NTSB Identification: ERA12FA409
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, June 22, 2012 in Morgantown, WV
Aircraft: RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT COMPANY C90GT, registration: N508GT
Injuries: 1 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 June 22, 2012, at 1001 eastern daylight time a Raytheon Aircraft Company C90GT, N508GT, operated by Oz Gas LLC, was substantially damaged when it struck a communications tower near Morgantown, West Virginia. The certificated airline transport pilot was fatally injured. No flight plan had been filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight, from Nemacolin Airport (PA88), Farmington, Pennsylvania, to Morgantown Municipal Airport (MGW), Morgantown, West Virginia.
At 0924 on the morning of the accident, the airplane departed from Rigrtona Airport (13PA), Tidioute, Pennsylvania for PA88 with the pilot and three passengers onboard. The airplane landed at PA88 at 0944. The pilot then parked the plane, shutdown both engines and deplaned the passengers. After the passengers deplaned, the pilot started the engines, idled for approximately 2 minutes, taxied out, and at 0953, and departed for MGW, where he was going to refuel and spend the night.
After departure from PA88, the airplane climbed to 3,100 feet above mean sea level on an approximately direct heading for MGW. The pilot then contacted Clarksburg Approach Control and was given a discrete transponder code. When the airplane was approximately nine miles east of the Morgantown airport, the air traffic controller advised the pilot that he had "radar contact" with him. The airplane then descended to 3,000 feet, and approximately one minute later struck the communications tower on an approximate magnetic heading of 240 degrees.
The airplane made first contact with the antenna with the propeller spinner for the right engine. The right wing then broke apart, and impacted .1 miles from the communications tower where portions of the fragmented wing were then consumed by a post impact fire. The left horizontal stabilizer separated from its mounting location, and impacted in the woods adjacent to the communications tower. The left engine separated from its mounting location and impacted approximately .2 miles from the communications tower. The fuselage and left wing impacted inverted approximately .3 miles from the communications tower, and the right engine impacted .5 mile from the communications tower.
Examination of the communications tower revealed that the airplane struck the communications tower's antenna which then separated in to two sections and fell from the top of the tower. Examination of the antenna revealed that the antenna exhibited deformation, impact damage, and black scuff marks.
Examination of the wreckage revealed that it displayed heavy crush, compression, and impact damage, however, no evidence of any preimpact malfunctions or failures of the flight controls, engines, or airplane were discovered.
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with multiple ratings including a rating for airplane multi-engine land. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on August 1, 2011. On that date, he reported that he had accrued 22,000 total hours of flight experience.
According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 2006. At the time of the accident the airplane had accrued 1439.2 hours of operation.
The reported weather at MGW at 0953, included: winds 220 degrees at 5 knots, 9 miles visibility, a few clouds at 1,700 feet, temperature 24 degrees C, dew point 20 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.95 inches of mercury.Index for Jun2012 | Index of months