Airplane First Impacted A Tall Tree Severing It Approximately 60 Feet Above Ground Level

Location: Rutherfordton, NC Accident Number: ERA24FA294
Date & Time: July 7, 2024, 21:07 Local Registration: N2198G
Aircraft: Cessna 182 Injuries: 3 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Positioning

On July 7, 2024, about 2107 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182A, N2198G was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Rutherfordton, North Carolina. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight.

The flight departed Johnson County Airport (6A4), Mountain City, Tennessee, destined for Rutherford County Airport/Marchman Field (FQD), Rutherfordton, North Carolina. On the day of the accident, Skydive Mountain City LLC, had leased the accident airplane from Airstar Aviation LLC for their skydiving operations that day. All three occupants, the pilot, and two skydiving instructors, worked as independent contractors for both companies. On this day, the pilot was working for Airstar Aviation, and both skydiving instructors were working for Skydive Mountain City.

According to the owner of Skydive Mountain City, the airplane was flown into 6A4 that morning from FQD by the pilot, and then had a normal day of skydiving operations, flying a total of 8 “loads”, with each load consisting of a takeoff, release of skydivers, and then a landing. The weather at 6A4 was great for most of the day. In the early afternoon, they were on the ground for about 3-hours due to clouds, but once the clouds cleared, they continued jump operations. 

There were no issues, as far as they could tell, with the airplane and they finished jump operations around 1945. Before the flight back to FQD, the owner of Skydive Mountain City, the pilot, and the skydiving instructors had conversations about the weather that had been over FQD during the day. They had three plans in place. The first one was for the owner of Sky Dive Mountain City to drive them back to FQD, and the pilot would pick the airplane up on another day. The second was to fly to FQD. The third was to divert to Asheville, North Carolina, in case weather had not cleared over FQD.

The pilot then checked the weather one last time and it looked like the weather had just cleared at FQD, so the pilot decided to fly. They still discussed diverting to Asheville, North Carolina, in case the weather was different from what he saw on the radar. The pilot and the two skydiving instructors then departed 6A4 shortly before 2030. The airplane was topped off with fuel prior to the departure.

At 2044 the owner of Skydive Mountain City exchanged text messages with one of the skydiving instructors onboard the airplane, during which they indicated that the flight was going as planned and they were heading to FQD. She next sent a text message to the skydiving instructor around 2200, but did not hear back, and she did not think anything more about it since she figured he was driving back to his house. The next day, she was woken around 0400 by the pilot’s wife, who advised her that he had never come home. 

The Chief Executive Officer/owner of Airstar Aviation LLC, who also owned Skydive Carolina, stated that he leased the airplane to Skydive Mountain City to help the owner out. There was no written contract, and it was “all verbal, but she does pay us.” He also advised that he had done this before for her. The pilot and skydiving instructors were all contract labor, and that the instructors were all “tandem instructors.” Even though the company was based in Chester, South Carolina, the reason for the pilot’s destination was that he lived near FQD. According to a witness, who lived on top of a hill about 3-miles east northeast of Marion, North Carolina, he would always notice airplanes flying in to and out of Shiflet Field (9A9), Marion, North Carolina, but on the day of the accident, he noticed an airplane that was flying north to south. He was outside of his house when he heard the airplane. He described that, “the engine sounded strong,” that the airplane was a half mile west of his position, and that there was a “cloud ceiling.” The airplane was under the clouds, about 1,500 feet above him. The airplane was not banking or turning at the time. He advised that “storms” had come through the area about 1700 to 1900, and the heaviest of the storms was over. He also advised that there was a lot of moisture and fog.

According to preliminary Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data, after departing 6A4, the airplane turned south, and the first ADS-B track data was recorded at 2030:59 when the airplane was at 3,425 feet msl, with a ground speed of 82 kts. The airplane then traveled out of ADS-B surveillance coverage, and when track data resumed at 2055:38, the airplane was on a track of 151º at 5,800 feet, with a ground speed of 118 kts. The airplane then entered a descending spiral before proceeding south, entered another descending spiral, and then headed south again until it approached the area where the accident occurred, and after entering another descending spiral. The last track data was recorded at 2106:48 when the airplane was on a track of 100º at 2,250 feet, and 136 kts. 

Examination of the accident site and wreckage revealed signatures consistent with the airplane impacting the mountainous terrain in a wings level nose low attitude on an approximate heading of 130º, at an altitude of about 2,000 feet. During the impact sequence the airplane first impacted a tall tree severing it approximately 60 feet above ground level, followed by a second shorter thicket of trees, and then dense brush and terrain. The airplane left an impact crater where the propeller was found, and the main wreckage was located 50 feet further along the wreckage path. 

The airplane was subject to a post-impact fire, and most of the fuselage and cockpit were thermally damaged. The empennage was impact and thermally separated near the baggage compartment bulkhead. The empennage came to rest atop the left wing and displayed leading edge impact damage. Most of the right main wing spar was found near the initial impact crater and fragments of its skin were found along the wreckage path. Both horizontal stabilizers were displaced upwards and displayed leading edge damage. The right elevator was separated from its mounting location. The vertical stabilizer forward dorsal skin displayed wrinkling. The engine was located forward of the burnt fuselage area free from its mounts but partially attached to its control cables and wires.

The propeller hub was separated from the crankshaft. Both propeller blades displayed power signatures and were separated from the impact damaged hub. Both fuel tanks were thermally damaged, and the portions of one fuel cap assembly was found in the wreckage. The fuel selector handle and face plate were found free of the wreckage with the connecting stem broken at the fuel selector valve. Air was blown through the selector valve, and it was determined to be in the “Both” position. Fuel consistent in smell with 100LL was present in the lines of the selector.

The wreckage was retained for further examination.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov