History of the flight
At about 0855 Eastern Standard Time1 on 24 September 2005, a Raytheon Aircraft
Company Beechcraft A-36 Bonanza, registered VH-BKM, took off from
Murwillumbah, NSW, on a private flight to Coonabarabran, NSW, with
one passenger, who was the pilot's wife, under the visual flight
rules. The pilot had not submitted a flight plan or nominated a
SARTIME2 and there was no requirement
to do so. The pilot and passenger regularly flew return flights
from Coonabarabran to Murwillumbah in this aircraft.
The aircraft was subsequently reported to be missing on 28
September 2005 and a search was commenced. The wreckage of the
aircraft was located on 29 September 2005. The aircraft had
impacted a heavily timbered hill on a private property 'Millera',
located approximately 35 km east of Tenterfield. The aircraft had
been destroyed by impact forces and a post-impact fire (Figure 1),
and both occupants were fatally injured.
Figure 1: View of impact crater looking
north-west
Operational Information
The pilot was 71 years old and held both commercial and private
pilot licences for aeroplanes, and had a valid Class 2 medical
certificate. He held a pilot's licence for over 50 years and had
previously owned and operated an aerial agricultural business. He
had a total aeronautical experience of approximately 13,000 flying
hours.
The aircraft had been owned and operated by the pilot for the
previous 14 years. Maintenance records indicated that the aircraft
had a valid maintenance release which was issued on 27 January 2005
and was valid for 12 months. The aircraft maintenance release was
unable to be located in the wreckage, however the estimated total
time in service of the aircraft at the time of the accident was
3,231 hours. The engine had been rebuilt and fitted to the aircraft
in April 1992.
The aircraft was fitted with a two-axis autopilot which
included; separate roll and pitch engagement, altitude hold and
automatic and manual electronic pitch-trim. The autopilot could be
disconnected by pressing down on an electric pitch-trim switch on
the control wheel, or by manually overriding the controls. The
aircraft was fitted with a single control wheel.
Prior to the flight to Murwillumbah the aircraft was refuelled
at Coonabarabran, from a fuel bowser owned by the pilot. Witnesses
reported that the aircraft had been refuelled to its maximum
capacity. Fuel records for the fuel supplied to the bowser
indicated that the fuel sample in the supply truck was clear and
free of sediment. The local aero club had been supplied with 400 L
of fuel from the pilot's bowser and had not reported any problems
with the fuel.
Performance calculations were used to estimate the fuel burn
from Coonabarabran to Murwillumbah and from Murwillumbah to the
accident site. These calculations indicated that approximately 140
L of fuel would have been on-board the aircraft at the time of the
accident. Discolouration of tree foliage at the accident site and
the extent of the post-impact fire confirmed that there was fuel in
the aircraft when the accident occurred. Weight and balance
calculations showed that the aircraft was within centre of gravity
limits for the final flight.
Information provided by the Bureau of Meteorology indicated that
a low pressure trough was present to the west of Tenterfield on the
morning of the accident. The weather forecast and actual
observations indicated that the flight was conducted under visual
meteorological conditions. Witnesses reported clear weather in the
vicinity of the accident site.
The pilot had not submitted a flight plan for the flight or
contacted air traffic control for an area QNH3 and was not required to do so. The recorded
Air Traffic Services (ATS) radar data indicated that the aircraft
was operating on a transponder code of 12004.
A review of recorded radar data indicated that the aircraft had
been maintaining a stable heading and altitude for most of the
flight, which was consistent with the autopilot having been
engaged.
The aircraft had then descended from a cruising altitude of
about 6,300 ft above mean sea level (AMSL) to a final recorded
altitude of about 3,800 ft AMSL at a rate of approximately 5,000
ft/ min. The accident occurred at an approximate elevation of 1,000
ft AMSL.
The recorded radar data of the aircraft's flight path was
superimposed on a topographical chart that indicated that the
aircraft had made a sudden left turn over the area of the accident
site (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Radar plot of final segment of
flight
There were no recorded radio transmissions from the aircraft
prior to departure from Murwillumbah, or during the flight. The
aircraft was fitted with a fixed emergency locator transmitter;
however it was destroyed at impact and was not capable of
transmitting a distress signal.
Wreckage and impact information
The aircraft wreckage was fragmented and damage to the aircraft
structure was consistent with a high-speed impact. There was no
evidence of an in-flight breakup, birdstrike or in-flight fire
prior to the accident and a technical examination of the engine and
propeller indicated that they were producing power at the time of
the accident.
Ground contact marks indicated that the aircraft impacted the
ground in a left wing-low, nose-down attitude. Damage to the tree
canopy in the vicinity of the impact crater indicated an impact
angle of 72 degrees to the horizontal (Figure 3). The aircraft's
direction of flight at the time of the accident was estimated to be
290 degrees Magnetic.
Figure 3: Tree canopy damage
Post-mortem medical examination was unable to determine if the
pilot had experienced any incapacitation prior to the accident. The
pilot's medical records indicated that he was taking regular
medication to control blood pressure and that he recently had
undergone a minor surgical procedure to remove skin cancers but
there was no evidence that either had a bearing on the
accident.
Witnesses reported that the passenger normally travelled in the
second row of seats, which faced rearwards. The passenger would
occupy the seat diagonally across from the pilot (Figure 4), and
only communicate with the pilot occasionally during a flight. There
was no evidence of the passenger having any aeronautical
experience.
Figure 4: Seating configuration of aircraft
- The 24-hour clock is used in this
report to describe the local time of day, Eastern Standard Time
(EST), as particular events occurred. Eastern Standard Time was
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) + 10 hours. - The time nominated by a pilot for
the initiation of search and rescue action if a report has not been
received by the nominated time. - QNH is the altimeter subscale
barometric pressure setting to provide altimeter indication of
altitude relative to mean sea level. Area QNH is representative of
the QNH of any location within a particular area. - A transponder is a
receiver/transmitter which will generate a reply signal upon proper
interrogation of an air traffic control radar signal.