N229H

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On August 27, 2013, approximately 1120 central daylight time, a Cessna 421C Riley Turbine Rocket twin-engine airplane, N229H, impacted wooded terrain shortly after takeoff from the Edgar County Airport (PRG), Paris, Illinois. The airline transport pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was destroyed and a post-impact fire ensued. The airplane was registered to Venezia Marine, Inc., Terre Haute, Indiana, and operated by RSB Aviation, Inc., Paris, Illinois, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a positioning flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and was en route to the Terre Haute International Airport - Hulman Field (HUF), Terre Haute, Indiana.

According to RSB Aviation company personnel, prior to the flight, the pilot fueled the airplane with 178 gallons of fuel, which according to a company pilot, would have topped off the fuel tanks. The pilot intended to depart PRG, pick up an individual at HUF, and then continue to Cincinnati, Ohio.

Witnesses, located inside a building on the airport, observed a portion of the airplane's takeoff roll from runway 9. They stated the airplane seemed to be very slow in comparison to other takeoff rolls they have observed with the accident airplane. Due to corn and other obstacles on the airport property blocking their view, and concerned with the slow takeoff roll, the witnesses exited the building and went to the edge of the runway to see if the pilot stopped the airplane or turned around. The witnesses did not observe the airplane; however, shortly thereafter, they noticed a smoke plume about 1 mile east of the airport.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 33, held an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane multiengine land rating, a commercial certificate with airplane single-engine land and airplane single-engine sea ratings, and a flight instructor certificate with airplane single-engine land, airplane multiengine land, and instrument airplane ratings. The pilot's most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) first-class medical certificate was dated August 13, 2012, and had no limitations. The pilot's application for his medical certificate indicated no use of any medications and no medical history conditions.

According to an insurance application dated December 4, 2012, the pilot reported he had accumulated at least 8,600 total flight hours, 4,700 total flight hours in multiengine airplanes, and 2,000 total flight hours in Cessna 421C Riley Turbine Rocket powered airplanes. The pilot's logbooks were not located during the investigation.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident airplane was manufactured in 1976 by The Cessna Aircraft Company as model 421C, serial number 421C0088, and was a high-performance, twin engine, low wing, piston-powered airplane. The airplane was originally issued a standard airworthiness certificate in the normal category on April 22, 1976, and the airplane was registered to Venezia Marine, Inc., on March 5, 2009. At the time of the accident, the airplane was equipped with two 675 shaft horsepower (shp) Lycoming LTP101-600A-1A engines, flat rated to 475 shp, per a supplemental type certificate (STC), and Hartzell Propeller HC-B3TN-3C three-blade, single-acting, constant speed, hydraulically operated propellers with feathering and reversing capability.

On January 28, 1982, in accordance with Riley Aircraft STC SA4293WE, two Lycoming turboprop engines were installed on the airplane. The airplane was then issued a new standard airworthiness certificate in the normal category on January 29, 1982.

A review of STC SA4293WE indicated the minimum controllable airspeed is 97 knots with the inoperative engine propeller in the feathered position.

Current airframe, engine, and propeller maintenance logbooks were not located during the investigation. RSB Aviation company personnel stated the maintenance records were in the accident airplane; no evidence of maintenance records were noted within the aircraft wreckage. The airplane's current weight and balance documents were not located.

According to RSB Aviation company maintenance personnel, the airplane underwent its most recent annual inspection in May or June of 2013.

According to RSB Aviation company personnel, during the previous several weeks before the accident, the left engine had been experiencing a delay/lag in obtaining 100 percent power after engine start-up. A company pilot reported the following: "The left engine sometimes would 'hang' at 70 [percent] gas [generator]. Upon moving (cycling) the throttle and or cycling the fuel pump on/off, the power to the left engine would accelerate and be normal. To say another way, it was slow to accelerate on power up to 70 [percent] gas [generator] and would stop at that power setting. Moving the throttle more forward (toward full) would not do anything. This sometimes would go on for minutes before coming up and would operate normal after that." The company pilot stated the delay/lag would not occur at each engine start-up, but at intermittent times. The airplane was flown on several flights by RBS Aviation pilots with the known delay/lag condition. According to maintenance personnel and another company pilot, the known problem with the left engine had not been corrected prior to the accident flight.

During an interview with a Honeywell technical representative, he stated that at an unknown date preceding the accident, the accident pilot contacted him to inquire about troubleshooting the left engine issue. The technical representative offered several suggestions to troubleshoot the problem; however, he had not received a call back whether the issue had been resolved.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 1155, the PRG automated weather observation system, located approximately 0.5 miles west of the accident site, reported the wind from 260 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 30 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 24 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.07 inches of mercury.

COMMUNICATION AND RADAR INFORMATION

There were no recorded air traffic communications or radar data for the accident flight.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

The Edgar County Airport, PRG, is a public, non-towered airport located about 5 miles north of Paris, Illinois, at a surveyed elevation of 654 feet. The airport features two asphalt runways, runway 9/27, which is 4,501 feet by 75 feet, and runway 18/36, which is 3,200 feet by 75 feet.

Runway 9 has a 38 foot tree located approximately 1,411 feet from the runway and 104 feet left of runway centerline.

FLIGHT RECORDERS

The airplane was not equipped, and was not required to be equipped, with a cockpit voice recorder, flight data recorder, or cockpit image recorder.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The accident site was located approximately 1/2 of a mile from the departure end of runway 9. The airplane wreckage was distributed on a heading of 090 degrees for approximately 300 feet. The airplane impacted numerous trees prior to coming to rest at the base of a large tree. A post-impact fire and 2 post-impact explosions ensued. Several separated sections of the left wing, left horizontal stabilizer, and left elevator were located near the initial tree impacts. The main wreckage consisted of the fuselage, right wing, a portion of the left wing, both engines, and portions of the empennage.

Visual examination and aerial photographs of the departure end of runway 9 and adjacent terrain showed the airplane's main landing gear exit the end of the runway surface, travel approximately 300 feet through grass, continue to travel approximately 300 feet through 3-foot-tall soybeans, and then impact the top of 10-foot-tall corn stalks for approximately 50 feet. Damage to the soybean and corn vegetation was greater on the right path area than on the left path area. Following the damaged corn stalks, there was no evidence of the airplane impacting terrain prior to the tree impacts.

The fuselage, to include the cockpit and cabin areas, was destroyed by fire and thermal damage. The six seat frames (2 cockpit, 4 cabin) were separated from the fuselage structure. No seat restraint webbing was observed or located. No cockpit instrument readings or navigation/communication radio settings were discernable due to thermal damage.

The flight control cables and linkage system were examined for continuity. One elevator control cable was continuous from the ball end to a separation in the aft fuselage. The separation was consistent with an overload failure. The other elevator control cable was continuous from a damaged turn barrel near the cockpit to a separation in the aft fuselage. The separation was consistent with an overload failure. The aileron, rudder, and flap control continuity could not be determined due to damage associated with the impact and fire. Landing gear and flap positions could not be determined due to damage associated with the impact and fire.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) completed the on-scene examination/wreckage documentation, and a recovery company removed all remaining airplane wreckage from the accident site. The engines, propellers, and miscellaneous airframe structure were transported to Honeywell, Phoenix, Arizona, for further examination. Details of the engine and propeller examinations are found later in this report.

PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Terre Haute Regional Hospital, Department of Pathology, Terre Haute, Indiana. The autopsy ruled the cause of death as the result of blunt force trauma, and the manner of death as an accident. No unusual findings were discovered during the autopsy.

Biological specimens from the pilot's body were forwarded to the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute for toxicological testing. These ...