# NTSB CHI02FA140: Schutte Ms. Ryan Special, N827CM, Anderson, IN, May 23, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: May 23, 2002, 15:05 local (20:05 UTC) - Place: Anderson, IN - Coordinates: 40.129741, -85.760856 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.1297&lon=-85.7609&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Unknown](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/990) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report May 13, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA - NTSB case key (mKey): 54761 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI02FA140 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54761/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54761 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02FA140 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to properly install the canard attach bolts prior to the flight and the resulting inflight separation of the canard. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction, unknown - maintenance,installation - improper, pilot in command (cause) - canard - separation (cause) - Loss of control - in flight, unknown - aircraft control - not possible, pilot in command - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The airplane contacted the terrain following an inflight separation of the canard. Witnesses reported that during the days prior to the accident, the pilot had removed the canard to install an autopilot system. An employee of the pilot reported that the pilot was the only person who had been working on the airplane. The accident occurred on a test flight following the installation. The canard was located 6/10 mile from the main wreckage. The canard was intact and contained minor damage to the leading edges and to the left tip. Neither of the bolts, which attach the canard to the shear web (bulkhead), was located. A section of the bulkhead, containing one of the imbedded bushings through which the attachment bolt would pass was located. Neither of the attachment tabs on the canard showed any significant damage. The perimeter of the canard skin is attached to the fuselage with screws. The screw holes on the canard were ripped through. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 23, 2002, at 1505 central daylight time, an amateur built Ms. Ryan Special (Berkut), N827CM, was destroyed when it collided with the terrain in Anderson, Indiana, following an inflight separation of the canard. The private pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The flight originated from Anderson Municipal Airport (AID), Anderson, Indiana, at 1500. Mechanics who were employed by the pilot reported that the pilot had been installing an autopilot system in N827CM and he was taking it up for a test flight when the accident occurred. The air traffic controller on duty at AID reported N827CM taxied to runway 18 and the pilot requested a departure to the south for a test flight. The controller reported that he approved an on course departure and cleared N827CM for takeoff. The controller reported he last observed N827CM about 2 miles south of AID, climbing in a normal attitude. A witness reported that he had just stepped outside at which time he heard the airplane. He reported the airplane was "going down" and the engine did not sound like it was having trouble. The witness said the airplane descended into a field; nose first, in about a 45-degree angle. He stated, "I then looked back to the north and saw what looked like a wing, but for sure part of the plane floating down towards the woods." PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 54, held a private pilot certificate with single engine land, multi-engine land and instrument ratings. The pilot held a third class medical certificate dated February 23, 2001. This certificate contained the restriction, "Holder shall possess glasses for near vision while exercising the privileges of his airman certificate." The accident pilot did not hold any maintenance certificates. The pilot's most recent logbook was located. The first entry in this logbook was dated October 13, 1992. The last entry in this logbook is dated January 8, 2002. The logbook shows that 774.3 hours of flight time were carried over from a previous logbook. According to the logbook, the pilot had a total flight time of 1474.5 hours of which 1372 were as pilot-in-command. The logbook showed the pilot had logged 527.9 hours in an EZ airplane, which he owned. In addition, he logged 53.9 hours in Berkut airplanes. The EZ and Berkut airplanes are similar to each other. The pilot logged his first flight in N827CM on October 30, 2001. The logbook shows that he had 9.6 hours of flight time in N827CM as of the last entry. