What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
April 18, 2014, at approximately 1845 UTC, the multi-engine instrument rated pilot crashed an experimental aircraft (Quicksilver GT400) just after takeoff. The accident took place behind the residence of privacy data omitted in marion county Kansas. The pilot departed from his friend?s farm field and climb to about 100 feet made a slight right turn and hit a tree and crashed. The pilot involved was found separated from the aircraft.
Approximately two years prior to this accident the aircraft had been involved in an incident. The aircraft had been undergoing extensive maintenance until April 18, 2014 flight. According to a witness the pilot was determined to fly the aircraft to an airport to be sold at auction. (The owner wanted him to trailer the aircraft to the auction.) The left wing was installed and gas had to be poured directly into the cylinder through a spark plug opening to start the aircraft. The engine started and responded normally.
According to a witness the aircraft took off and departed normally. At approximately 100 feet a slow right turn was made and it flew out of sight. A loud pop was heard and the aircraft was upside down in the water with the gear sticking out. The pilot was separated from the aircraft.
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident with the winds gusting between 15-20 knots and unlimited visibility. Weather reports of the area indicated sky clear.
The aircraft hit a tree with the left wing and prop then some how flipped upside down and came to rest in a small pond. The crash site debris field indicated a clean break where the wing hit the tree and the wooden prop was in splinters scattered across the wreckage. There was no visible restraint harness for the pilot on the aircraft. Previous pictures of the aircraft indicated that at one point pilot restraints had been installed in the aircraft.
The paramedics were the first on the scene and working on the pilot when the highway patrol arrived.
The pilot (the only soul on board) died on the way to the hospital.
This aircraft would not have been considered to be airworthy due to not having been registered, issued an airworthiness certificate or being inspected on an annual basis. It is possible the pilot?s determination to complete the flight may have contributed to mistakes while conducting maintenance hours before the flight. Without maintenance manuals, logbooks and records those type of determination are almost impossible to make. The aircraft was never registered with the FAA so airworthiness could be an issue. The on-scene inspection of the aircraft did not show any obvious system malfunctions.
As the FAA filed it
APRIL 18, 2014, AT APPROXIMATELY 1845 UTC, THE MULTI-ENGINE INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT CRASHED AN EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT (QUICKSILVER GT400) JUST AFTER TAKEOFF. THE ACCIDENT TOOK PLACE BEHIND THE RESIDENCE OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IN MARION COUNTY KANSAS. THE PILOT DEPARTED FROM HIS FRIEND?S FARM FIELD AND CLIMB TO ABOUT 100 FEET MADE A SLIGHT RIGHT TURN AND HIT A TREE AND CRASHED. THE PILOT INVOLVED WAS FOUND SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT.
APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS PRIOR TO THIS ACCIDENT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN AN INCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN UNDERGOING EXTENSIVE MAINTENANCE UNTIL APRIL 18, 2014 FLIGHT. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS THE PILOT WAS DETERMINED TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT TO AN AIRPORT TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION. (THE OWNER WANTED HIM TO TRAILER THE AIRCRAFT TO THE AUCTION.) THE LEFT WING WAS INSTALLED AND GAS HAD TO BE POURED DIRECTLY INTO THE CYLINDER THROUGH A SPARK PLUG OPENING TO START THE AIRCRAFT. THE ENGINE STARTED AND RESPONDED NORMALLY.
ACCORDING TO A WITNESS THE AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF AND DEPARTED NORMALLY. AT APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET A SLOW RIGHT TURN WAS MADE AND IT FLEW OUT OF SIGHT. A LOUD POP WAS HEARD AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS UPSIDE DOWN IN THE WATER WITH THE GEAR STICKING OUT. THE PILOT WAS SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT.
VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WITH THE WINDS GUSTING BETWEEN 15-20 KNOTS AND UNLIMITED VISIBILITY. WEATHER REPORTS OF THE AREA INDICATED SKY CLEAR.
THE AIRCRAFT HIT A TREE WITH THE LEFT WING AND PROP THEN SOME HOW FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN AND CAME TO REST IN A SMALL POND. THE CRASH SITE DEBRIS FIELD INDICATED A CLEAN BREAK WHERE THE WING HIT THE TREE AND THE WOODEN PROP WAS IN SPLINTERS SCATTERED ACROSS THE WRECKAGE. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE RESTRAINT HARNESS FOR THE PILOT ON THE AIRCRAFT. PREVIOUS PICTURES OF THE AIRCRAFT INDICATED THAT AT ONE POINT PILOT RESTRAINTS HAD BEEN INSTALLED IN THE AIRCRAFT.
THE PARAMEDICS WERE THE FIRST ON THE SCENE AND WORKING ON THE PILOT WHEN THE HIGHWAY PATROL ARRIVED.
THE PILOT (THE ONLY SOUL ON BOARD) DIED ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL.
THIS AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED TO BE AIRWORTHY DUE TO NOT HAVING BEEN REGISTERED, ISSUED AN AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE OR BEING INSPECTED ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. IT IS POSSIBLE THE PILOT?S DETERMINATION TO COMPLETE THE FLIGHT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO MISTAKES WHILE CONDUCTING MAINTENANCE HOURS BEFORE THE FLIGHT. WITHOUT MAINTENANCE MANUALS, LOGBOOKS AND RECORDS THOSE TYPE OF DETERMINATION ARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NEVER REGISTERED WITH THE FAA SO AIRWORTHINESS COULD BE AN ISSUE. THE ON-SCENE INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT SHOW ANY OBVIOUS SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS.