What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Note: times, headings, and altitudes are approximate. Aircraft took off from harlem, MT airport at 0500 mountain standard time (MDT). The aircraft was privacy data omitted piloted by privacy data omitted, a commercial pilot with single and multiengine ratings. The flight was VFR. Aircraft flew in a northerly direction when it departed the airport. At 0515 two witnesses heard the aircraft approach their house, heard the aircraft sound like it was making a turn, followed by a thud. One of the witnesses in the house was an EMT, was at the airplane within minutes of the accident. He called the pilot by name, but there was no response from the pilot. Two other emt's arrived shortly after, and extricated the pilot. The aircraft was destroyed on impact, and pilot was fatally injured at impact. The aircraft impact was high angle, 85 degrees, and high energy. The aircraft had departed with a load of chemical, some sprayed forward at impact with more in the hole under the engine. The soil in the field was hard pack, similar to a gravel road. The engine and propeller struck the ground close to vertical, with one prop blade digging into the ground with rock and dirt impact on the leading edge of the visible prop blade; one section of that blade was bent forward on the inboard end and back on the outboard end and other prop blade was bent back. Only the outboard ends of leading edge of the wings struck the ground, leaving marks in the soil below them. The left wing leading edge had a larger and deeper impact area in the soil, with more severe damage leading edge damage than the right wing. The left stabilizer & elevator were both bent up at the outboard end, with buckling caused by aft displacement. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator had broken free at the attach fittings and were laying next to the aircraft. The fuselage was buckled to the left, with the left side in compression and the right side stretched with pulled fasteners. The seat also twisted to the left enough to cut the shoulder harness when it tore the structure to the left of the seatbelt feedthrough in the bulkhead behind the pilot. The left wing fuel tank split open. The right wing fuel tank had rivets pulled out at the back end of the fuel tank at the spar. The flap actuator gearbox was found with the ball screw extended 3.375 inch, which places the flaps in the full down position. The flaps should be between 5 and 8 degrees down for a turn per the FAA approved aircraft flight manual. The aircraft struck the ground 50 yards from the house. No trees or other obstacle were struck. There is one tall tower 150 yards from the house, but it can't be determined if it was in the flight path. The debris field was approximately 100 yards forward of the aircraft, composed mainly of portions of the fiberglass spray tank that came apart. All flight controls were present at the accident site. The weather conditions in the area at the time from house occupants and witnesses on scene. The weather was VFR, with +10 miles visibility, partly cloudy with high clouds, wind was 0, 55 degrees, humidity 60%. The post-mortem toxicology report detected sertraline in the blood at .014 ug/ml, between the therapeutic low of .010UG/ML and high of .200 ug/ml and was also in the urine. Desmethylsertraline, the metabolite from sertraline, was found in the blood at .045 ug/ml, and was also in the urine. Amended 06/21/2012: to correct FAA hours used for total investigation.
As the FAA filed it
