Independence

The pilot was conducting a personal flight with four passengers. A witness observed the airplane take off and climb slowly from the airport. A pilot flying in the vicinity observed the airplane maneuver erratically before the airplane impacted terrain in a near-vertical attitude. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postimpact fire. The wreckage was contained to a confined area in the field and the remains of the major airplane components were all accounted for. Extensive thermal damage to the airframe and engine limited the scope of the postaccident examination. The impact energy needed to drive the engine into the ground suggested that the engine was producing power at the time of the accident. A postaccident examination of the remaining airframe and engine components did not reveal any anomalies which would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Depending on the amount of fuel, baggage and equipment on board, and the location of the adult passenger, the center of gravity (CG) could have been within or aft of the recommended CG. Since fuel load and location of the passengers could not be determined or may have shifted during flight, it is not known if loading contributed to the accident. The pilot was not operating with valid medical certification. His second-class medical certificate had expired several years prior to the accident and Federal Aviation Administration records did not indicate that he had obtained BasicMed medical certification. A pilot-rated passenger was seated in the rightfront seat. Investigators were unable to determine who was manipulating the flight controls of the airplane at the time of the accident. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s loss of control. However, the reason for the loss of control could not be determined with the available evidence.

The two aircraft, a Beech U-21A and a Piper PA-31-350, collided nearly head on at 7,000 feet msl over Independence, MO. In daylight VMC conditions with a visibility of 20 miles. The U-21 was in level cruise and the PA-31 was climbing eastbound to an undisclosed altitude enroute to Saint Louis. Both aircraft were equipped with operating mode-c transponders but the controller in contact with the U-21 did not observe the conflict and traffic advisories were not provided. The PA-31 was operating in accordance with visual flight rules. The U-21 was operating in accordance with instrument flight rules. After the collision both aircraft crashed in uncontrolled descent. There was no indication that either aircraft took any evasive action. The conflict alert subprogram of the ARTS III tracking system was not programmed to alert the controllers to the impending collision and the two controllers did not observe any target in the vicinity of the data block representing the U-21. All six occupants in both aircraft were killed.

The two aircraft, a Beech U-21A and a Piper PA-31-350, collided nearly head on at 7,000 feet msl over Independence, MO. In daylight VMC conditions with a visibility of 20 miles. The U-21 was in level cruise and the PA-31 was climbing eastbound to an undisclosed altitude enroute to Saint Louis. Both aircraft were equipped with operating mode-c transponders but the controller in contact with the U-21 did not observe the conflict and traffic advisories were not provided. The PA-31 was operating in accordance with visual flight rules. The U-21 was operating in accordance with instrument flight rules. After the collision both aircraft crashed in uncontrolled descent. There was no indication that either aircraft took any evasive action. The conflict alert subprogram of the ARTS III tracking system was not programmed to alert the controllers to the impending collision and the two controllers did not observe any target in the vicinity of the data block representing the U-21. All six occupants in both aircraft were killed.