Connie Kalitta Services

The pilot supervised the loading of the airplane. According to info from a person that helped load the plane, the bill of loading, and actual weights and measurements of the cargo after the accident, the plane was loaded to a gross weight of 11,979 lbs with the cg 2.7 inches behind the aft limit. At the destination, the flight was vectored for an ILS runway 10 approach. About 3 miles from the runway, the pilot was told to make a missed approach due to inadequate separation from traffic. The pilot acknowledged, but soon thereafter, radar contact with the plane was lost. Witnesses saw the plane descend from a low cloud layer before it crashed. One witness said its wings were moving from side to side and the plane was falling faster than it was moving forward. There was evidence the plane had impacted in a flat attitude with little forward movement. Four cargo straps were found loose with no sign of tensile overload; 3 others and a restraining board were found loose as if they had not been used. No preimpact mechanical problem was found. The wind was from 090° at 21 gusting 32 kts. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

While enroute to home base after delivery of revenue cargo, the pilot experienced a total loss of engine power in both engines due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot performed emergency procedures and set the aircraft up for a forced landing in a grassy field on the edge of a lake. The aircraft initially impacted a tree and the rocky berm of the shoreline. The contact with the berm caused the landing gear to break off, the aircraft swerved around and skidded backwards before coming to a rest about 150 feet from the lakeshore. Post accident investigation revealed less than 2 gallons of fuel in each wing tank.

After takeoff pic was told by tower that tail stand, used to prevent aircraft from tipping on tail when loaded, was still attached to aircraft. Pic requested teardrop turn back to departure runway. Approach controller stated he saw mode C indication of 700 feet. Airport elevation is 332 feet. Aircraft was returning to runway 36R when it stalled, recovery was attempted, and aircraft impacted ground prior to completion of level off. Aircraft was 379 lbs over max takeoff weight and cg was at least 3 inches forward of the limit. No record of load manifest was found. Pic had low pic experience and received 2.7 documented flight hours with the operator's instructor pilot including his 135 competency check ride of 1.1 hours. Operator's initial training certification of pic showed 5 hours of flight training. Aircraft was a modified Beechcraft TC-45J initially built in 1943 and rebuilt by Hamilton in 1971. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The aircraft was a Beech TC-45J that had been modified into a Hamilton Turboliner under STC SA-1821-WE. During arrival, the pilot reported that he encountered moderate icing at 4,000 feet. He made a localizer-only approach to runway 35. An ATC specialist stated that they saw the aircraft break out of the clouds over the approach end of the runway. At about that time, the pilot transmitted that he was going to enter a left base turn for runway 35 and that he had the runway in sight. He started a turn, and shortly thereafter, the aircraft enter a steep nose down attitude. The aircraft impacted in a railroad yard in a relatively level attitude with the landing gear extended and the wing flaps retracted. However, during impact, it was still descending at a steep angle (estimated approximately 30°). It was destroyed by impact and ground fire. No preimpact, mechanical failure or malfunction was found. The minimum ceiling and visibility for a straight-in approach were 500 feet and one mile, and for a circling approach, the minimums were 700 feet and one mile. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.