NTSB Factual Report

On April 19, 2007, about 0815 eastern daylight time, a Cessna U206G, N2874B, registered to and operated by a private individual as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, impacted a utility pole and crashed in Welaka, Florida. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The commercial-rated pilot and one passenger were killed, and the airplane received substantial damage. The flight was originating from the Mount Royal Airpark (3FL0), Welaka, Florida, at the time of the accident.

A witness was fishing on a pier at the time of the accident. She reported that the airplane came "over the trees, saw it coming in, thought it was too low, you, you just see and think it's too low but it apparently was, flew into the wires, the wing hit the, the pole, the center pole, then the body turned down and hit into the pole and it all fell into the water by the pilings." Regarding engine noise, she reported "...there was no failed engine, no putter, no sputter..."

The pilot, age 68, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single- and multi-engine land ratings. He held an instrument rating at the time of the accident and was a certified instrument flight and ground advanced instrument instructor. He was issued a third class medical certificate on January 3, 2006, with a restriction to wear corrective lenses. A page from the pilot's logbook indicated 3,936.1 hours of flight time as of April, 2007.

The 82-year old right seat passenger owned the airplane and was the owner and manager of Mount Royal Airpark. Reportedly, he stopped flying at age 80 and often flew as a passenger with the pilot. According to his last medical certificate application, dated August 26, 2004, he reported 3,000 hours of flight time. His application for a medical certificate was denied by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI), citing a failure to provide evidence of a current eye evaluation.

FAA records indicate that the airplane was manufactured in 1977 and powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) IO-520-F engine. The aircraft was equipped with an S-TEC 50 autopilot computer, roll servo, and pitch servo. An Apollo GX 50 GPS and a WX-900 Stormscope were also installed.

Only the front page of the aircraft logbook was recovered. An acquaintance of both occupants was interviewed and reported that an annual inspection was performed about three to four months prior to the accident. The engine logbook indicated that the engine was inspected per an annual inspection on November 1, 2006. At the time of this inspection, the number five cylinder was overhauled and reinstalled. The propeller logbook indicated an inspection dated November 1, 2006, and documented a Hartzell three-blade propeller. Airplane total time at this inspection was 5,756.4 hours.

The acquaintance of the pilot described the weather at the time of the accident as follows: "Very little, wind, uhm, somewhat of a, a layer of uh, haze and fog."

The female witness who was fishing on a dock at the time of the accident reported "it was foggy but at the time, somehow strangely clear." When asked if she could see across the lake, she responded "Almost, not, not, not completely clearly, no."

The 0816 weather observation taken at Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV), Gainesville, Florida, located approximately 35 nautical miles (NM) northwest of the accident site, indicated winds from 340 at 3 knots, visibility 1/4 statute mile in fog, vertical visibility 100 feet, temperature 52 degrees F, dew point 52 degrees F, and an altimeter setting of 29.80 inches of mercury.

The main wreckage was recovered from the St. Johns River, located about 0.6 NM southwest of 3FL0. A section of the cockpit floor and lower fuselage was recovered from the top of the approximately 130-foot-high utility pole.

An examination of the accident site and wreckage was conducted by an FAA inspector. There was no evidence of fire. Primary flight control cable continuity was established from the control surfaces to the cockpit area. The flap actuator indicated approximately 30 degrees down. The windshield, a majority of the upper engine cowl, and the engine oil cap were not recovered at the time of the examination. Engine continuity and compression were established by manually rotating the crankshaft. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft. One blade was bent forward and the other two blades indicated s-bending.

The engine was inspected and run at the TCM facility in Mobile, Alabama on October 31, 2007. The inspection was performed under the direction of the National Transportation Safety Board Investigator-in-Charge (IIC) and TCM personnel were present. The cylinders were borescoped prior to the run with normal operating signatures observed. A replacement propeller and oil cap were installed for the engine run. The engine was started and was run for approximately 5 minutes. Engine power was advanced to full throttle six times and the engine performed normally. An oil leak was observed at the number five cylinder position. The engine accelerated normally without any hesitation or interruption of power.

Postmortem examinations of the pilot and passenger were performed by the Office of the Medical Examiner, District 23, in St. Augustine, Florida. The cause of death for the pilot was listed as, "Internal hemorrhage due to ruptured aorta due to blunt force trauma." The cause of death for the passenger was listed as, "Multiple injuries due to blunt force trauma."

Forensic toxicology was performed on specimens of the pilot by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory (CAMI), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and by the Florida District 23 Medical Examiner. The CAMI toxicology report was negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol. Metoprolol was present in the blood and urine. The District 23 autopsy report was negative for blood alcohol and tested drugs.

Forensic toxicology was performed on specimens of the passenger by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory (CAMI), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and by the Florida District 23 Medical Examiner. The CAMI toxicology report indicated amlodipine in the blood and urine, hydrocodone in the blood and urine, dihydrocodeine in the blood and urine, hydromorphone in the urine, alprazolam in the urine, alpha-hydroxyalprazolam in the urine, and acetaminophen in the urine. The District 23 autopsy report was negative for blood alcohol and positive for blood-opiates.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions and his failure to maintain clearance from utility poles. Contributing to the accident were the fog and haze.