N272SBeech V35 · 1965

On May 21, 2023, at 1115 eastern daylight time, a Beech V35 airplane, N272S, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Rougemont, North Carolina. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was operated as Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot departed Oconee County Regional Airport (CEU), Clemson, South Carolina, about 0948, en route to Orange County Airport (MGJ), Montgomery, New York, where he planned to drop off the airplane for its annual inspection. The pilot did not file a flight plan and did not communicate with air traffic control.

According to ADS-B data, after the airplane departed CEU, it climbed to an altitude of about 5,500 ft mean sea level (msl) on a northeasterly heading. The airplane descended to 2,600 ft msl for a portion of the flight and then returned to 5,500 ft msl. Around 1110, the airplane began to slow and descend. About 1 minute later, the airplane made a 90° left turn followed by a 90° right turn, while continuing to slow and descend on a northeasterly heading. The last data point at 1115 showed the airplane at 1,100 ft msl, about 375 ft west of the accident site, with a ground speed of 56 knots.

About 0.5 miles from the accident site, a witness heard the airplane fly “loud and low” overhead. The witness, who was also a pilot and airplane mechanic, said that the airplane’s engine was losing power and backfiring. He hoped the pilot could make it to a nearby airport, but he also knew there was a field in front of the airplane if the pilot needed to land. A short while later, he heard the airplane impact the ground and called 911. Another witness at the same location also heard the airplane fly overhead and said the engine was spitting and sputtering and that there was a “knocking sound.” This witness heard the impact and immediately saw smoke. She drove to the accident location and found the airplane fully engulfed in flames.

The pilot’s flight time was estimated from what he reported on his last FAA medical certificate application. His pilot logbooks were not located.

The airplane was a low-wing configuration with retractable landing gear. It was an allaluminum design with a V-tail, and it was equipped with combination elevators-rudders called “ruddervators.”

The airplane was equipped with a Continental Aerospace Technologies IO-520-BA engine, serial number 569077, and a 3-blade MT propeller, model MTV-9-D. The airplane was originally equipped with a McCauley 2A36C23-CP propeller and a Continental IO-520-B engine from the factory, according to the FAA Application for Airworthiness Certificate (FAA Form 305) dated November 15, 1965.

The aircraft, propeller, and engine logbooks were not recovered and were presumed to have been within the airplane at the time of the accident.

The airplane was a low-wing configuration with retractable landing gear. It was an allaluminum design with a V-tail, and it was equipped with combination elevators-rudders called “ruddervators.”

The airplane was equipped with a Continental Aerospace Technologies IO-520-BA engine, serial number 569077, and a 3-blade MT propeller, model MTV-9-D. The airplane was originally equipped with a McCauley 2A36C23-CP propeller and a Continental IO-520-B engine from the factory, according to the FAA Application for Airworthiness Certificate (FAA Form 305) dated November 15, 1965.

The aircraft, propeller, and engine logbooks were not recovered and were presumed to have been within the airplane at the time of the accident.

The airplane came to rest upright in a group of pine trees. The fuselage and cockpit were consumed by the postimpact fire. All major components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. Both wings exhibited impact damage but remained attached to the main wing spar. The left-wing fuel tank was intact, and some fuel was observed in the tank. The right-wing fuel tank was breached and did not contain any fuel. The empennage remained intact and attached to the fuselage via the lower fuselage skin and various cables. The landing gear and flaps were fully retracted. Flight control continuity was established for all major flight controls (including the elevator trim control) from the flight control surfaces to the cockpit.

The cockpit, engine controls, and instrument panel sustained extensive thermal damage. The fuel selector handle and the fuel selector valve were in the OFF position. The fuel strainer screen, strainer bowl, and boost pump switch were thermally damaged.

The airframe examination revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the flight controls.

Examination of the engine revealed that it remained attached to the fuselage at the engine mounts. Two holes were observed on top of the engine crankcase between cylinder Nos. 3 and 4.

The engine (including all of the accessories) sustained thermal damage. The drive coupling of the engine-driven fuel pump remained intact. The fuel pump and starter-adapter would not rotate by hand. The oil pump shaft and gears were intact. The airframe throttle and mixture control cables remained attached to their respective attachment points on the throttle body. The propeller-governor oil screen was clean and intact. Examination of the oil sump pan revealed a significant amount of metal debris, some of which was identified as pieces of connecting rod bearings, piston material, and a connecting rod nut.

Examination of the engine cylinders revealed that the Nos. 3 and 4 connecting rods were not attached to the crankshaft, and their pistons were lodged inside their respective cylinders. All the pistons exhibited normal carbon deposits and no signs of detonation. Piston No. 4 had a fracture at the piston skirt, and examination of the piston face revealed impact gouging from exhaust and intake valve contact. All exhaust and intake valves appeared normal, although both No. 4 valves showed polishing at their edges consistent with piston contact. There was no evidence of detonation on the valves.

The camshaft was intact, and the lobes exhibited normal wear. The crankshaft was intact, and all main bearings exhibited no evidence of bearing movement or lock slot elongation. Scoring and darkening of the crankshaft main bearings were consistent with a lack of oil lubrication. The connecting rod bearings showed heat signatures and oil starvation in varying degrees. The No. 2 connecting rod bearing was partially extruded, smeared, scratched, and torn. The Nos. 3 and 4 connecting rod bearings and rod caps were not attached to the crankshaft; their remnants were found within the engine casing and oil sump pan. The crankshaft counterweight pins were the incorrect size. The oil filter paper element was charred, with no metallic particles noted.

An autopsy of the pilot was conducted by the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh, North Carolina. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was accident.

Postmortem toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC) and metabolites in the pilot’s heart blood and urine. Delta-9-THC is the primary psychoactive chemical in cannabis, including marijuana, hashish, and other cannabis products. Marijuana is a federal Schedule I controlled substance, and the FAA considers its use by pilots unacceptable, regardless of state laws. The postmortem concentrations of the marijuana metabolites indicate that the pilot had used a cannabis product and may have been experiencing associated impairing effects at the time of the accident. However, the precise timing of his last cannabis use, and whether significant impairment was present, could not be determined from the toxicological evidence alone.

The accident was not survivable. The cockpit and cabin seats were thermally damaged. The postimpact fire burned the three-point seatbelts; however, the pilot’s seatbelt latch remained latched.