Plane Crash Reports 2003

2003 Plane Crash Report Result

Title: STANDARD TIME, A BEECHCRAFT B200, N257CG, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT I

Report Date: 04/15

Plane Crash Problem: HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 4, 2003, at 0935 eastern standard time, a Beechcraft B200, N257CG, was destroyed when it impacted a building in Leominster, Massachusetts, while on approach to Fitchburg Municipal Airport (FIT), Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The certificated airline transport pilot, the certificated commercial pilot, and four passengers were fatally injured. One passenger was seriously injured, and one person inside the building received minor injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed LaGuardia International Airport (LGA), New York, New York, at 0831. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to preliminary information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot contacted the Bridgeport Flight Service Station (FSS) the evening prior to the accident. He stated that he would be departing Bedford, Massachusetts, at 0700, the following morning and requested forecasts for Boston, LaGuardia, and Martha's Vineyard. The forecasts were provided, and the pilot stated that he would call back in the morning. About 0615, on the morning of the accident, the pilot contacted the Bridgeport FSS again, and requested and received a forecast for the Fitchburg area as well as Pilot Weather Reports (PIREPS) for icing and turbulence for a flight from Bedford to LaGuardia. At the same time, the copilot (the commercial pilot) called the Burlington FSS and obtained a preflight weather briefing for an IFR flight from Bedford to Nantucket, Massachusetts, then to LaGuardia. The copilot also obtained several outlook briefings for possible flights between Nantucket and LaGuardia. The accident flight was the second flight of the day. The first flight departed Laurence G. Hanscom Field (BED), Bedford, Massachusetts at 0700, and flew to LaGuardia with only the crew onboard. At LaGuardia, the five passengers boarded the airplane, which subsequently departed on an IFR flight plan to Bedford. While en route, the crew amended the destination to Fitchburg. According to the surviving passenger, the intent was to drop off two passengers at Fitchburg, then continue on to Martha's Vineyard with the remaining passengers. A review of air traffic control (ATC) communications revealed that one of the pilots contacted Boston TRACON at 0918, and requested the GPS RWY (runway) 14 approach at Fitchburg. The GPS RWY 14 approach was a T-shaped approach with entries from the northeast and southwest. The final approach course, 158 degrees magnetic, began at waypoint EIRRO. The final approach course passed through the final approach fix, KENAT, to the missed approach point, OLLIV, 0.3 nautical mile from the approach end of runway 14. Minimum altitudes at KENAT and OLLIV were 2,800 feet msl and 1,600 feet respectively. The minimum descent altitude for the approach was 1,320 feet msl, for both the straight-in and circling arrival. The touchdown zone for runway 14 was 341 feet msl, and for runway 32, it was 336 feet msl. The runway length was 4,511 feet. At 0921, the airplane was cleared for the approach, and at 0928, the crew was advised to "change to advisory and report cancellation in the air or promptly on the ground with Bridgeport FSS." At 0929, one of the pilots responded, "it will probably be on the ground, thanks seven charlie golf." No further transmissions were received from the airplane. A preliminary review of radar data revealed that a target emitting the same transponder code as the accident airplane descended along the GPS RWY 14 final approach course at an average groundspeed of 120 knots. The target descended from 2,800 feet at KENAT, to 1,600 feet at OLLIV. After crossing OLLIV at 0932, the target maintained approximately the same course, and continued to descend, passing over the approach end of runway 02 about 1,300 feet. It continued along the same course, until the last radar return, at 0934, at 800 feet. The last radar return was positioned to the left of the previously flown course, and was located at 42 degrees, 32 minutes 00 seconds north latitude, 71 degrees, 44 minutes 21 seconds west longitude, approximately 165 degrees magnetic, 1.17 nautical miles from the threshold of runway 32. According to the surviving passenger, "everything seemed fine" during the flight, until her father reported they were circling the airport and were "close to landing." The passenger subsequently felt the airplane enter a left turn, in which the airplane became "almost completely upside down." The airplane briefly straightened out, then entered another left turn with a bank angle of the same severity. The airplane then seemed to roll level "just for a second," then entered a dive "straight down" until it impacted the building. The passenger also noted that the engines were running "normally" throughout the entire flight, and did not recall any unusual sounds. In addition, the steep turns did not concern her, as she had flown with the accident pilot before and knew he "liked to make sharp turns." The passenger further noted that she was unable to see the ground during the sequence of turns, but saw it briefly "just a split second before the impact." In a written statement, a witness who was working at the airport at the time of the accident reported hearing one of the pilots from the accident airplane call in on the Unicom frequency, and ask about runway conditions. After airport personnel responded that the braking action was "fair," one of the pilots then asked if there was any additional traffic in the pattern or vehicles on the runway, which the airport personnel replied "negative." The witness then heard the pilot answer, "Well, if there's anyone on the runway, tell them to get off because we're coming in!" After hearing the radio transmissions, the witness walked outside and observed the airplane approach the airport directly over runway 14, "going in and out of low scattered clouds." The airplane turned slightly to the right to join a left downwind for runway 32, "in close, and very slow and low." The witness expected the airplane "to go missed," but it continued on a close, tight downwind, made a slight left turn, then made a "steep left base-to-final turn, 90-degrees wings up," and disappeared behind a tree line in a left-wing-down attitude. Several other witnesses observed the airplane during the accident sequence. One witness, who was familiar with the airport traffic pattern, observed the airplane at an altitude of approximately 450 feet as it made a "continual" left base-to-final turn. The nose of the airplane was "being held level, until the airplane stalled and descended to the ground." A second witness observed the airplane make a turn "so sharp that the wings