CEN18FA265

The private pilot had just departed from the airport when witnesses observed the airplane not climbing and about 100 ft above the ground. Another witness observed the airplane a nose-high attitude. The airplane was struggling to gain altitude before it banked "hard" to the right, entered a "sharp" nose-down attitude, and impacted a field near the airport. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The ground scarring at the accident site, the crush angle of the airframe, and the observed wing drop before the airplane's descent into terrain were consistent with an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a resulting aerodynamic stall.

According to the pilot's neighbor/friend, the pilot had owned the airplane for about 10 years and performed the maintenance on the airplane No airplane maintenance records, including the airframe and engine hours, were available for the airplane. On July 12, 2018, about 1330 central daylight time, an experimental Rose Parrakeet A-1 airplane, N14842, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Fairview Airport (7TS0), Rhome, Texas. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Two witnesses who were driving on Highway 407 just north of the airport and south of the accident site observed a small airplane that had departed from the airport and was flying "very low" (about 100 ft) over the highway. The witnesses stated that, as the airplane flew north, it was not climbing but was instead flying "flat." The witnesses added that, as airplane flew north past the highway, it banked "hard" to the right and "nose-dived" into terrain. Another witness stated that he was about 0.5 mile west of the airport when he saw a small airplane taking off from the airport that seemed to be struggling to gain altitude. The witness indicated that the airplane's nose seemed to be "considerably higher" than the tail, and he and his wife could not hear the engine because they were in their pickup truck. The witness also stated that the airplane, as it cleared the runway and crossed the highway, started to bank or roll and then took a "sharp nosedive." The airplane wreckage was subsequently located in a field about 0.3 mile south of the airport. An autopsy of the pilot, conducted by The Office of the Medical Examiner, Dallas County, Texas, on July 13, 2018, stated that the pilot. His cause of death was blunt force injuries and the manner of death was accident. Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected no carbon monoxide, ethanol, or drugs in the pilot's blood specimens. The pilot's next-door neighbor and friend (who was also a pilot) reported that the accident pilot flew the accident airplane about once per week. No pilot records were received, and the pilot's recency of flight experience could not be established. The airplane was in a field about 0.3 miles south of the airport and oriented tail to nose on a heading of about 270°. Ground scarring was limited to the planform area of the airplane, and the airframe crush angle was consistent with a nose-low impact attitude. The front of the fuselage (engine compartment) was crushed aft, and the firewall was separated. The fixed landing gear was folded under the fuselage. The cabin section was crushed aft, and the pilot seat was still attached to its mounts. The leading edges of the left and right wings were crushed aft. The empennage was mostly intact and slightly buckled. The airplane showed no evidence of fire or soot. The instrument panel and cockpit were damaged by impact. The cockpitthrottle control was retarded about 1 inch, the primer was in its locked position, the altimeter displayed 920 ft, the altimeter setting was 30.14 inches of mercury, and the tachometer indicated 2.34 hours. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to all flight control surfaces. Impact damage was noted to the flight control cables located under the pilot seat. The main fuel tank and header tank were attached to the airframe but were breached. The fuel gascolator bowl was found separated from its mount. A small amount of fuel was present in the main fuel tank primer line. Fuel lines were broken open due to impact. The "FUEL SELECT" valve was in the "OFF" position. The area around the fuel valve was damaged by impact. The fuel line leading from fuel selector valve to the engine had a flareless fitting, and the nut of the fitting was loose and could be turned using hand pressure. The threaded portion of the fitting body had white-colored tape around its threads. The fuel system vent hoses and lines were unobstructed. Engine control continuity was established from the cockpit to the carburetor. The engine was separated at the engine mounts, and the engine had impact damage around the No. 1 cylinder. The bottom of the case had a small hole that resulted from impact damage. Engine valve and drive train continuity to the accessory section was confirmed when the engine was manually rotated. The magnetos were in the "BOTH" position (before first responders moved them to the "OFF" position). One of the two propeller blades was relatively straight, and the other propeller blade was bent rearward and twisted. The propeller hub displayed inward crushing. The propeller showed no evidence of rotation at the time of impact. The examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.