What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Narrative: a witness stated he saw a blue low wing single engine airplane make a low pass down runway 18 at Zelmer airport in Palmyra, Illinois. After passing the airport the airplane pitched up a few degrees starting a shallow climb out. The airplane began a slow roll to the left. After passing the inverted position the nose of the airplane began to drop without enough altitude to finish the roll and safely climb out. The aircraft struck the ground about ½ mile south of the airport.
Another witness stated he noticed a blue plane, with some white on it, seemed unusually low over the field. He saw the plane roll to the left and crash into the field.
The impact marks indicated a high rate of vertical speed and very slight forward movement. The wreckage was located about 10 to 15 feet from the point of impact which would suggest that the aircraft came almost straight down. The impact mark from the engine was about 12 to 18 inches in depth. The impact marks appear to indicate the aircraft impacted in a slight right wing low skidding bank with the right main gear making the first impact, followed immediately by the propeller and engine. The landing gear was retracted, but on this aircraft the landing gear does not stow inside the aircraft in the retracted position. The aircraft then bounced back up after the initial impact and while airborne it rolled inverted and turned approximately 60 degrees. The direction of the slight forward movement at impact appears to be in a southwesterly direction (approximately 240 degrees) and once the aircraft came to rest it was facing a northwesterly direction (approximately 300 degrees). The actual track of the aircraft at the point of impact is hard to tell but witnesses indicate the aircraft was in a southbound direction following a low pass over runway 18 at the nearby airport straight north of the impact site. It appears that the motion of the aircraft as a whole was approximately 240 degrees based on the slightly disturbed soil between the impact and the wreckage.
Examination of the aircraft revealed severe impact damage. The tail section and empennage aft of the rear cockpit was almost completely severed from the aircraft and folded underneath the inverted wreckage as the airplane came to rest after initial impact. Inspection of the tail section showed ram packed dirt in the forward area of the tail section from impacting the field. Control cables were in place with associated turn buckles. Flight controls could not be moved due to the extent of damage.
Pilot logbook records show a total time of 25 hours in particular make / model, 5.8 hours of which was dual instruction received on 04/12 & 14/2017 and do not indicate any aerobatic practice or a level of experience commensurate with the performance of low level aerobatic maneuvering.
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As the FAA filed it
NARRATIVE: A WITNESS STATED HE SAW A BLUE LOW WING SINGLE ENGINE AIRPLANE MAKE A LOW PASS DOWN RUNWAY 18 AT ZELMER AIRPORT IN PALMYRA, ILLINOIS. AFTER PASSING THE AIRPORT THE AIRPLANE PITCHED UP A FEW DEGREES STARTING A SHALLOW CLIMB OUT. THE AIRPLANE BEGAN A SLOW ROLL TO THE LEFT. AFTER PASSING THE INVERTED POSITION THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO DROP WITHOUT ENOUGH ALTITUDE TO FINISH THE ROLL AND SAFELY CLIMB OUT. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND ABOUT ½ MILE SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT.
ANOTHER WITNESS STATED HE NOTICED A BLUE PLANE, WITH SOME WHITE ON IT, SEEMED UNUSUALLY LOW OVER THE FIELD. HE SAW THE PLANE ROLL TO THE LEFT AND CRASH INTO THE FIELD.
THE IMPACT MARKS INDICATED A HIGH RATE OF VERTICAL SPEED AND VERY SLIGHT FORWARD MOVEMENT. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 10 TO 15 FEET FROM THE POINT OF IMPACT WHICH WOULD SUGGEST THAT THE AIRCRAFT CAME ALMOST STRAIGHT DOWN. THE IMPACT MARK FROM THE ENGINE WAS ABOUT 12 TO 18 INCHES IN DEPTH. THE IMPACT MARKS APPEAR TO INDICATE THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED IN A SLIGHT RIGHT WING LOW SKIDDING BANK WITH THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR MAKING THE FIRST IMPACT, FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY THE PROPELLER AND ENGINE. THE LANDING GEAR WAS RETRACTED, BUT ON THIS AIRCRAFT THE LANDING GEAR DOES NOT STOW INSIDE THE AIRCRAFT IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT THEN BOUNCED BACK UP AFTER THE INITIAL IMPACT AND WHILE AIRBORNE IT ROLLED INVERTED AND TURNED APPROXIMATELY 60 DEGREES. THE DIRECTION OF THE SLIGHT FORWARD MOVEMENT AT IMPACT APPEARS TO BE IN A SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION (APPROXIMATELY 240 DEGREES) AND ONCE THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IT WAS FACING A NORTHWESTERLY DIRECTION (APPROXIMATELY 300 DEGREES). THE ACTUAL TRACK OF THE AIRCRAFT AT THE POINT OF IMPACT IS HARD TO TELL BUT WITNESSES INDICATE THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN A SOUTHBOUND DIRECTION FOLLOWING A LOW PASS OVER RUNWAY 18 AT THE NEARBY AIRPORT STRAIGHT NORTH OF THE IMPACT SITE. IT APPEARS THAT THE MOTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AS A WHOLE WAS APPROXIMATELY 240 DEGREES BASED ON THE SLIGHTLY DISTURBED SOIL BETWEEN THE IMPACT AND THE WRECKAGE.
EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED SEVERE IMPACT DAMAGE. THE TAIL SECTION AND EMPENNAGE AFT OF THE REAR COCKPIT WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY SEVERED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND FOLDED UNDERNEATH THE INVERTED WRECKAGE AS THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST AFTER INITIAL IMPACT. INSPECTION OF THE TAIL SECTION SHOWED RAM PACKED DIRT IN THE FORWARD AREA OF THE TAIL SECTION FROM IMPACTING THE FIELD. CONTROL CABLES WERE IN PLACE WITH ASSOCIATED TURN BUCKLES. FLIGHT CONTROLS COULD NOT BE MOVED DUE TO THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE.
PILOT LOGBOOK RECORDS SHOW A TOTAL TIME OF 25 HOURS IN PARTICULAR MAKE / MODEL, 5.8 HOURS OF WHICH WAS DUAL INSTRUCTION RECEIVED ON 04/12 & 14/2017 AND DO NOT INDICATE ANY AEROBATIC PRACTICE OR A LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE COMMENSURATE WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF LOW LEVEL AEROBATIC MANEUVERING.
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NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.