Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration Flight Standards District Office; Birmingham, Alabama
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas
Continental Motors; Mobile, Alabama
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N8169Y
http://registry.faa.gov/N8169Y
Location: Dadeville, AL
Accident Number: ERA17FA140
Date & Time: 03/28/2017, 1200 CDT
Registration: N8169Y
Aircraft: BEECH A36
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (total)
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On March 28, 2017, about 1200 central daylight time, a Beech A36, N8169Y, was destroyed by impact and a postcrash fire following a forced landing near Dadeville, Alabama. The commercial pilot and the passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which departed Enterprise Municipal Airport (EDN), Enterprise, Alabama at 1118, and was destined for Upper Cumberland Regional Airport (SRB), Sparta, Tennessee.
According to air traffic control and radar data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airplane was in cruise flight about 5,000 ft mean sea level when, at 1155:06, the pilot was instructed to change from the Atlanta Approach Control frequency to the Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center. At 1156:00, the airplane began a descent. At 1157:07, the controller radioed the pilot; that he had not contacted Atlanta Center, and the airplane had descended nearly 1,000 ft below its assigned altitude. At 1157:11, the airplane had descended to 4,025 ft when the pilot responded to the controller and declared, "N8169Y I have a… it appears to be an engine failure…declare an emergency at this time."
Over the next minute, the airplane continued a northerly track before it began a turn to the west as the controller identified the closest public airport, private strip, state highway, and open areas for potential forced landing sites, which the pilot acknowledged.
At 1158:59, the airplane was tracking westbound at 1,500 ft and 86 knots groundspeed when the pilot announced, "Atlanta 69Y it looks like I'm coming down…"; he added that he did not have a runway in sight. There were no further communications from the pilot. The last radar target at 1159:34 showed the airplane on a westerly track over densely wooded terrain at 874 ft and 77 knots groundspeed.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Commercial
Age: 67, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Helicopter
Restraint Used: 3-point
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane; Helicopter
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 2 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 11/01/2016
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 11000 hours (Total, all aircraft), 100 hours (Total, this make and model)
According to FAA records, the pilot held commercial pilot and flight instructor certificates with ratings for rotorcraft-helicopter and instrument helicopter. He held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. The pilot's most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued November 3, 2016. He declared 11,500 total hours of flight experience on that date. In July 2016, the pilot declared to his insurance company that he had 11,000 total hours of flight experience, of which 1,000 hours were in airplanes.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: BEECH
Registration: N8169Y
Model/Series: A36 UNDESIGNATED
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1991
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: E-2598
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 6
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 05/05/2016, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 3651 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 4006.7 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: Continental
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: IO-550B
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 300 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
The six-seat, single-engine, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane was manufactured in 1977 and was equipped with a Continental Motors 300-horsepower reciprocating engine.
Copies of aircraft maintenance records were provided by the pilot's family and the maintainers of the airplane for the 10 years before the accident. Review of the records revealed that the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on May 5, 2016 at 4,006.7 total aircraft hours. The previous annual inspection, dated May 5, 2015 at 3,993 total aircraft hours, included the removal and reinstallation of the engine. The engine was removed and the propeller was replaced due to a propeller-strike event.
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: ALX, 686 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 14 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1155 CDT
Direction from Accident Site: 292°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 2500 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 6 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: /
Wind Direction: 270°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: /
Altimeter Setting: 30.03 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 24°C / 18°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: ENTERPRISE, AL (EDN)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Destination: SPARTA, TN (SRB)
Type of Clearance: IFR
Departure Time: 1118 CDT
Type of Airspace: Class E
The 1155 automated weather observation at Thomas C. Russel Field (ALX), 14 miles northwest of the accident site, included scattered clouds at 2,500 ft, 10 statute miles visibility, and wind from 270° at 6 knots. The temperature was 24°C, the dew point was 18°C, and the altimeter setting was 30.03 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 32.830833, -85.712222 (est)
The airplane was examined at the accident site about 650 ft elevation and all major components were accounted for at the scene. The wreckage path was about 140 ft in length and oriented on a magnetic heading about 320°.
The initial impact point was in trees about 30 ft above the ground. Most tree trunks displayed blunt fractures, but some displayed clean, angular cuts. Tree trunk and branch sections 4-6 inches in diameter displayed angular cuts and were scattered along the wreckage path. The main wreckage was inverted, faced opposite the direction of travel, and was consumed by postcrash fire. Control cable continuity was established from the cockpit area to the flight control surface attachment points. The flap actuator position was consistent with a flaps-retracted position. The elevator trim actuator position was consistent with a 10° tab-down position. The landing gear was retracted.
