BEECH E95 — Elkmont, AL

What happened

The private pilot held a single-engine land rating and was receiving instruction in the multi-engine airplane. About 22 minutes after departure, the flight was in a practice area 18 miles northwest of the departure airport at 5,700 ft mean sea level. The flight instructor reported “mayday” to air traffic control and that the airplane was in a spin. Radio and radar contact were subsequently lost. The airplane came to rest flat and upright in a harvested cotton field. All four corners of the airplane were identified, and no debris path was observed. The nose and both engines were canted right, consistent with a left spin at impact. The landing gear and flaps remained attached and were found in the fully extended position. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Toxicology results were negative for the flight instructor. The toxicology results indicated that the pilot had used a combination of sedating antihistamines, cough medications, and fever medication. Sedating antihistamines may cause decreased cognition, impaired psychomotor performance, and decreased vigilance. If the pilot was treating an acute illness such as an upper respiratory infection, the illness may have also adversely affected the pilot’s alertness and focus. Although the effects of the pilot’s use of sedating antihistamines and any underlying illness could not be determined and the pilot had limited skill and experience with multi-engine aircraft, the flight instructor had 322 hours of experience in multi-engine airplanes, most of which was in the same make and model as the accident airplane.

A performance study of ADS-B data revealed the airplane slowed to an airspeed slightly above the published wings-level stall speed and entered a steep descent before the data recording ended. The recorded altitude and estimated airspeed in the minutes preceding the steep descent suggest that power was being reduced by the pilot on one or both engines. The estimated airspeed was close to the published stall speed and the minimum control speed for the airplane prior to it entering the steep descent and the flight instructor reporting that the airplane was in a spin. Based on the data and wreckage indications, the flight instructor likely did not maintain control of the airplane during slow flight maneuvering and/or single-engine practice work.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.