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| Date: | Thursday 7 December 2023 |
| Time: | 11:03 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft 35-C33 Debonair |
| Owner/operator: | Plantation Reclaimed Inc |
| Registration: | N5891J |
| MSN: | CD-919 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1965 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Pulaski, TN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, TN (KDKX) |
| Benton-Saline County Regional Airport, AR (KSUZ) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On December 7, 2023, at 1103 central standard time (CST), a Beech 35-C33, N5891J, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Pulaski, Tennessee. The private pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The flight originated from Knoxville Downtown Island Airport (DKX), Knoxville, Tennessee, about 0948 CST and was enroute to Saline County Regional Airport (SUZ), Benton, Arkansas. Preliminary Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that after takeoff from DKX, the airplane climbed and turned to a ground track of 255°, then leveled off for about 12 minutes at 2,500 ft mean sea level (msl), before climbing to 6,400 ft msl.
The pilot was in contact with air traffic control and had requested flight following services. As the flight was about 140 nautical miles into the trip, the controller advised the pilot that she was left of course. The pilot acknowledged and responded that she was correcting.
About 1019, the airplane entered the first of a series of climbs and descents with corresponding fluctuations in its observed groundspeed. During these oscillations, which varied in magnitude, the airplane’s altitude varied between about 6,400 ft and about 5,300 ft. About 1057, the airplane entered a descent that arrested about 4,300 ft at a groundspeed of 143 kts, after which it climbed to 6,050 ft and slowed to 85 kts. The airplane then began to descend rapidly before ADS-B contact was lost in the vicinity of the accident site. During the last several seconds of the flight, the airplane was on a ground track of 262° descending at a groundspeed that reached a maximum of 228 kts, and the estimated maximum descent rate was about 11,900 ft per minute.
During these altitude fluctuations, the controller twice provided instructions to the pilot to contact the Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center; however, neither of the instructions were acknowledged by the pilot. During the final moments of the flight, a faint communication from the pilot stating the airplane’s registration and “Debonaire” followed by an emergency declaration and an unintelligible word. About 60 seconds later, a faint and largely unintelligible transmission from the passenger was transmitted. The controller’s subsequent attempts to contact the pilot were unanswered, and there were no further communications from either the pilot or passenger.
The airplane impacted hilly, wooded terrain at an elevation of 971 ft, with the wreckage path oriented on a heading of about 268° magnetic. The wreckage was highly fragmented, and the debris field extended in a fan-like pattern about 300 ft long. The tops of several trees leading to the main wreckage were cut off at progressively lower heights leading up to the main impact with the ground. During the accident sequence, the fuel tanks were breached, and a postimpact fire spread in the vicinity of the wreckage to the surrounding trees and undergrowth.
A witness in the vicinity of the accident site stated that the airplane flew overhead at a high rate of speed and described that the engine was running when it impacted the ground.
All major components of the airplane were located at the accident site. The engine was partially buried in in a crater that was 5 ft deep by 8 ft wide. The engine was severely damaged by impact forces, and crankshaft continuity and cylinder compression could not be confirmed due to internal impact damage.
The magneto key was broken off in the switch and set on “Both.” Both magnetos separated from the engine during the accident sequence, were damaged by impact forces, and could not be functionally tested. The spark plugs were impact damaged but showed minimal wear when compared to the Champion Check-A-Plug chart and did not display any evidence of carbon or lead fouling.
The propeller blades separated from the hub during the impact sequence. One blade was buried in the impact crater, while the opposing blade was found 30 feet west of the main wreckage. The buried blade exhibited a significant bend with chordwise scraping and leadingedge gouges. The opposing blade had a slight bend, and also exhibited chordwise scraping. The propeller hub showed rotational crushing damage. There was no evidence of an inflight fire.
The flight control system components from the cockpit to all control surfaces were significantly damaged or destroyed by impact forces and the post-impact fire. Flight control continuity could not be established; however, all observed breaks of the flight control cables displayed fracture features that were indicative of tensile overload (having “broomstraw” appearances consistent with impact-related separation). The elevator trim was measured and correlated to about 5° of trim tab deflection in the nose down direction. The rudder, left horizontal stabilizer, and elevator remained attached to the empennage, and were free to move when manually manipulated.
The cockpit was destroyed by impact forces and fire, and no flight instrumentation or gauges could be identified or recovered. The airplane was equipped with a Century 2000 autopilot, and while the instrument panel faceplate was identified, no settings of the autopilot could be determined. The autopilot servos were damaged by impact and fire.
The wreckage, including two intact digital video recording devices, were retained for further examination.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.wsmv.com/2023/12/07/plane-crash-reported-giles-county/
https://www.wvlt.tv/2023/12/07/plane-crash-reported-giles-county/
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2023/12/07/knoxville-single-engine-plane-crashes-in-pulaski-tennessee/71840550007/
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N5891J
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N5891J/history/20231207/1618Z/KDKX/6TN5
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a799db&lat=35.103&lon=-86.650&zoom=8.4&showTrace=2023-12-07
https://photos.flightaware.com/photos/retriever/1be5c432e8b778665880573fe3745a843dbbb73e (photo)
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 5 November 2008 | N5891J | Private | 0 | Atlanta, Georgia | |
sub |
| 25 March 2021 | N5891J | Private | 0 | Mount Pleasant Regional Airport (LRO/KLRO), SC | |
min |
| Gear-up landing | ||||||
Location
Media:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Dec-2023 18:00 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 07-Dec-2023 18:56 | vasilf | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, ] |
| 07-Dec-2023 18:56 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 07-Dec-2023 18:57 | harro | Updated [Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Phase, Source, ] |
| 08-Dec-2023 08:51 | harro | Updated [Total occupants, Other fatalities, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 08-Dec-2023 18:30 | fr7391 | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 09-Dec-2023 08:21 | johnwg | Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 19-Dec-2023 21:32 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
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