N38029

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 23, 2011, at 0444 central daylight time, a Beech C24R, N38029, registered to and operated by Eglin Air Force Base Aero Club as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight, was substantially damaged when it impacted an aircraft parking ramp at Eglin A.F.B. (VPS), Valparaiso, Florida. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a local flight plan was filed. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and the private pilot under instruction were fatally injured. The flight originated at VPS at 0421.

A radio communication transcript and radar data revealed that the airplane took off from runway 19 and remained in that runway’s left traffic pattern for several “options.” At 0434:40, a pilot from the airplane requested a “left ninety right two seventy” to runway 1. The request was approved, and a pilot later requested and was approved for an option to that runway.

At 0437:44, a pilot requested “a right out to climb to two thousand feet” and a "high key" for runway 1. After a delay for a runway “sweep,” the controller approved the request and instructed the pilot to report high key.

At 0442:43, when the airplane was at 2,000 feet, about mid-length along the 10,001-foot runway, a pilot stated, "down to high key, be right hand turn." The controller informed the pilot to report the base leg, which a pilot acknowledged.

At 0443:11, a voice identified by the controller as the flight instructor stated that the airplane would be maneuvering south of the “apex.” At the time, the airplane was heading southbound, at an altitude of 1,600 feet above mean sea level (msl) and approximately 3,300 feet abeam the runway.

At 0443:44, the flight instructor stated, "student training in progress, I guess we're in a right base for the option." About that time, the airplane was over taxiway H, just east of runway 1, heading northwest at 1,200 feet.

At 0443:51, the controller stated “runway one nine, wind calm, cleared for the option,” which a pilot acknowledged. At the time, the airplane was angling over runway 1, about 2,000 feet from the approach end, at an altitude of 1,100 feet.

The airplane then began a right turn, to the northeast, and at 0444:03, had begun to fly over the aircraft parking ramp at 900 feet.

At 0444:05, a pilot stated that the airplane was doing “another…three sixty for runway zero one.” There were no further transmissions from the airplane.

At 0444:08, the airplane was still over the parking ramp, headed northeast, at 900 feet.

At 0444:13, the last radar contact occurred which indicated the airplane was in an increased right turn, at 600 feet.

Numerous witnesses located on the flight line reported observing the airplane just before impact. One witness heard the engine “sputter” before it “throttled up hard” and flew “into the ground at a slightly more than 45-degree angle.” Another witness also heard the engine “sputter,” then “throttle up hard,” before the airplane flew “hard straight into the ground.” A third witness stated that he saw the airplane “coming in…at an angle into the ground,” and that “it sounded as the plane attempted to speed up.” A fourth witness heard the engine “flicker or sound as if it was about to cut off” before the airplane “[made] a nose dive towards the ground.” A fifth witness only heard the engine “throttle up” before the airplane hit the ground. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe CFI, age 65, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane multiengine land and instrument airplane, issued on January 25, 2000. In addition, he held a CFI certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine, airplane multiengine and instrument airplane, issued on November 8, 2009. The CFI also held a ground instructor certificate, issued on March 20, 2006. His last instrument proficiency check and last flight review were conducted on January 18, 2010.

The CFI had logged 10,926.8 total flight hours in his civilian logbook; of which, 10,906.1 hours were as pilot-in-command (PIC), 334.9 hours were in the C24R, and 40.6 hours were as PIC in the C24R since July 13, 2010.

The CFI had logged 859.2 hours of night flight time and his last night flight before the accident was on June 22, 2011. He also logged 157.8 hours in the last 90 days with 12.0 hours in the C24R; 71.7 hours in the last 30 days with 6.9 hours in the C24R; and 3.8 hours during the 24 hours prior to the accident. The CFI held an FAA second class medical certificate that was issued on May 11, 2011, with the restriction, "must wear corrective lenses."

The family of the CFI provided additional information regarding his military flight time, with a total military flight time of 6,526.2 hours. Total military and civilian flight time was 17,453.0 hours. (Note: The Core Data of this report reflects military and civilian total flight time as well as total flight instructor flight time. Other categories of flight time only reflect civilian flight time, as military flight times in those categories were not provided.)