The fuel selector was set fully in the right-tank position.
Examination of the engine revealed that all accessories were destroyed by fire except for the engine-driven fuel pump. The 3-bladed propeller was attached at the hub, but damaged by impact and fire. One propeller blade was loose at the hub.
The engine-driven fuel pump was removed and its driveshaft was intact and rotated freely. The fuel inlet screen was removed and was absent of debris. The spark plugs were removed and showed normal wear and coloration. The engine could not be rotated by hand. The examination was suspended and completed later under the supervision of an FAA airworthiness inspector at the manufacturer's facility in Mobile, Alabama.
Disassembly of the engine revealed extreme-to-minor thermal damage both externally and internally. Aside from the thermal damage, there were no indications of pre-impact mechanical anomaly that would have precluded normal operation. The engine displayed normal wear and lubrication signatures throughout, including those rotating parts inspected at the 2015 sudden-stoppage inspection.
Medical And Pathological Information
The pilot was transported to Atlanta, Georgia, for treatment of the injuries to which he ultimately succumbed. Postmortem examination and toxicology testing was not performed.
Additional Information
Aircraft Performance
An NTSB National Resource Specialist (Aircraft Performance) examined the Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) data, performance parameters computed from the ADS-B data, and theoretical zero-thrust glide trajectories based on best-glide performance data published in the Pilot's Operating Handbook to plot potential trajectories for the airplane from the assumed point of engine power loss.
The plots were based on an estimated gross weight of 3,400 lbs and speeds ranging between best glide (110 knots calibrated airspeed [KCAS]) and the lowest estimated airspeed of 80 KCAS.
The actual ground track of the airplane revealed that, about the time of the loss of engine power, an abandoned airport (Camp Hill-Tallapoosa County) was directly abeam the airplane, about 1 mile east. The airport was not depicted on the visual flight rules sectional navigation chart current at the time, nor was it visible to the air traffic controller who was in communication with the pilot.
The ground track of the airplane bisected U.S. Highway 280W, a four-lane, divided highway which was oriented northwest-southeast at the point of the airplane's crossing. The grass median that divided the east and west-bound lanes averaged about 50 ft wide for several miles on either side of the ground track. The ground track also traversed several open fields and a railroad track before it terminated over wooded terrain.
The potential trajectories plotted also traversed and reached open fields in all directions surrounding the estimated point of the power loss.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, March 28, 2017 in Dadeville, AL
Aircraft: BEECH A36, registration: N8169Y
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious.
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 March 28, 2017, about 1200 central daylight time, a Beech A36, N8169Y, was destroyed by impact and a postcrash fire following a forced landing near Dadeville, Alabama. The commercial pilot, who was also the owner of the airplane was seriously injured, and the passenger was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight departed from Enterprise Municipal Airport (EDN), Enterprise, Alabama at 1118, and was destined for Upper Cumberland Regional Airport (SRB), Sparta, Tennessee.
According to preliminary air traffic control (ATC) and radar data obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airplane was in cruise flight about 5,000 feet msl when it began a descent about 1156. At 1157:11, the airplane had descended to 4,025 feet msl when the pilot contacted ATC and declared, "N8169Y I have a… it appears to be an engine failure… declare an emergency at this time."
Over the next 1 minute, the airplane continued on a northerly track before it began a turn to the west as the controller identified the closest public airport, private strip, state highway, and open areas for potential forced landing sites, which the pilot acknowledged.
At 1158:59, the airplane was tracking westbound at 1,500 feet msl and 86 knots groundspeed when the pilot announced, "Atlanta 69Y it looks like I'm coming down…" and that he did not have a runway in sight. There were no further communications from the accident airplane. At 1159:34, the last radar target was observed on a westerly track over densely wooded terrain at 874 feet msl and 77 knots groundspeed.
According to FAA airman records, the pilot held a commercial pilot and flight instructor certificates with ratings for rotorcraft-helicopter and instrument helicopter. He held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine, and instrument airplane. The pilot's most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued November 3, 2016. He declared 11,500 total hours of flight experience on that date. In July of 2016, the pilot declared to his insurance company that he had 11,000 total hours of flight experience, of which 1,000 hours was in airplanes.
The six-seat, single-engine, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane was manufactured in 1977 and was equipped with a Continental Motors 300-horsepower reciprocating engine.
