Thursday, October 25, 2012

Beechcraft A36 Bonanza, Herman Hassinger Architects, N4325W: Fatal accident occurred October 25, 2012 in Hooksett, New Hampshire

Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Docket And Docket Items   -  National Transportation Safety Board:   http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms

Aviation Accident Data Summary  - National Transportation Safety Board:   http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

http://registry.faa.gov/N4325W

NTSB Identification: ERA13FA039 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, October 25, 2012 in Hooksett, NH
Probable Cause Approval Date: 07/09/2014
Aircraft: BEECH A36, registration: N4325W
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The airplane was on the second leg of a visual flight rules cross-country flight and was receiving flight following services from air traffic control (ATC). About 10 minutes after establishing radio and radar contact with ATC, the airplane's discrete transponder code was lost, and an air traffic controller made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the airplane. Postaccident review of radar data showed a primary target, correlated to be the accident airplane, as it tracked north toward the pilot's destination. About 7 minutes later, the target initiated a left turn south, paralleling its northerly course. The last several radar returns showed the target tracking southbound directly over an interstate highway. The last radar return was located about 2,500 feet north of where the airplane was found resting upright against an interstate guardrail. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Review of the pilot's medical history revealed multiple medical conditions and a coronary artery bypass graft procedure for three-vessel coronary artery disease and insertion of a pacemaker for symptomatic bradycardia. The pilot provided the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) extensive documentation regarding his conditions and the medications used to treat the conditions and was granted special-issuance medical certificates. His most recent medical certificate was issued 3 months before the accident. The pilot's autopsy report indicated that he died from an acute heart attack at some point during the accident flight.

The pilot-rated passenger held a pilot certificate, and, according to the pilot's logbook, had acted as a safety pilot on flights in the accident airplane during the previous year. However, she did not hold a current medical certificate, and no other evidence of recent flight experience could be found to suggest that she was capable of flying the accident airplane unassisted.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's total incapacitation in flight due to an acute heart attack.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On October 25, 2012, at approximately 1306 eastern daylight time, a Beechcraft A36, N4325W, was substantially damaged during impact with a light stanchion and terrain near Hooksett, New Hampshire. The private pilot/owner and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which departed Boire Field (ASH), Nashua, New Hampshire, with a planned destination of Laconia Municipal Airport (LCI), Laconia, New Hampshire. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to line workers at ASH, the pilot and his wife departed the airplane's base at Block Island State Airport (BID), Block Island, Rhode Island, the morning of the accident, and landed at ASH to clean the airplane's windscreen before departing for LCI. They stated that the airplane did not take on fuel at ASH, and that the pilot appeared to be in good spirits. A fixed-base operator at LCI reported that the pilot had reserved a rental car, and was scheduled to arrive at 1330.

The pilot contacted the FAA Boston terminal radar approach control facility at 1239, shortly after takeoff from ASH, and requested visual flight rules (VFR) flight following services. The airplane was issued a discrete transponder code and continued direct to LCI at a cruise altitude of 5,500 feet. At 1247, the airplane's transponder code was lost. Air traffic control attempted to contact the pilot several times to verify the airplane's altitude, but after no response was received, flight following services were terminated.

Review of radar data from Manchester Airport (MHT), Manchester, New Hampshire, revealed a series of primary radar returns correlated to the accident airplane, which provided position, but not altitude, information. The target tracked north towards LCI until about 1254, when it began a left turn towards the south, nearly parallel to its northerly track. About 1303, the target began an approximate 30-degree left turn, followed by an approximate 50-degree right turn. The last several returns showed the target tracking southbound directly overhead Interstate 93, with the last return located about 2,200 feet north of the airplane's initial impact point.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 83, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single- and multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third class medical certificate was issued in August 2012. His most recent flight review was conducted in March 2011. Review of the pilot's logbook revealed a total flight experience of 9,675 hours.

According to FAA airman records, the passenger was issued a third-class medical/student pilot certificate in August 1972. She was issued a private pilot certificate in November 1972, at which time she reported 62 total hours of flight experience. There were no further airman or medical records on file with the FAA, and no records were found during the investigation to suggest that the passenger was a current pilot; however, according to the pilot's logbook, the passenger acted as a safety pilot during several flights in the accident airplane the year prior to the accident, while the pilot conducted flight under simulated instrument meteorological conditions.

AIRPLANE INFORMATION

The airplane was manufactured in 1974 and registered to the pilot in 2004. It was equipped with one Continental Motors Inc. IO-520-BB, 285 horsepower, reciprocating engine. Review of the airplane's maintenance logs revealed that the most recent annual inspection was completed on April 17, 2012, at a total aircraft time of 4,130 hours.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The 1253 weather observation at Manchester Airport, located approximately 7 nm southeast of the accident site, reported winds from 120 degrees at 5 knots, clear skies, 10 miles visibility, and an altimeter setting of 30.27 inches of mercury.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The initial impact point was identified as a light stanchion, located on the east side of Interstate 93 at 43 degrees, 3 minutes, 1.5 seconds north latitude; 71 degrees, 28 minutes, 13.41 seconds west longitude, at an elevation of approximately 300 feet. The outboard portion of the right wing was located about 55 feet north of the stanchion. The main wreckage came to rest upright against the guardrail on the west side of the northbound lanes, on an approximate 280 degree heading, about 300 feet from the initial impact point. The propeller was separated from the engine, and came to rest about 50 feet past the main wreckage.

The wreckage was removed from the interstate and recovered to a hangar for further examination. The cabin area exhibited significant impact damage, and the fuselage structure displayed buckling at the rear spar carry-through. The empennage was intact, and exhibited wrinkling of the skin. The landing gear was observed in the retracted position. The airplane was equipped with dual flight control yokes mounted on a T-arm. The T-arm was separated at the single control column. Continuity was established from all flight control surfaces to the cockpit area.

The engine remained attached to the airframe by various lines, cables, and hoses. The top spark plugs were removed; each was light gray in color and exhibited normal wear. The engine was rotated by hand through the accessory drive, and valve train continuity was confirmed. Compression was obtained on all cylinders using the thumb method. Both left and right magnetos produced spark on all terminal leads.

The metal, three-bladed, constant-speed propeller was separated just aft of the propeller flange. All three blades remained attached at the hub. Two of the blades exhibited s-bending, twisting, and leading edge gouging. The third blade was relatively undamaged.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

Review of the pilot's FAA airman medical file revealed that the pilot was first granted a third class medical certificate in 1967. From 1967 through 1997, the pilot received second or third class medical certificates and did not report the use of any medications or any medical problems, with the exception of hay fever.

In 1999, the pilot reported high blood pressure being treated with a beta blocker. He was issued a third class medical certificate, but was required to provide further documentation regarding his condition to the FAA, and was cautioned against flying if he developed new symptoms or side effects from the medication. In 2003, the pilot reported having undergone coronary artery bypass grafting and pacemaker insertion the year prior. His medical certificate was deferred, and the FAA again requested additional information. The submitted documentation revealed a previously unreported history of hypertension, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, aortic insufficiency, stroke, shortness of breath with exertion, renal insufficiency, and type 2 diabetes. Stress testing and cardiac catheterization revealed ischemia and three-vessel coronary artery disease. The pilot underwent three-vessel bypass grafting in July 2002, and in December 2002, he had developed symptomatic bradycardia, which required insertion of the pacemaker.

The pilot was subsequently granted a third class, special issuance medical certificate valid for 6 months only. The pilot continued to supply extensive documentation of his health conditions as requested by the FAA, and continued to receive special issuance, time-limited medical certificates over the next several years. During this time, the pilot reported additional medical issues, including bilateral cataract removal, prostate surgery, and sleep apnea requiring the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. In 2012, the pilot's medical certificate application was deferred due to the reported use of two diabetes medications, the concomitant use of which was prohibited by the FAA. The pilot worked with his physicians to discontinue one of these medications, and was subsequently granted a third class, special issuance medical certificate in August 2012.

Toxicological testing was performed on the pilot by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Testing revealed metoprolol (trade name Lopressor), a beta blocker used to treat hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and coronary artery disease; ranitidine (trade name Zantac), used to treat ulcers and heartburn, and warfarin (trade name Coumadin), an anticoagulant or blood thinner, used to prevent blood clots; in urine and blood. All of these medications had been reported to the FAA on the pilot's most recent medical certificate application. Blood samples were negative for carbon monoxide.

Toxicological testing of the passenger revealed diphenhydramine in urine. Blood samples were negative for carbon monoxide.

An autopsy was performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Concord, New Hampshire. The cause of death was determined to be coronary artery bypass graft thrombosis due to atherosclerosis, and the manner of death was natural. The autopsy further noted a lack of significant hemorrhage associated with the traumatic injuries, consistent with the injuries having been sustained postmortem. Post mortem interrogation of the pacemaker did not reveal any anomalies.


NTSB Identification: ERA13FA039 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, October 25, 2012 in Hooksett, NH
Aircraft: BEECH A36, registration: N4325W
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On October 25, 2012, approximately 1306 eastern daylight time, a Beechcraft A36, N4325W, was substantially damaged during impact with a light stanchion and terrain near Hooksett, New Hampshire. The certificated private pilot/owner and passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which departed Boire Field (ASH), Nashua, New Hampshire, with a planned destination of Laconia Municipal Airport (LCI), Laconia, New Hampshire. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to line workers at ASH, the pilot and his wife departed the airplane’s base at Block Island State Airport (BID), Block Island, Rhode Island, the morning of the accident, and landed at ASH to clean the airplane’s windscreen before departing for LCI. They stated that the airplane did not take on fuel at ASH, and that the pilot appeared to be in good spirits.

Review of preliminary air traffic control and radar data revealed that the pilot contacted the Boston terminal radar approach control facility at 1239, shortly after takeoff from ASH. The airplane was issued a discrete transponder code and continued direct to LCI at a cruise altitude of 5,500 feet. At 1249, the airplane was observed making a 180-degree turn from its established northerly course from the south, and the airplane’s transponder code was lost. Air traffic control attempted to contact the pilot several times via radio to verify the airplane’s altitude, but no response was received. The airplane was lost from radar contact at 1306.

The initial impact point was identified as a light stanchion, located on the east side of Interstate 93, and the outboard portion of the right wing was located about 55 feet north of the tower. The main wreckage came to rest against the guardrail on the west side of the northbound lanes, on an approximate 280 degree heading.

The airplane was recovered from the interstate and examined in a hangar. The cabin area exhibited significant impact damage, and the empennage remained intact. The landing gear were observed in the retracted position. Control continuity was established from all flight controls to the cockpit area.

The engine remained attached to the airframe by various lines, cables, and hoses. The propeller was separated at the flange, and all three blades remained attached at the hub, 2 of the blades exhibiting leading edge gouging and s-bending, with the third blade relatively undamaged. The engine was rotated by hand through the accessory drive, and valve train continuity was confirmed. Compression was obtained on all cylinders using the thumb method. The top spark plugs were removed; each was light gray in color and exhibited normal wear. Both left and right magnetos produced spark on all terminal leads.


IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 4325W        Make/Model: BE36      Description: 36 Bonanza
  Date: 10/25/2012     Time: 1200

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: MANCHESTER   State: NH   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED ONTO INTERSTATE 93 UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES. 
  MANCHESTER, NH

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   2
                 # Crew:   0     Fat:   2     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    


OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: PORTLAND, ME  (EA65)                  Entry date: 10/26/2012 

 
Journal file photo 
 Herman Hassinger with part of his mermaid collection in 2005.

NEW HAMPTON, N.H. — A moment of silence was held Friday in memory of 83-year-old Herman Hassinger at the start of the board of trustees meeting at the New Hampton School. “We actually have a chair in the board meeting room where Mr. Hassinger sat that's marked with a green ribbon,” said Andrew Menke, the head of the school.

Hassinger and his wife, Doris, were killed Thursday when their small plane crashed near Interstate 93 northbound in Hookset. The two were on their way to the board of trustees meeting at the New Hampton school when the plane went down shortly after 1 p.m.