NOTE: TIMES, HEADINGS, AND ALTITUDES ARE APPROXIMATE. AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF FROM HARLEM, MT AIRPORT AT 0500 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME (MDT). THE AIRCRAFT WAS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PILOTED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, A COMMERCIAL PILOT WITH SINGLE AND MULTIENGINE RATINGS. THE FLIGHT WAS VFR. AIRCRAFT FLEW IN A NORTHERLY DIRECTION WHEN IT DEPARTED THE AIRPORT. AT 0515 TWO WITNESSES HEARD THE AIRCRAFT APPROACH THEIR HOUSE, HEARD THE AIRCRAFT SOUND LIKE IT WAS MAKING A TURN, FOLLOWED BY A THUD. ONE OF THE WITNESSES IN THE HOUSE WAS AN EMT, WAS AT THE AIRPLANE WITHIN MINUTES OF THE ACCIDENT. HE CALLED THE PILOT BY NAME, BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE PILOT. TWO OTHER EMT'S ARRIVED SHORTLY AFTER, AND EXTRICATED THE PILOT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED ON IMPACT, AND PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED AT IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACT WAS HIGH ANGLE, 85 DEGREES, AND HIGH ENERGY. THE AIRCRAFT HAD DEPARTED WITH A LOAD OF CHEMICAL, SOME SPRAYED FORWARD AT IMPACT WITH MORE IN THE HOLE UNDER THE ENGINE. THE SOIL IN THE FIELD WAS HARD PACK, SIMILAR TO A GRAVEL ROAD. THE ENGINE AND PROPELLER STRUCK THE GROUND CLOSE TO VERTICAL, WITH ONE PROP BLADE DIGGING INTO THE GROUND WITH ROCK AND DIRT IMPACT ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE VISIBLE PROP BLADE; ONE SECTION OF THAT BLADE WAS BENT FORWARD ON THE INBOARD END AND BACK ON THE OUTBOARD END AND OTHER PROP BLADE WAS BENT BACK. ONLY THE OUTBOARD ENDS OF LEADING EDGE OF THE WINGS STRUCK THE GROUND, LEAVING MARKS IN THE SOIL BELOW THEM. THE LEFT WING LEADING EDGE HAD A LARGER AND DEEPER IMPACT AREA IN THE SOIL, WITH MORE SEVERE DAMAGE LEADING EDGE DAMAGE THAN THE RIGHT WING. THE LEFT STABILIZER & ELEVATOR WERE BOTH BENT UP AT THE OUTBOARD END, WITH BUCKLING CAUSED BY AFT DISPLACEMENT. THE RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND ELEVATOR HAD BROKEN FREE AT THE ATTACH FITTINGS AND WERE LAYING NEXT TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE FUSELAGE WAS BUCKLED TO THE LEFT, WITH THE LEFT SIDE IN COMPRESSION AND THE RIGHT SIDE STRETCHED WITH PULLED FASTENERS. THE SEAT ALSO TWISTED TO THE LEFT ENOUGH TO CUT THE SHOULDER HARNESS WHEN IT TORE THE STRUCTURE TO THE LEFT OF THE SEATBELT FEEDTHROUGH IN THE BULKHEAD BEHIND THE PILOT. THE LEFT WING FUEL TANK SPLIT OPEN. THE RIGHT WING FUEL TANK HAD RIVETS PULLED OUT AT THE BACK END OF THE FUEL TANK AT THE SPAR. THE FLAP ACTUATOR GEARBOX WAS FOUND WITH THE BALL SCREW EXTENDED 3.375 INCH, WHICH PLACES THE FLAPS IN THE FULL DOWN POSITION. THE FLAPS SHOULD BE BETWEEN 5 AND 8 DEGREES DOWN FOR A TURN PER THE FAA APPROVED AIRCRAFT FLIGHT MANUAL. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND 50 YARDS FROM THE HOUSE. NO TREES OR OTHER OBSTACLE WERE STRUCK. THERE IS ONE TALL TOWER 150 YARDS FROM THE HOUSE, BUT IT CAN'T BE DETERMINED IF IT WAS IN THE FLIGHT PATH. THE DEBRIS FIELD WAS APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS FORWARD OF THE AIRCRAFT, COMPOSED MAINLY OF PORTIONS OF THE FIBERGLASS SPRAY TANK THAT CAME APART. ALL FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE PRESENT AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THE AREA AT THE TIME FROM HOUSE OCCUPANTS AND WITNESSES ON SCENE. THE WEATHER WAS VFR, WITH +10 MILES VISIBILITY, PARTLY CLOUDY WITH HIGH CLOUDS, WIND WAS 0, 55 DEGREES, HUMIDITY 60%. THE POST-MORTEM TOXICOLOGY REPORT DETECTED SERTRALINE IN THE BLOOD AT .014 UG/ML, BETWEEN THE THERAPEUTIC LOW OF .010UG/ML AND HIGH OF .200 UG/ML AND WAS ALSO IN THE URINE. DESMETHYLSERTRALINE, THE METABOLITE FROM SERTRALINE, WAS FOUND IN THE BLOOD AT .045 UG/ML, AND WAS ALSO IN THE URINE. AMENDED 06/21/2012: TO CORRECT FAA HOURS USED FOR TOTAL INVESTIGATION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.