The 1155 automated weather observation at Thomas C. Russel Field (ALX), 14 nautical miles northwest of the accident site, included scattered clouds at 2,500 feet agl, 10 statute miles visibility, and wind from 270° at 6 knots. The temperature was 24° C, the dew point was 18° C, and the altimeter setting was 30.03 inches of mercury.
The airplane was examined at the accident site, about 650 feet elevation, and all major components were accounted for at the scene. The wreckage path was about 140 feet in length, and oriented about 320°.
The initial impact point was in trees about 30 feet above the ground. Most tree trunks displayed blunt fractures, but some displayed clean angular cuts. Tree trunk and branch sections displaying angular cuts were scattered along the wreckage path. The main wreckage was inverted, faced opposite the direction of travel, and was consumed by postcrash fire. Control cable continuity was established from the cockpit area to the flight control surface attachment points. The flap actuator position was consistent with flaps set at 0°. The elevator trim actuator position was consistent with a 10° tab down position. The landing gear was retracted.
The fuel selector was in the right-tank position.
Examination of the engine revealed that all accessories were destroyed by fire except for the engine-driven fuel pump. The three-bladed propeller was attached at the hub, but damaged by impact and fire. One propeller blade was loose in its hub.
The engine-driven fuel pump was removed and its driveshaft was intact and rotated freely. The fuel inlet screen was removed, and was absent of debris. The spark plugs were removed and showed normal wear and coloration. The engine could not be rotated by hand, and was retained for further examination.
Photo of David Currier from family Facebook page.
Jeanette Carol Currier
Undated (WTVY)- The pilot of a small aircraft that crashed, killing his wife, has died. David Currier’s passing was confirmed by his daughter on social media and Sunset Funeral Home owner Robert Byrd who will handle funeral arrangements.
The single engine plane piloted by Currier crashed March 28 near Dadeville, AL, about a mile from U.S. 280. Jeanette Currier was pronounced dead at the scene while David Currier was flown by helicopter to Georgia hospital. The flight originated at Enterprise Airport.
The couple lived in Daleville. Currier retired from the U.S. Army and served as an instructor pilot. The cause of the crash is pending a federal investigation.
Currier’s daughter, Rebecca Suggs of Dothan, wrote on Facebook, “Dad's injuries were so extensive and his body was badly broken. God is good and we believe and have peace knowing God took Daddy at his appointed time. Dad was our hero. Dad was our champion fighting for us all until the very end. His faith, integrity and unconditional love is an inspiration to us all.”
Original article can be found here: http://www.wtvy.com
Jeannette Carol and David Lee Currier
ALEA Special Agent David Williams speaks about Tuesday’s rescue. Williams also explained the aviation unit’s training and mission Wednesday in Montgomery.
Despite the tragedy of Tuesday’s plane crash near Dadeville, heroes emerged.
This time the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department and other first responders were helped out by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Aviation Unit with a long line rescue of pilot David Lee Currier of Daleville.
For Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Special Agent David Williams, the rescue was one of the most intense the unit has been involved in.
“It is pretty high on the list for intensity,” Williams said. “It was a downed aircraft, with a survivor and extracting the survivor before medical personnel were able to arrive.”
It was also a unique rescue but not something the unit could’t do.
“This was the first time that this unit has been utilized to rescue a survivor of an aircraft crash,” Williams said. “We do a few rescues a year, typically hikers with injures like a broken ankle that would take hours to get out by walking or carrying.”
Tuesday’s rescue featured most of the unit’s missions, first search, rescue and then extraction.
“We were contacted by the Montgomery Post who had been contacted by the FAA about a missing aircraft that had reported possible engine loss around Tallapoosa County,” Williams said. “We responded to the area in a helicopter to try and locate the aircraft.”
From there Williams explained that the rescue started to get unique.
“Upon locating the aircraft and surveying the scene, we realized there were two victims on the ground and one appeared to be alive. So we immediately called back for more support for a rescue crew to extract the possible survivor.”
Williams explained the area would not have made for an easy removal of a survivor.
Rescuers explained that it appear the pilot might have removed his wife from the wreckage and was able to keep the flames at bay around where they laid until help arrived.
That help came from Williams and the flight team above. They guided local law enforcement to the site.
“It was very rural, like logging timber country,” Williams said. “There was no road access to where the aircraft went down.
“It does not have to be that far if you don’t have access to it and you are having to walk in…terrain and growth might make it a good while before they get in. The advantage we have in the air is we have an overview of the area.We can walk them to the spot and it played a role yesterday in getting ground assets to the site.”
