What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 8/28/2015 at 1407 EDT, N18FJ, a giles 202 (G202) registered to an andrew k. wright, was involved in an inflight breakup while performing practice aerobatic maneuvers over stewart international airport (kswf) in preparation for an upcoming airshow. The weather was VMC at the time, and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and the pilot suffered a fatal injury. There was no post impact fire. The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate, with second class medical certificate, dated may 19, 2015.
FSDO representatives were on-site to monitor the airshow practice and they proceeded to the accident site. It was determined that there were two scenes associated with the accident; one site on and adjacent to runway 9-27, and the other site approximately 200 feet off of the airport property. The NTSB arrived at the scene on 8/29/2015 at 0800 EDT.
According to eyewitness statements, still photos and video, the aircraft empennage became detached from the forward section of the fuselage. The empennage components on and adjacent to the runway, and the accident site, were mapped and photographed by the new york state police collision reconstruction unit. The empennage components were removed from the runway area and secured by airport operations. According to eyewitness statements provided by the airshow air boss and the airshow announcer, that ?the aircraft was flying west bound over the show line at about 100 feet above the ground when the pilot started to pitch up in order to perform a pin wheel spin maneuver. As the aircraft began the maneuver, the tail section separated. After the tail section separated, the aircraft began heading towards show center (southbound) and impacted the surface several hundred feet behind the perimeter fence?. Neither eyewitness observed any explosion or smoke after impact.
The official cause of the single fatality is unknown at this time, as the medical examiner?s report is not yet available. The aircraft was substantially damaged by the post impact forces; the fuselage, left and right wings, the engine, and the tail empennage components were identifiable, and were removed and transported to an NTSB storage facility.
During the airshow ramp check, the pilot presented his original photo identification, pilot?s certificate, and FAA form 8710-7, statement of acrobatic competency (sac) card, along with photocopied flight records that indicated he had approximately 3200 total flight hours, and approximately 1300 hours in make/model. Additionally, he presented a record of his most recent 14 CFR part 61.56 flight review, which was conducted on 8 August, 2015; his sac card was endorsed as solo acrobatics, level 1 unrestricted, dated 17 March, 2014. Any other certificate information was obtained from the FAA database.
The aircraft, a Cornell W F/Sahakian J A Jr., giles 202 (G202) (akrotech aviation) was certificated on July 14, 1998. The maintenance records presented by the pilot at the time of the ramp check show that the last airframe conditional and engine/propeller 100 hour inspections were completed on March 25, 2015, at a total time of 400.0. The aircraft total time could not be determined at the time of the accident.
When the NTSB report and any other additional information become available, this report will be amended as necessary.
As the FAA filed it
ON 8/28/2015 AT 1407 EDT, N18FJ, A GILES 202 (G202) REGISTERED TO AN ANDREW K. WRIGHT, WAS INVOLVED IN AN INFLIGHT BREAKUP WHILE PERFORMING PRACTICE AEROBATIC MANEUVERS OVER STEWART INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KSWF) IN PREPARATION FOR AN UPCOMING AIRSHOW. THE WEATHER WAS VMC AT THE TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED UPON IMPACT AND THE PILOT SUFFERED A FATAL INJURY. THERE WAS NO POST IMPACT FIRE. THE PILOT HELD A COMMERCIAL PILOT CERTIFICATE, WITH SECOND CLASS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE, DATED MAY 19, 2015.
FSDO REPRESENTATIVES WERE ON-SITE TO MONITOR THE AIRSHOW PRACTICE AND THEY PROCEEDED TO THE ACCIDENT SITE. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WERE TWO SCENES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACCIDENT; ONE SITE ON AND ADJACENT TO RUNWAY 9-27, AND THE OTHER SITE APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET OFF OF THE AIRPORT PROPERTY. THE NTSB ARRIVED AT THE SCENE ON 8/29/2015 AT 0800 EDT.
ACCORDING TO EYEWITNESS STATEMENTS, STILL PHOTOS AND VIDEO, THE AIRCRAFT EMPENNAGE BECAME DETACHED FROM THE FORWARD SECTION OF THE FUSELAGE. THE EMPENNAGE COMPONENTS ON AND ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY, AND THE ACCIDENT SITE, WERE MAPPED AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY THE NEW YORK STATE POLICE COLLISION RECONSTRUCTION UNIT. THE EMPENNAGE COMPONENTS WERE REMOVED FROM THE RUNWAY AREA AND SECURED BY AIRPORT OPERATIONS. ACCORDING TO EYEWITNESS STATEMENTS PROVIDED BY THE AIRSHOW AIR BOSS AND THE AIRSHOW ANNOUNCER, THAT ?THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING WEST BOUND OVER THE SHOW LINE AT ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND WHEN THE PILOT STARTED TO PITCH UP IN ORDER TO PERFORM A PIN WHEEL SPIN MANEUVER. AS THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN THE MANEUVER, THE TAIL SECTION SEPARATED. AFTER THE TAIL SECTION SEPARATED, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN HEADING TOWARDS SHOW CENTER (SOUTHBOUND) AND IMPACTED THE SURFACE SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET BEHIND THE PERIMETER FENCE?. NEITHER EYEWITNESS OBSERVED ANY EXPLOSION OR SMOKE AFTER IMPACT.
THE OFFICIAL CAUSE OF THE SINGLE FATALITY IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME, AS THE MEDICAL EXAMINER?S REPORT IS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED BY THE POST IMPACT FORCES; THE FUSELAGE, LEFT AND RIGHT WINGS, THE ENGINE, AND THE TAIL EMPENNAGE COMPONENTS WERE IDENTIFIABLE, AND WERE REMOVED AND TRANSPORTED TO AN NTSB STORAGE FACILITY.
DURING THE AIRSHOW RAMP CHECK, THE PILOT PRESENTED HIS ORIGINAL PHOTO IDENTIFICATION, PILOT?S CERTIFICATE, AND FAA FORM 8710-7, STATEMENT OF ACROBATIC COMPETENCY (SAC) CARD, ALONG WITH PHOTOCOPIED FLIGHT RECORDS THAT INDICATED HE HAD APPROXIMATELY 3200 TOTAL FLIGHT HOURS, AND APPROXIMATELY 1300 HOURS IN MAKE/MODEL. ADDITIONALLY, HE PRESENTED A RECORD OF HIS MOST RECENT 14 CFR PART 61.56 FLIGHT REVIEW, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED ON 8 AUGUST, 2015; HIS SAC CARD WAS ENDORSED AS SOLO ACROBATICS, LEVEL 1 UNRESTRICTED, DATED 17 MARCH, 2014. ANY OTHER CERTIFICATE INFORMATION WAS OBTAINED FROM THE FAA DATABASE.
THE AIRCRAFT, A CORNELL W F/SAHAKIAN J A JR., GILES 202 (G202) (AKROTECH AVIATION) WAS CERTIFICATED ON JULY 14, 1998. THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS PRESENTED BY THE PILOT AT THE TIME OF THE RAMP CHECK SHOW THAT THE LAST AIRFRAME CONDITIONAL AND ENGINE/PROPELLER 100 HOUR INSPECTIONS WERE COMPLETED ON MARCH 25, 2015, AT A TOTAL TIME OF 400.0. THE AIRCRAFT TOTAL TIME COULD NOT BE DETERMINED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
WHEN THE NTSB REPORT AND ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOME AVAILABLE, THIS REPORT WILL BE AMENDED AS NECESSARY.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.