. The controller replied, "November niner mike sierra fly heading of one two zero when able proceed direct Corpus Christi rest of route unchanged." The pilot responded, "…sounds great one two zero and when able direct Corpus for mike sierra thank you."
At 1140:43, the controller transmitted, "November niner mike sierra verify you're level flight level two five zero." The pilot replied, "No sir, we had dropped down to – we'd gotten into some pretty good turbulence we're at two four zero." The controller responded, "November niner mike sierra you've got to tell me these things…I've got a MOA below you at flight level two three zero and below so november niner mike sierra when able maintain flight level two five zero." The pilot transmitted, "Yes sir um I'm sorry sir.'" The controller then asked,"…and uh any injuries or uh damage?" The pilot did not reply and there were no further communications with him.
At 1142:07, an expletive and propeller noise were heard on the same frequency being used by the pilot, and for the next 35 seconds there was sound similar to that made by a stuck microphone conflicting with other transmissions. In response, the controller transmitted, "All right now everybody use caution – we had a stuck mic there for a while, that's very bad now."
A preliminary review of recorded radar data revealed that after departing Uvalde, the airplane traveled on a southeasterly heading before it made a turn to the south at 1108. The airplane then traveled on this southerly heading for approximately 15 minutes before it turned back to a southeasterly heading toward Benavides, Texas. At 1140, when the airplane was approximately 6 ½ miles north of Benavides at an altitude of 25,000 feet, it entered a right turn toward the northwest and started to descend. The last radar return was received at 1141:46 at an altitude of 22,200 feet. The radar track went into "coast" status at 1142:55, indicating that the radar data processing system had lost track of the aircraft.
A preliminary review of the accident airplane's radar track data overlayed on NEXRAD weather radar data revealed that it entered a line of level 5 (moderate to extreme) thunderstorms before it began to lose altitude and reverse course.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s on-scene investigation was conducted on October 27-29, 2009.
A hand held global position receiver (GPS) was used to identify the position of the main wreckage as 27 degrees 39 minutes north latitude, 98 degrees 27 minutes west longitude. The main wreckage was located approximately 6 1/2-miles north of Benavides, Texas, on a remote cattle ranch. The associated debris was located in two general areas, situated about 0.8 nautical miles from each other. The overall wreckage distribution was consistent with the airplane breaking apart in flight prior to impact with the ground.
The main wreckage was located in a shallow impact crater that measured approximately 30-feet-wide. Damage to the dense overhead foliage surrounding the wreckage was limited, consistent with a near vertical descent path. The main wreckage was inverted and consisted of the cockpit, engines, propeller systems, the fuselage, all three landing gear, the upper portion of the right outboard wing. The main wreckage was consumed by post-impact fire. The second area of wreckage was scattered in a centralized area south of where the main wreckage came to rest. It consisted of the outboard section of left wing, sections of the lower portion of the right wing (outboard), sections of the vertical stabilizer, both horizontal stabilizers, both elevators, and rudder.
The wreckage was recovered and moved to a secure facility for further examination.
The pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane single and multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second class medical was issued on January 10, 2008. At that time, he reported a total of 550 flight hours.
Weather reported at Corpus Christi International Airport (CRP), Corpus Christi, Texas, about 41 miles east of the accident site, at 1151, was reported as wind from 010 degrees at 27 knots gusting to 39 knots, visibility 3 miles, mist, scattered clouds 700 feet, broken clouds 2,200 feet, overcast clouds at 700 feet, temperature 18 degrees C, dew point 17 degrees C, and a barometric pressure setting of 29.92 inches of Mercury. The remarks section reported a peak wind of 44 knots, a wind shift, and thunderstorm activity associated with the passage of a cold front.Index for Oct2009 | Index of months