What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
7/25/2014 N3831W crashed at Grove City Airport K29D at 1100EST. Wreckage was located on airport property, in a drainage ditch approximately 12FT deep about 200FT to the south and 750FT down and parallel to runway 28. The aircraft was lying at approximately a 300 degrees heading. The engine, engine mount, and attached firewall were broken off the airframe. The airframe was entirely made of plywood, a single seat tail wheel airplane. First impact was the front of the engine and the left main gear near the bottom of and into the east facing side of the drainage ditch. There was a heavy smell of fuel in the water under the aircraft.
On 7/25/2014, after extraction and moving aircraft to hanger, a flight control continuity inspection of N3831W was conducted. Found ailerons and elevator connected. Rudder pedals were broken from floor of cockpit, the rudder cables and rudder connections were found intact. The fuel valve was found in the off position and the airport manager stated the medical first responders had shut off the fuel. The fuel line was open to the environment. Engine, engine mount and firewall were torn from fuselage, engine controls and wires were stilled connected to fuselage.
On 7/28/2014 conducted an inspection of the engine in t hangar at Grove City Airport.
-- Fuel system-- pulled fuel filter found small amount of fuel and very small dirt particles, the carburetor had a small amount of fuel and tiny dirt particles. Fuel drain on fuel bowl was found open and fuel hose attachments were open to the environment.
--Air-- air filter and induction system had damage and small debris from impact.
--Spark plugs-- clean and apparently operational with small amount of corrosion.
--Ignition system?spark plug wires were removed from the top of the distributor cap, and the distributor cap was loose from the distributer; these were laying on top of the engine both at the accident site on 7/25/14 and in the t hangar during this inspection. All ignition parts were present and undamaged. Rotation was smooth and the system appeared to be operational.
--Engine-- pulled through smoothly cylinders made compression and vacuum when thumb was placed over spark plug holes. Inside of engine cylinders were clean of soot and debris as could be seen through spark plug holes.
--Propeller?one blade of the wooden propeller was broken off 10 inches from the hub the other blade had no visual damage or debris on it.
On 7/29/14 and on 9/2/14 spoke with privacy data omitted the wife of privacy data omitted, she stated that her husband had recently been moved to mercy hospital in pittsburgh for brain rehabilitation, that her husband had no short term memory and the doctors told her in cases like his he will not get it back, he cannot walk and that an interview was not recommended. -end-
As the FAA filed it
7/25/2014 N3831W CRASHED AT GROVE CITY AIRPORT K29D AT 1100EST. WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ON AIRPORT PROPERTY, IN A DRAINAGE DITCH APPROXIMATELY 12FT DEEP ABOUT 200FT TO THE SOUTH AND 750FT DOWN AND PARALLEL TO RUNWAY 28. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LYING AT APPROXIMATELY A 300 DEGREES HEADING. THE ENGINE, ENGINE MOUNT, AND ATTACHED FIREWALL WERE BROKEN OFF THE AIRFRAME. THE AIRFRAME WAS ENTIRELY MADE OF PLYWOOD, A SINGLE SEAT TAIL WHEEL AIRPLANE. FIRST IMPACT WAS THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE AND THE LEFT MAIN GEAR NEAR THE BOTTOM OF AND INTO THE EAST FACING SIDE OF THE DRAINAGE DITCH. THERE WAS A HEAVY SMELL OF FUEL IN THE WATER UNDER THE AIRCRAFT.
ON 7/25/2014, AFTER EXTRACTION AND MOVING AIRCRAFT TO HANGER, A FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY INSPECTION OF N3831W WAS CONDUCTED. FOUND AILERONS AND ELEVATOR CONNECTED. RUDDER PEDALS WERE BROKEN FROM FLOOR OF COCKPIT, THE RUDDER CABLES AND RUDDER CONNECTIONS WERE FOUND INTACT. THE FUEL VALVE WAS FOUND IN THE OFF POSITION AND THE AIRPORT MANAGER STATED THE MEDICAL FIRST RESPONDERS HAD SHUT OFF THE FUEL. THE FUEL LINE WAS OPEN TO THE ENVIRONMENT. ENGINE, ENGINE MOUNT AND FIREWALL WERE TORN FROM FUSELAGE, ENGINE CONTROLS AND WIRES WERE STILLED CONNECTED TO FUSELAGE.
ON 7/28/2014 CONDUCTED AN INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE IN T HANGAR AT GROVE CITY AIRPORT.
-- FUEL SYSTEM-- PULLED FUEL FILTER FOUND SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL AND VERY SMALL DIRT PARTICLES, THE CARBURETOR HAD A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL AND TINY DIRT PARTICLES. FUEL DRAIN ON FUEL BOWL WAS FOUND OPEN AND FUEL HOSE ATTACHMENTS WERE OPEN TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
--AIR-- AIR FILTER AND INDUCTION SYSTEM HAD DAMAGE AND SMALL DEBRIS FROM IMPACT.
--SPARK PLUGS-- CLEAN AND APPARENTLY OPERATIONAL WITH SMALL AMOUNT OF CORROSION.
--IGNITION SYSTEM?SPARK PLUG WIRES WERE REMOVED FROM THE TOP OF THE DISTRIBUTOR CAP, AND THE DISTRIBUTOR CAP WAS LOOSE FROM THE DISTRIBUTER; THESE WERE LAYING ON TOP OF THE ENGINE BOTH AT THE ACCIDENT SITE ON 7/25/14 AND IN THE T HANGAR DURING THIS INSPECTION. ALL IGNITION PARTS WERE PRESENT AND UNDAMAGED. ROTATION WAS SMOOTH AND THE SYSTEM APPEARED TO BE OPERATIONAL.
--ENGINE-- PULLED THROUGH SMOOTHLY CYLINDERS MADE COMPRESSION AND VACUUM WHEN THUMB WAS PLACED OVER SPARK PLUG HOLES. INSIDE OF ENGINE CYLINDERS WERE CLEAN OF SOOT AND DEBRIS AS COULD BE SEEN THROUGH SPARK PLUG HOLES.
--PROPELLER?ONE BLADE OF THE WOODEN PROPELLER WAS BROKEN OFF 10 INCHES FROM THE HUB THE OTHER BLADE HAD NO VISUAL DAMAGE OR DEBRIS ON IT.
ON 7/29/14 AND ON 9/2/14 SPOKE WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THE WIFE OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, SHE STATED THAT HER HUSBAND HAD RECENTLY BEEN MOVED TO MERCY HOSPITAL IN PITTSBURGH FOR BRAIN REHABILITATION, THAT HER HUSBAND HAD NO SHORT TERM MEMORY AND THE DOCTORS TOLD HER IN CASES LIKE HIS HE WILL NOT GET IT BACK, HE CANNOT WALK AND THAT AN INTERVIEW WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. -END-
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.