What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Prior to incident took 10 gallons of avgas 100LL. Fuel test good. Airport manager captured incident flight on video. Video depicted aircraft on normal takeoff climb. At what appeared to be the apex of the climb the engine RPM seemed to decrease and a left turn was started. When aircraft was close to a flight path to return the airport it went into a left spiral straight for the ground. Aircraft found flat on its belly. Damage to the right wing, leaves in wing impact areas, and broken tree branches, depicted a right wing leading edge impact with trees, aircraft was at approx. 1-degree positive angle to the ground. Impact points of the rudders, tires, struts indicated an flat impact with three-inch forward movement the impact force appeared to move the center mass, (pusher engine/wing box), down and forward, hinging forward at the rear attach point of the bench seat. Evidence of blood on the left cockpit panel, indicates a possible head trauma prior to the ground impact. First responders stated pilot?s body was laying across cockpit, legs/feet in the left rudder area/torso in-front of the seat and head under the right cockpit panel/right seat rudder area. Lapbelt on. First responder turned key to off position and placed keys on wing. Engine not running. Fire rescue cut cockpit to remove roof for access. Aircraft removed to the pilot?s hangar. Initial aircraft inspection, FAA iic noted several issues with adherence to standard maintenance procedures and several additional modifications. Major repairs to booms and vertical stab, repairs appeared to have missing fasteners. Right boom was broken just aft of the wing trailing edge. Area showed metal repair that did not appear to have any rivets in the holes, no evidence of rip outs, opposite boom had what appeared to be a new crack. This crack appeared to be the full height of the boom. NTSB cut away by for lab investigation. Engine Lycoming 0-320 160HP sn L-7258-27. The engine appeared to be making power and running upon impact. Engine inspected by Lycoming tech rep. Prop sensenich W74EM7L-60, AK5714. Prop shattered with tip landing 30 ? 35 feet from the right side of impact site, (pusher prop). Flight controls checked for continuity, other than accident breaks the flight controls seemed to be connected to the cockpit. One rudder attach point held in by pin and cotter key. Right aileron control rod attachment bolt missing nut. Cockpit instruments lacked proper markings. No maint logs. No pilot logs, no pilot certificates/medical cert was discovered. Operating limitations/program letter not in aircraft. Current weight&and balance unknown. Pilot medical info mid 91417541, exam dated 10/28/1991. Pilot was 69 inches tall & weighed 200 lbs at time of the last exam. The last exam conducted by aviation medical examiner (AME) 12661. The medical certificate expired for all classes on 10/31/1993. This airman would not be eligible for basicmed, and had not applied physical. Major modifications: engine: unknown install date, - Lycoming 0-320-0, @ 160HP sn L-7258-27 , air scoops to cool engine. Flight controls: modification - lead weight added to rudders and elevator. Airframe: modification - multiple re-enforcements to booms. Major repairs, 4 vertical cracks in 2 booms 4 cracks in vertical stabs, approx. 2 in each
As the FAA filed it
