440 ft
in distant by 75 ft in width. The cockpit, fuselage, wings, control
surfaces were fragmented. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were
recognizable. The engine, metal firewall, and propeller were
crushed together and compacted with soil and wood. It was located
228 ft from the initial tree impact point behind a damaged tree
truck from the impact. The propeller separated from the engine
crankshaft. The three propeller blades were twisted from mid point
toward the tips with nicks and gouges throughout the length. One of
the blades was bent 90 degrees aft. Another blade was missing a tip
section.
A post recovery examination of the wreckage established flight
control continuity and all separations were consistent with
overstress separation. All flight control surfaces were recovered.
The right main landing gear strut, backup altimeter, and the left
aileron control (balance) weight, were not located. The left
aileron control weight attaching point damage was consistent with
overstress separation. The flap actuator was observed in the full
up position (retracted). The fuel selector valve was on the left
fuel tank. The engine, propeller, and three avionic components from
the Garmin 1000 system were retained by the National Transportation
Safety Board for further examination.