The aviation unit is constantly training for such events and Williams said it takes a while before a rescuer can swing on the long line.
“There is extensive training that goes with it,” Williams said. “We start by getting comfortable with the equipment and safety around the helicopter.
“We start with some low impact things to get a new rescuer comfortable – how to hook up, how to package some the equipment and backboard we have. Then we mover over to the practice area of the airport and lower and do rescues from the bed of truck.”
In addition to rescues like Tuesday’s aircraft crash, the aviation unit carries out other search and rescues by doing searches for missing dementia patients, Alzheimer’s patients or autistic children.
Williams explained that many of the unit’s missions have an instant gratification.
“Anytime that we get to help someone it’s instant gratification,” Williams said. “It is very rewarding for us to know that we got to rescue that victim that was in peril or maybe even perish by not being able to get them to medical personnel.”
Source: http://www.alexcityoutlook.com
Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Bureau spent Wednesday combing through the wreckage of an airplane crash in a remote area near Dadeville, searching for clues into what caused the plane to go down.
The crash, which occurred just before 1 p.m. Tuesday, claimed the life 66-year-old Jeannette Carol Currier of Daleville and her husband who was the pilot of the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza is clinging to life.
David Lee Currier, 67, was flown from the wreckage after a daring long-rope rescue by Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Troopers. He was flown to Columbus Medical Center where he was stabilized before being taken to Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital, which houses one of the Southeast’s top burn units.
Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett said that Currier is listed in critical, but stable condition. Abbett said that information he received Wednesday morning indicated that while the pilot had a long road ahead, there was hope that Currier may recover.
“The FAA arrived last night and the NTSB got here this morning,” Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett said. “They have been working to collect evidence and retrieve items to help them with their investigation. They will pack all that up and go back to try to determine a cause. This is their scene. We are just here to assist and secure the area.”
Abbett said the initial alert came in just before 1 p.m. after the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department received a call that a plane may be in distress over Tallapoosa County.
ALEA helicopters were dispatched and were able to get a visual of the crash scene in a remote area off Slaughter’s Crossing, not too far from the Thweatt Industrial Park.
“It was a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza that had left from Enterprise and was headed to Sparta, Tennessee,” Abbett said. “The terrain here was a problem and to get to the scene we had to hike in. That was complicated because there was a fire associated with the crash.
“We appreciate the efforts of all the agencies who responded to help.”
While the results of the FAA and NTSB probe may take more than a week to complete, all signs point to mechanical failure.
Online flight information suggests that the flight began to veer off course and lose altitude quickly.
Data shows the plane made a sharp turn at 12:54 p.m. and then began to lose altitude at a rate of about 1,000 feet per minute. The last radar contact came at 12:59 p.m. and the plane was down to 900 feet. The plane’s airspeed also fell at a rapid rate as well.
Speculation is that Currier may have turned to head toward Alexander City’s Russell Field when it went down.
ALEA, the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office, Dadeville Police Department, Dadeville Fire as well as Camp Hill Police Department and Alabama Forestry Service all responded to help in the recovery efforts.
Original article can be found here: http://www.alexcityoutlook.com
A plane crash on Tuesday afternoon left one local resident dead and the other with serious injuries.
Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett confirmed the crash that happened around 12:30 p.m. near Dadeville.
Jeanette Carol Currier, 66, and her husband , 67 year-old David Lee Currier, were traveling to Sparta, Tennessee, from Enterprise in their single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft when the plane crashed near Slaughter’s Cross Road off of U.S. Highway 280.
Abbett said Jeanette Currier died at the scene. David Currier was airlifted by state helicopter to a hospital at Columbus, Georgia.
David Currier retired from the Army as a CW 5, and currently works on Fort Rucker as an instructor pilot for URS contractors.
“He was a professional and his peers and students really liked him,” said a fellow employee and coworker of David Currier’s. “We went to church together and he was respected by everyone.”
According to a post on the Currier’s daughter’s social media account, the family is asking for prayers for their father who is now listed in critical condition at the burn unit in Atlanta.
The post also said that Jeanette Currier was an amazing example of love, kindness, forgiveness and faith, as well as a friend, cheerleader and dream maker.
Source: http://www.dothaneagle.com
Crash site "Slaughter’s Cross Road off of U.S. Highway 280." U.S. Highway 280 is a dual four lane NW/SE hwy, just south and west of the accident site. Local Weather was 4:55 PM 73.4 °F 63.9 °F 72% 29.96 in 10.0 mi West 3.5 mph - N/A Scattered Clouds
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