What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Acft struck trees and crashed in the massasoit state park, pilot suffered fatal inj, acft was destroyed. (-23) Mr. Morelli was observed to have been performing maintenance periodically during the day on 05/26/98 on N1189Z. The maintenance was being performed on the two carburetors on the bombadier-rotax engine. The aircraft engine cowling was not found at the crash site, however the cowling was located in the hangar at the Taunton airport undamaged. (.19) on may 26, 1998, about 1845 eastern daylight time, a morelli rans S9, N1189Z, was destroyed when it struck a tree in massasoit state park, Taunton, Massachusetts. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local maintenance flight, which had departed from Taunton, Massachusetts. No flight plan had been filed for the flight that was conducted under 14 CFR part 91. A witness reported observing the airplane flying near the approach end of runway 30 at Taunton, with the engine operating. The airplane circled for several minutes in the area. He then heard the engine quit, followed by an impact and the n silence. The airplane was found in a densely wooded area, about 1/2 miles before the approach end of runway 30. On-site examination revealed that the airplane had struck the east side of a 75 foot high tree, with debris falling to the ground, west of the initial impact point. Both wings were separated from the fuselage, and both fuel tanks were ejected from their wings. About 1 quart of gasoline was observed in one fuel tank. No evidence of an engine cowling was found at the accident site. The airplane was moved to the pilot's hangar at Taunton airport for further examination. The engine cowling for the airplane was in the hangar. The lower engine cowling had a scoop on the bottom for air intake into the back portion of the engine compartment. The upper engine cowling had an exhaust vent located on the forward portion. The engine was cooled by a fan that was attached to the backside. The top and sides of the engine were covered with an aluminum baffle for direction of the cooling airflow. Flight control continuity was verified to the rudder and elevator. The aileron control cables were intact at the fuselage and separated from the wings. Fuel was found in the fuel line l eading to the engine driven fuel pump. The spark plugs had oil on the electrodes, and produced spark when placed in a spark plug tester. The engine was rotated by hand and compression was found in both cylinders. No evidence of scoring was visible on the cylinders when viewed through the exhaust ports. The airplane had accumulated a total time of 11.3 hours at the time of the accident. According to pilot records from the federal aviation administration (FAA), the pilot's total flight time was in excess of 900 hours.
As the FAA filed it
ACFT STRUCK TREES AND CRASHED IN THE MASSASOIT STATE PARK, PILOT SUFFERED FATAL INJ, ACFT WAS DESTROYED. (-23) MR. MORELLI WAS OBSERVED TO HAVE BEEN PERFORMING MAINTENANCE PERIODICALLY DURING THE DAY ON 05/26/98 ON N1189Z. THE MAINTENANCE WAS BEING PERFORMED ON THE TWO CARBURETORS ON THE BOMBADIER-ROTAX ENGINE. THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE COWLING WAS NOT FOUND AT THE CRASH SITE, HOWEVER THE COWLING WAS LOCATED IN THE HANGAR AT THE TAUNTON AIRPORT UNDAMAGED. (.19) ON MAY 26, 1998, ABOUT 1845 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A MORELLI RANS S9, N1189Z, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT STRUCK A TREE IN MASSASOIT STATE PARK, TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS. THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL MAINTENANCE FLIGHT, WHICH HAD DEPARTED FROM TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS. NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE FLIGHT THAT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. A WITNESS REPORTED OBSERVING THE AIRPLANE FLYING NEAR THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 30 AT TAUNTON, WITH THE ENGINE OPERATING. THE AIRPLANE CIRCLED FOR SEVERAL MINUTES IN THE AREA. HE THEN HEARD THE ENGINE QUIT, FOLLOWED BY AN IMPACT AND THE N SILENCE. THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND IN A DENSELY WOODED AREA, ABOUT 1/2 MILES BEFORE THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 30. ON-SITE EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD STRUCK THE EAST SIDE OF A 75 FOOT HIGH TREE, WITH DEBRIS FALLING TO THE GROUND, WEST OF THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT. BOTH WINGS WERE SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE, AND BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE EJECTED FROM THEIR WINGS. ABOUT 1 QUART OF GASOLINE WAS OBSERVED IN ONE FUEL TANK. NO EVIDENCE OF AN ENGINE COWLING WAS FOUND AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE AIRPLANE WAS MOVED TO THE PILOT'S HANGAR AT TAUNTON AIRPORT FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION. THE ENGINE COWLING FOR THE AIRPLANE WAS IN THE HANGAR. THE LOWER ENGINE COWLING HAD A SCOOP ON THE BOTTOM FOR AIR INTAKE INTO THE BACK PORTION OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE UPPER ENGINE COWLING HAD AN EXHAUST VENT LOCATED ON THE FORWARD PORTION. THE ENGINE WAS COOLED BY A FAN THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE BACKSIDE. THE TOP AND SIDES OF THE ENGINE WERE COVERED WITH AN ALUMINUM BAFFLE FOR DIRECTION OF THE COOLING AIRFLOW. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS VERIFIED TO THE RUDDER AND ELEVATOR. THE AILERON CONTROL CABLES WERE INTACT AT THE FUSELAGE AND SEPARATED FROM THE WINGS. FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL LINE L EADING TO THE ENGINE DRIVEN FUEL PUMP. THE SPARK PLUGS HAD OIL ON THE ELECTRODES, AND PRODUCED SPARK WHEN PLACED IN A SPARK PLUG TESTER. THE ENGINE WAS ROTATED BY HAND AND COMPRESSION WAS FOUND IN BOTH CYLINDERS. NO EVIDENCE OF SCORING WAS VISIBLE ON THE CYLINDERS WHEN VIEWED THROUGH THE EXHAUST PORTS. THE AIRPLANE HAD ACCUMULATED A TOTAL TIME OF 11.3 HOURS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO PILOT RECORDS FROM THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA), THE PILOT'S TOTAL FLIGHT TIME WAS IN EXCESS OF 900 HOURS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.