20121201026249A

On December 1, 2012, N118GG, a thorp 18 aircraft, departed from pompano air park (pmp) to lakeland. The aircraft departed at approximately 1759Z (1259PM). The aircraft was reported late or no show by the family about 12 hours later. Civil air patrol aircraft launched out on Sunday morning at approximately 0440AM and acquired an ELT signal at about 520AM. The palm beach county sheriff's office (pbso) helicopter (eagle ii) launched out and found an aircraft in a sugar cane field about 3-5 miles s.e. of the Pahokee (phk) airport. The helo vectored in the first responders on the ground and departed. The first responders found the aircraft upside down with no engine and no wings. They identified the aircraft as the overdue N118GG aircraft. FAA and NTSB were contacted and arrived on scene shortly after that. The pilot's wallet was recovered and used to identify the person on board. Ground scars showed the aircraft as coming straight down at high angle & low speed. None of the surrounding sugar cane was disturbed. The area was photographed and an inventory of the parts that arrived at the crash site was performed. This inventory accounted for the airframe, empennage, tail, elevator and rudder. The parts unaccounted for or not at the crash site were, both wings (about half the wing was missing) along with the propeller, engine, firewall, cockpit dash, rudder pedals, canopy and the main landing gear. The aircraft was later turned over and the pilot was unbelted and removed. The top of the aircraft showed signs that the pilot had been injured before the aircraft struck the ground. The aircraft sustained more impact damage on the left side then the right. An impact and transfer mark on the left wings leading edge indicates that the left main landing gear and fairing struck the wing. The aircraft was removed to an impound lot, were the NTSB continued examining the wreckage. According to radar information acquired from ATC and NTSB, it shows that about 17 minutes into the flight, N118GG encountered traffic, a Boeing 757, at between 7600'-8000'+/-. N118GG flies just left of the 757 with approximately 400+ feet of separation between the two aircraft and opposite direction. N118GG turns left and now flies parallel and left of the 757'S course. N118GG was unable to maintain a steady heading and altitude, so he climbs from 7600' up to 8400'. As N118GG crosses the 757'S flight path again and drops from 8200' to 7300' in about 10SECONDS. At the next radar sweep, the aircraft shows no altitude and 157KTS airspeed. On December 11, 2012, a pbso helicopter surveyed the crash site and relocated an area in question. As they got closer, they saw a propeller and engine about 180 yards east of the crash site. FAA and the sheriff's office were vectored in and a positive id was made of the engine, propeller and main landing gear. The engine landed upside down in the sugar cane field and was buried in the muck. Only the bottom of the engine was exposed along with one propeller blade and the landing gear. The engine was recovered and relocated to the impound lot for continued examination.