One trucker narrowly avoided colliding with the plane.

“I was in the northbound lane and I saw a plane hit a pole and coming spinning through the air, it was going to land right on top of me, and I hit the brakes. It landed right in front of me slid right in front and hit the guardrail,” said Bruce, a trucker.

There is still no word on why the plane crashed, but this was not the first time Hassinger was involved in an incident in the air. In 2010, he was forced to belly flop in Nashua when the landing gear refused to come down. That time, he walked away without injury.

The head of the school says when they heard about the plane crash, they became concerned.

“We weren't sure initially, but were worried and eventually as reports came to us we learned of the tragic news,” said Menke.

Hassinger was the longest serving board of trustees member at the New Hampton School, having been on the board since 1978.

An architect, Hassinger was responsible for designing several buildings around the campus, donating his time.
He will be missed. He was a character in all the very best ways and at the same time, tremendous positive memories about the impact he made all over this campus,” said Menke.

The New Hampshire state police said Friday that the investigation into the cause of the plane crash is expected to be lengthy.

Read more: http://www.wmur.com


The entire New Hampton School community is saddened by the passing of longtime member of the Board of Trustees Herman Hassinger and his wife Doris. Parents of two New Hampton School graduates, Herman and Doris died Thursday afternoon after being involved in a plane crash en route to this weekend's Board of Trustees meeting at the School.    A self-employed architect, Hassinger and Doris made their home in Block Island, Rhode Island, and routinely flew in Herman's plane to the School's four annual Board of Trustees meetings.


HOOKSETT, N.H. (AP) — A Rhode Island couple was killed when their small plane crashed onto a portion of Interstate 93 north in Hooksett Thursday afternoon.

No motorists were involved in the crash.

New Hampshire State Police say Herman and Doris Hassinger, both 83 and from Block Island, were killed in the crash. They were en route to this weekend's board of trustees' meeting at the New Hampton School, where Herman Hassinger was a longtime trustee, the school said.

Hassinger, a self-employed architect, and his wife routinely flew to the school's four annual board of trustee's meetings, the school said.

Peter Galletly, chairman of the New Hampton School Board of Trustees, said Hassinger was the longest-serving trustee on the board.

"Herman was the architect for many of our buildings on campus," he said. "He was incredibly generous with his time and thoughtful of the student experience at New Hampton. Our hearts go out to the Hassinger family. "

Police say one body was in the plane. The other was ejected from the plane and found a distance away in a wooded median strip.

The crash left the tail end of the aircraft on the passing lane of northbound I-93 in Hooksett.

Police say the single-engine Beechcraft hit a light pole alongside the northbound lanes just after 1 p.m., sending it crashing onto the highway and partially into the woods next to the roadway.

State Police Lt. Chris Wagner said one of the plane's wings hit the light tower, and the tail of the plane came to rest in the left lane of I-93 north.

"This absolutely could have been a lot worse," Wagner said.

The nose of the largely-intact plane was on the other side of the guard rail, in the wooded median between I-93 and I-293.

Wagner said state police received the first call about the plane crash at 1:10 p.m. When they arrived, there was no one at the scene who had witnessed the plane go down.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane had taken off from Nashua and was en route to Laconia.

A spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Airport Corporation said the plane had left Block Island Airport sometime Thursday. No one answered the airport's telephone Thursday afternoon.

FAA records show the plane was involved in an accident in August 2010 at Nashua's Boire Field after the landing gear failed. The plane skidded about 700 feet before coming to a rest on its belly. The pilot was Herman Hassinger of Block Island and the plane was registered to him. A phone message left at his home was not returned.

That same plane was involve in a hard landing at the Falmouth Airpark on Cape Cod in July 1993 and was blown off a runway at Beaumont Municipal Airport in Texas while taxiing behind a much larger plane in 1979, according to FAA records. The records do not identify the pilot of the plane on those occasions.

According to the FAA registry, the plane was registered to Herman Hassinger Architects in Block Island. Herman Hassinger was listed in the 2006 edition of "Who's Who in America" as CEO of Herman Hassinger Architects in Moorestown, N.J. The company's phone number is no longer in service, according to a recorded message Thursday.

