John C Tune Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Bellevue, Tennessee 37221
Monday, February 3, 2014 16:55 CST

On February 3, 2014, about 1655 central standard time, a Gulfstream Commander 690C, N840V, operated by a private pilot, was destroyed when it impacted the ground near Bellevue, Tennessee, while on approach to the John C. Tune Airport (JWN), Nashville, Tennessee. The private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Great Bend Municipal Airport (GBD), Great Bend, Kansas. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to initial information obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airplane was based at GBD. On the date of the accident, the pilot flew the airplane from the Clarence E. Page Municipal Airport (RCE), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where it had been undergoing maintenance, which included a 150-hour periodic inspection, to GBD. The pilot and three passengers then departed for JWN about 1445, and planned to attend a convention and trade show that was being held in the Nashville area. The flight progressed toward Nashville without incident and the pilot was cleared for a GPS approach to runway 2 at JWN. During the approach, air traffic control informed the pilot that the airplane was about 1/2 mile east of the final approach course, and the pilot reported that he was correcting. The pilot subsequently performed a missed approach and was cleared for a second GPS approach to runway 2. During the second attempt, the airplane was on the final approach course when it veered to the left and began a descent. The airplane had turned to a heading of about 210 degrees before radar contact was lost. There were no distress calls received from the pilot prior to the accident. The airplane impacted trees and a field adjacent to a building, about 9 miles south of JWN. It created an 11-foot-long, 11-foot-wide, 6-foot-deep impact crater. Broken tree branches that contained 45 degree angled cuts were observed at a height of about 50 feet. The airplane impacted the ground at about a 70 degree angle, consistent with being in an inverted position. It was severely fragmented with debris scattered on a course about 320 degrees, for about 450 feet. In addition, a postcrash fire consumed a majority of the airframe. Portions of both outboard wings, the nose section, empennage and all flight control surfaces were located at the accident site. Both engines were impact and fire damaged. They did not display any obvious evidence of catastrophic failure; however, they and the airframe were retained for further examination. Blades from both propellers displayed evidence of rotational scoring with leading and trailing edge gouges consistent with rotation at the time of impact. The airplane was manufactured in 1982. It was powered by two Executive Wings Inc. supplemental type certificate modified Garrett TPE331-5-511K, 715-horsepower engines, equipped with Hartzell three-bladed propeller assemblies. Initial review of maintenance information revealed that at the time of the accident, the airframe and both engines had been operated for about 4,460 total hours since new. A weather observation taken at JWN at 1655 included an overcast ceiling at 800 feet, and a visibility of 5 statute miles.

Not Yet Reported