Cessna 414 N127BC

Summary

On 15 August 2014 at about 20:35 local time, a Cessna 414 registered N127BC was involved in an accident near Bowie, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 August 2014 at 20:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Bowie, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Bowie Muni (0F2)

Coordinates

33.6206, -97.7742

Aircraft

Cessna 414

Registration

N127BC

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

La Porte → Bowie

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14FA438

2 people died.

The pilot’s incapacitation in flight as the result of a an acute cardiac event, which resulted in a loss of control and collision with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The multi-engine airplane was about 500 ft above ground level (agl) and on a left base landing approach when a witness saw the airplane suddenly point straight down, begin spinning, and make three complete rotations before impacting terrain in a partially nose-down attitude. The airplane came to rest upright, and was mostly consumed by an immediate postimpact fire. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A pilot operating another pipeline patrol airplane in the vicinity reported frequent severe-to-extreme turbulence about 1,000-2,000 ft above ground level. Data from an on-board GPS unit indicated that, while on the base leg of the airport traffic pattern for landing, the accident airplane's airspeed decayed 10 knots below the manufacturer's recommended approach speed for turbulent conditions. An autopsy performed on the pilot found significant existing atherosclerotic disease (60 to 80 percent) and described evidence of an acute, premortem, nonocclusive thrombosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery. The medical examiner's conclusion stated it "appears the decedent likely suffered an acute cardiac event while piloting his aircraft" and "died primarily due to hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and that his multiple blunt force injuries likely contributed to his death." It is likely that the pilot was incapacitated due to the acute cardiac event and lost control of the airplane during the approach to land.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.