According to the biography in that edition, Hassinger was born in Germany, and he and Doris have three children. Under "interests" he listed aviation and sailing.

Investigators from the Bureau of Aeronautics and the FBI were on the crash scene in Hooksett on Thursday and investigators from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were en route. The NTSB will head the investigation.

The plane was draped with a blue tarp, as was the body in the woods of the median strip Thursday afternoon. . Shattered pieces of the large tower light lay on an exit ramp and a grassy median behind the plane. DOT workers later loaded that debris and a large piece of the plane's wing into a DOT truck.

The ramp from I-93 north to I-293 south was closed and I-93 was down to one lane of travel. Police asked drivers to avoid traveling in the area and to seek alternate routes of travel.

State police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact them.

http://www.ctpost.com


 
Police direct traffic after a small plane crashed, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012 in Hookset, N.H. New Hampshire state police say a man and a woman died in the crash near Interstate 93 in Hooksett, N.H. 



 
Police and fire officials examine a small plane that crashed, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012 in Hookset, N.H. New Hampshire state police say a man and a woman died in the crash near Interstate 93 in Hooksett, N.H. 

Two people have died in a plane crash on Interstate 93 in Hooksett, where white cloths are covering one body in a wooded median and another still inside the craft. 

 The police do not know the identities of the two victims, according to state police Lt. Chris Wagner. The police have said one of the victims is a male, but declined to give the sex of the second victim.

The plane crashed around 1:10 p.m. at the intersection of I-93 northbound and Interstate 293. The plane was flying southbound when one of its wings struck a steel light pole, according to Wagner, who said it is unclear if the pilot was trying to make an emergency landing.

Wagner said the plane, which is partially visible underneath a blue tarp, is relatively intact, and he said there was only minor debris spread across the highway.

According to FAA records, the single-engine Beechcraft A36 is registered to Herman Hasinger Architects of Block Island, Rhode Island.

Wagner said two FAA investigators are headed to the scene, and the plane will not be moved until the investigation is complete.



HOOKSETT, N.H. -- New Hampshire state police say two people have died in a small plane crash near Interstate 93 in Hooksett.
 
Police say the single-engine Beechcraft hit a light pole alongside I-93 northbound Thursday afternoon, sending it crashing into the woods next to the highway.

The medical examiner is en route to the scene.

Police said a male and female were on the plane. The man was ejected from the plane; the female is still on board. They have not been identified.

Police say they do not know why the plane was flying so low as to hit the pole. The wreck is visible from the highway.

The left two lanes of northbound I-93 are closed to traffic. Vehicles are being funneled to the shoulder. The plane will not be moved until investigators arrive on the scene. Officials are currently in "standby mode."
Two people are dead following a plane crash on Interstate 93 in New Hampshire.

The crash was reported just after 1 p.m. near Exit 10 in Hooksett.

Hooksett, N.H. fire officials confirmed two people had died in the single-engine plane crash. Video from Skyfox showed the plane in the breakdown lane of the highway. It had crashed into a guard rail.

The plane appeared to have crashed near the exit 10 off-ramp. Pieces of the plane were scattered on the off-ramp as well as on the highway.

All lanes of the highway were closed. Traffic was get ting around the crash using the right-side breakdown lane.

Previous accident in August 2010:
 

No one hurt; Man had trouble with Beech Bonanza A36’s landing gear:

In August 2010, the same plane, which was piloted by Herman Hassinger of Block Island, was traveling an estimated 70-75 mph when its belly touched down at Boire Field in Nashua, New Hampshire. The plane skidded about 700 feet before coming to a rest.  Hassinger said at the time there was a problem with the plane's landing gear.


IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 4325W        Make/Model: A36       Description: HAWKER BEECH BONANZA
  Date: 08/17/2010     Time: 1638

  Event Type: Incident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: NASHUA   State: NH   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT LANDED WITH LANDING GEAR RETRACTED; NASHUA, NH

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    

WEATHER: UNKNOWN

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Landing      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: PORTLAND, ME  (EA65)                  Entry date: 08/18/2010