PRIOR TO INCIDENT TOOK 10 GALLONS OF AVGAS 100LL. FUEL TEST GOOD. AIRPORT MANAGER CAPTURED INCIDENT FLIGHT ON VIDEO. VIDEO DEPICTED AIRCRAFT ON NORMAL TAKEOFF CLIMB. AT WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE APEX OF THE CLIMB THE ENGINE RPM SEEMED TO DECREASE AND A LEFT TURN WAS STARTED. WHEN AIRCRAFT WAS CLOSE TO A FLIGHT PATH TO RETURN THE AIRPORT IT WENT INTO A LEFT SPIRAL STRAIGHT FOR THE GROUND. AIRCRAFT FOUND FLAT ON ITS BELLY. DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING, LEAVES IN WING IMPACT AREAS, AND BROKEN TREE BRANCHES, DEPICTED A RIGHT WING LEADING EDGE IMPACT WITH TREES, AIRCRAFT WAS AT APPROX. 1-DEGREE POSITIVE ANGLE TO THE GROUND. IMPACT POINTS OF THE RUDDERS, TIRES, STRUTS INDICATED AN FLAT IMPACT WITH THREE-INCH FORWARD MOVEMENT THE IMPACT FORCE APPEARED TO MOVE THE CENTER MASS, (PUSHER ENGINE/WING BOX), DOWN AND FORWARD, HINGING FORWARD AT THE REAR ATTACH POINT OF THE BENCH SEAT. EVIDENCE OF BLOOD ON THE LEFT COCKPIT PANEL, INDICATES A POSSIBLE HEAD TRAUMA PRIOR TO THE GROUND IMPACT. FIRST RESPONDERS STATED PILOT?S BODY WAS LAYING ACROSS COCKPIT, LEGS/FEET IN THE LEFT RUDDER AREA/TORSO IN-FRONT OF THE SEAT AND HEAD UNDER THE RIGHT COCKPIT PANEL/RIGHT SEAT RUDDER AREA. LAPBELT ON. FIRST RESPONDER TURNED KEY TO OFF POSITION AND PLACED KEYS ON WING. ENGINE NOT RUNNING. FIRE RESCUE CUT COCKPIT TO REMOVE ROOF FOR ACCESS. AIRCRAFT REMOVED TO THE PILOT?S HANGAR. INITIAL AIRCRAFT INSPECTION, FAA IIC NOTED SEVERAL ISSUES WITH ADHERENCE TO STANDARD MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES AND SEVERAL ADDITIONAL MODIFICATIONS. MAJOR REPAIRS TO BOOMS AND VERTICAL STAB, REPAIRS APPEARED TO HAVE MISSING FASTENERS. RIGHT BOOM WAS BROKEN JUST AFT OF THE WING TRAILING EDGE. AREA SHOWED METAL REPAIR THAT DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE ANY RIVETS IN THE HOLES, NO EVIDENCE OF RIP OUTS, OPPOSITE BOOM HAD WHAT APPEARED TO BE A NEW CRACK. THIS CRACK APPEARED TO BE THE FULL HEIGHT OF THE BOOM. NTSB CUT AWAY BY FOR LAB INVESTIGATION. ENGINE LYCOMING 0-320 160HP SN L-7258-27. THE ENGINE APPEARED TO BE MAKING POWER AND RUNNING UPON IMPACT. ENGINE INSPECTED BY LYCOMING TECH REP. PROP SENSENICH W74EM7L-60, AK5714. PROP SHATTERED WITH TIP LANDING 30 ? 35 FEET FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF IMPACT SITE, (PUSHER PROP). FLIGHT CONTROLS CHECKED FOR CONTINUITY, OTHER THAN ACCIDENT BREAKS THE FLIGHT CONTROLS SEEMED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE COCKPIT. ONE RUDDER ATTACH POINT HELD IN BY PIN AND COTTER KEY. RIGHT AILERON CONTROL ROD ATTACHMENT BOLT MISSING NUT. COCKPIT INSTRUMENTS LACKED PROPER MARKINGS. NO MAINT LOGS. NO PILOT LOGS, NO PILOT CERTIFICATES/MEDICAL CERT WAS DISCOVERED. OPERATING LIMITATIONS/PROGRAM LETTER NOT IN AIRCRAFT. CURRENT WEIGHT&AND BALANCE UNKNOWN. PILOT MEDICAL INFO MID 91417541, EXAM DATED 10/28/1991. PILOT WAS 69 INCHES TALL & WEIGHED 200 LBS AT TIME OF THE LAST EXAM. THE LAST EXAM CONDUCTED BY AVIATION MEDICAL EXAMINER (AME) 12661. THE MEDICAL CERTIFICATE EXPIRED FOR ALL CLASSES ON 10/31/1993. THIS AIRMAN WOULD NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR BASICMED, AND HAD NOT APPLIED PHYSICAL. MAJOR MODIFICATIONS: ENGINE: UNKNOWN INSTALL DATE, - LYCOMING 0-320-0, @ 160HP SN L-7258-27 , AIR SCOOPS TO COOL ENGINE. FLIGHT CONTROLS: MODIFICATION - LEAD WEIGHT ADDED TO RUDDERS AND ELEVATOR. AIRFRAME: MODIFICATION - MULTIPLE RE-ENFORCEMENTS TO BOOMS. MAJOR REPAIRS, 4 VERTICAL CRACKS IN 2 BOOMS 4 CRACKS IN VERTICAL STABS, APPROX. 2 IN EACH
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.