The pilot receiving instruction, age 50, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane, issued on January 28, 2011. The pilot was attending a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 141 commercial pilot certification course. The pilot had logged 471.8 total flight hours with 43.9 hours in the C24R. The pilot had logged 428.6 hours as PIC with 43.9 hours in the C24R.

The pilot receiving instruction had flown 79.1 hours in the last 90 days with 26.7 hours in the C24R; 46.6 hours in the last 30 days with 13.2 hours in the C24R; and 3.8 hours in the 24 hours prior to the accident. The pilot's last flight review was on December 28, 2010, and he received a complex airplane endorsement in the Beech C24 R on March 2, 2011. The pilot held an FAA second class medical certificate which was issued on July 12, 2010, with the restriction, "must were corrective lenses." AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe Beech C24R was a four-place, single-engine airplane with a retractable tricycle landing gear, serial number MC746, manufactured in 1980. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-360, 200-horsepower, horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine, driving a two-bladed constant-speed propeller.

The airplane logbooks revealed that the last annual inspection was completed on December 4, 2010, at a recorded tachometer time of 3,782.1 hours. The total airframe time at the annual inspection was 9,105.75 hours. The last 100-hour inspection was completed on April 23, 2011, at a recorded tachometer time of 3,881.63 hours, HOBBS time of 161.45 hours, and total airframe time of 9,204.92 hours. The estimated tachometer time at the accident site was 9,253.2 hours.

The engine was factory-overhauled on November 5, 2003. The total time since major overhaul was 2,384.65 hours. The total hours on the engine at the accident site were 4,504.65 hours. The total time flown since the last 100-hour inspection was 47.77 hours. The altimeter and static system test and inspection was completed on June 30, 2009. The airplane was last refueled on June 22, 2011, with 14 gallons of 100 low lead fuel.

According to a former aeroclub pilot, on June 14, 2010, he was overflying an outlying airport in the accident airplane when the engine quit without any power changes. He attempted a restart, but still could not get the engine to start, and subsequently completed a forced landing to the airport.

Once on the ground, the pilot still could not get the engine to start, and finally had to have someone pick him up. The next day, when he wasn’t there, maintenance personnel did get the airplane started, but later could not duplicate the problem.

The pilot had not had any problems with the engine prior to the incident, and during the subsequent week of flight training remaining to finish his commercial rating he also did not have any problems. The pilot further indicated that the engine did not sputter before it quit, it just ceased to operate.

No additional engine failures were identified by the investigation. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe 0455 VPS surface weather observation was: wind 290 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds 1,600 feet, broken clouds at 1,900 feet, temperature 26 degrees Celsius, dew point temperature 23 degrees Celsius, and altimeter 29.95 inches of mercury.

According to U.S. Naval Observatory data, civil twilight began at 0517 and sunrise occurred at 0545. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe Beech C24R was a four-place, single-engine airplane with a retractable tricycle landing gear, serial number MC746, manufactured in 1980. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-360, 200-horsepower, horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine, driving a two-bladed constant-speed propeller.

The airplane logbooks revealed that the last annual inspection was completed on December 4, 2010, at a recorded tachometer time of 3,782.1 hours. The total airframe time at the annual inspection was 9,105.75 hours. The last 100-hour inspection was completed on April 23, 2011, at a recorded tachometer time of 3,881.63 hours, HOBBS time of 161.45 hours, and total airframe time of 9,204.92 hours. The estimated tachometer time at the accident site was 9,253.2 hours.

The engine was factory-overhauled on November 5, 2003. The total time since major overhaul was 2,384.65 hours. The total hours on the engine at the accident site were 4,504.65 hours. The total time flown since the last 100-hour inspection was 47.77 hours. The altimeter and static system test and inspection was completed on June 30, 2009. The airplane was last refueled on June 22, 2011, with 14 gallons of 100 low lead fuel.

According to a former aeroclub pilot, on June 14, 2010, he was overflying an outlying airport in the accident airplane when the engine quit without any power changes. He attempted a restart, but still could not get the engine to start, and subsequently completed a forced landing to the airport.

Once on th...