were vertical," then enter a "nose-dive." A third witness observed the airplane flying east, "just above the tree line and just below the cloud deck." The airplane's landing gear were down and both propellers were turning. The airspeed was "extremely slow," and the airplane appeared to be flying with "not enough lift." In addition, the weather conditions were "extremely poor," with a low cloud deck and freezing rain. The accident occurred during the hours of daylight, about 1.25 nautical miles from the approach end of runway 32. PILOT INFORMATION The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate, and was a certified flight instructor and ground instructor. His most recent second-class FAA medical certificate was issued on March 23, 2000, at which time, he reported 5,000 hours of total flight experience. According to his last insurance renewal form, dated May 6, 2002, the pilot reported 6,100 hours of total flight experience, 332 of which were in make and model. The pilot also reported 1,772 hours of flight time in the Beechcraft B90. The copilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single and multiengine land, and an instrument rating. He was also a certified instrument flight instructor. His most recent first class FAA medical certificate was issued on July 2, 2002, at which time he reported 750 hours of total flight experience. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION Weather, recorded at Fitchburg at 0931, included winds from 070 degrees at 9 knots, 3 miles visibility with mist, a broken cloud layer at 1,100 feet, an overcast layer at 1,700 feet, a temperature of 28 degrees Fahrenheit, a dew point of 27 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure of 30.15 inches Hg. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The impact building was a single-story sheet metal factory, with cinder-block walls and a flat-pitched metal roof. A white paint transfer mark was found on the outside of building's south wall, about 1 1/2 feet below the roof and 14 feet above the ground. An outboard section of the airplane's left wing was found at the base of the wall, near the transfer mark. Direct damage to building extended across, and included, the building's roof area and back (east) wall. The direction of the debris/damage path, from the paint transfer mark to the main wreckage, was about 030 degrees magnetic. Along the path, the building's roof was collapsed and missing, and the back wall, in the area of the debris path, was destroyed, with the majority of the wall debris projected outward. The main wreckage of the airplane was located just behind the building, amidst the wall and roof debris, at 42 degrees, 32 minutes, 13 seconds north latitude, 71 degrees, 44 minutes, 22 seconds west longitude. All flight control surfaces were accounted for at the accident scene, and were contained in a relatively compact area. The nose of the airplane was crushed aft, and the right side of the forward cockpit outer skin displayed brown paint transfer and aft crushing at a 45-degree angle. The airplane came to rest heading 310 degrees magnetic. The cockpit and forward fuselage section of the airplane were severely fire-damaged; however, a number of instrument indications were obtained. The pilot's airspeed indicator needle was positioned at 60 knots, and the co-pilot's airspeed indicator needle was positioned at 66 knots. The propeller, throttle, and condition levers were in the full forward positions, and the landing gear handle was in the down position. The pitch trim wheel indicated 8 units up, the aileron trim wheel indicated 3 units left, and the rudder trim wheel was illegible. The fuselage and empennage sections remained attached; however, there was a tear in the empennage skin, about 1 foot forward of the vertical stabilizer attachment point, which encircled most of the empennage. Both the forward and aft edges of the torn area on the top of the empennage displayed downward bending. The rudder and the horizontal stabilizer remained attached to the vertical stabilizer. The left wing was partially located under the fuselage, and the outboard section of the wing was separated outboard of the engine nacelle. Flight control continuity was established from the section breaks to the wing root. The left engine remained attached to the wing by cables and wires. The left propeller assembly was separated from the engine and buried under building debris. Examination of the propeller shaft revealed circumferential scoring, and the exhaust housing displayed no indications of outward dimples or pockmarks. All four blades of the left propeller remained attached to the propeller hub. Two of the blades were broken about mid span from the hub. The remaining two blades displayed "S-bending" throughout, and large nicks and gouges at the tips. The right wing was separated into several sections, all contained within the immediate vicinity of the main wreckage. The separated inboard section of the wing contained the landing gear, which was in the extended position. Both the right inboard and outboard flaps, and the right aileron were separated, with flight control cable continuity being confirmed from the section breaks to the fuselage. A measurement of the flap actuator revealed the flaps were in the approach position. The right engine was separated from the wing and located about 20 feet from the main wreckage. The right propeller assembly was separated from the engine at the propeller shaft. Examination of the propeller shaft fracture area revealed gouging and circumferential scoring around the shaft. The engine's first stage compressor, guide vanes, and shroud were examined and the blades and vane airfoils were intact. The blade tips, shroud, and vane ring outer drum exhibited circumferential rubbing and scoring. The exhaust housing displayed no indications of outward dimples or pockmarks. Three of the four blades to the right propeller remained attached to the propeller hub. The fourth blade was separated from the assembly and impaled in the ground. All four blades displayed S-bending and leading edge gouging. Both engines were retained for further examination. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION According to fuel records provided by the fixed base operator (FBO) at Bedford, the airplane was refueled on April 3, 2003, about 1600, with 359 gallons of jet fuel. Information provided by the Port Authority of New York at LaGuardia Airport revealed that the airplane was not fueled while at LaGuardia. Examination of maintenance records for the airplane revealed it was on a phase inspection program. The last phase inspection was performed on December 6, 2002. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was successfully downloaded at the Safety Board's audio laboratory; however, the audio recovered did not pertain to the accident flight.

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