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The aircraft was a Ms. Ryan Special (Berkut), serial number 001. The airplane is two-seat, tandem, composite airplane with a canard. The airplane has a pusher propeller and is powered by a 260 horsepower, Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 engine. The airplane was registered to an individual who resides in Montana. The owner of the airplane reported that he purchased the kit in the spring of 1998. The airplane owner reported that the airplane was assembled in Mt. Comfort, Indiana. In addition to the owner, the accident pilot's company was involved in the assembly of the airplane. According to the logbook, a Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) inspected the airframe and engine, and issued the Experimental Amateur-Built Aircraft Operating Limitations Phase II and the Special Airworthiness Certificate on October 29, 2001. Total time on the airplane could not be determined from either the wreckage or aircraft records. According to the accident pilot's logbooks, he had flown 9.6 hours in N827CM as of January 8, 2002. The airplane owner reported that the hours required by the operating limitations (25 hours) had not been flown off. The accident pilot owned a business at the Anderson Municipal Airport. According to the airport manager, the business installed retractable landing gear on airplanes and also assisted builders of homebuilt airplanes in the assembly process. The business was previously located in Mt. Comfort, Indiana. A mechanic who worked for the pilot reported that when he first saw N827CM in September 2001, the airplane was approximately 95 percent completed. He reported that near the end of November 2001, the airplane was moved to Mt. Comfort where it was test flown. (The pilot's logbook shows the first flight was October 30, 2001.) The mechanic reported the company was moved to Anderson in December 2001. (The pilot's logbook shows N827CM was flown from Mt. Comfort to AID on December 28, 2001.) The mechanic reported that a few more hours were then flown on the airplane and there were no major problems. This mechanic continued to report, "During the week preceding the accident the canard had been off the aircraft to allow access to the back of the instrument panel. [The pilot] had finally received the autopilot and had to do some re-wiring for it. On the day before the accident the canard was on the aircraft but I do not know if the two main bolts were installed. … On the afternoon of the 23rd, [the pilot] pushed the aircraft out of the hangar, got in, started the engine and taxied away. We figured he was going up to check out the auto-pilot and would be back shortly." This mechanic reported that the pilot was the only person who had been working on N827CM. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The aviation routine weather report (METAR) at AID showed the following weather conditions existed at 1445. Wind: 180 degrees magnetic at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots Visibility: 10 statute miles Sky Condition: Clear Temperature: 24 degrees centigrade Dew Point: 11 degree centigrade Altimeter: 30.03 inches of mercury WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The accident occurred in a harvested cornfield located 1,500 feet south of CR 400 S and west of CR 300 E in Anderson. The wreckage was scattered in a southeast direction from the main impact point. A global positioning system (GPS) receiver recorded the position of the main impact point as 40-degrees 02.616' north latitude, 85-degrees 37.633' west longitude. Inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Indianapolis Flight Standards District Office inspected the accident site and wreckage. One of the inspectors reported the main impact crater contained the aircraft engine and pieces of the propeller. The main impact crater was approximately 4 feet deep and 10 feet wide. Next along the debris field was a section of the right wing followed by the rear fuselage area and finally the cockpit area, which was approximately 60 feet from the main impact crater. The debris field extended approximately 250 to 300 feet from the main impact crater. The canard was located 6/10 mile from the main wreckage on a bearing of 13 degrees. The GPS position of the canard was recorded as 40-degrees 03.128' north latitude, 85-degrees 37.532' west longitude. The canard was intact and contained minor damage to the leading edges and to the left tip. Neither of the bolts, which attach the canard to the shear web (bulkhead), were located. A section of the bulkhead, containing one of the imbedded bushings through which the attachment bolt would pass was located. Neither of the attachment tabs on the canard showed any significant damage. The perimeter of the canard skin is attached to the fuselage with screws. The screw holes on the canard were ripped through. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION An autopsy was performed on the pilot in Muncie, Indiana, on May 24, 2002. The FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, prepared a Forensic Toxicology Fatal Accident Report. The toxicology results for the pilot were negative for all tests performed with the exception of Ethonal found in muscle tissue. The report states that the Ethonal was formed postmortem. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION According to ## Aircraft - Registration: [N827CM](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N827CM-2002-08-28), registration cancelled 2002-08-28, S/N 001 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Schutte Ms. Ryan Special - Registry model: [Schutte Michael J MS RYAN SPECIAL](https://openairdocs.org/model/schutte-michael-j-ms-ryan-special) (registry code 05611V9) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 001 - Engines: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 260 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Flight test, Part 91 - Operator: Steven C. Drybread - Registered owner: Michael J. Schutte - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Condition, October 29, 2001 - Departed: AID, Anderson, IN ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 54; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review March 3, 1999; toxicology performed; flight hours: 1,475 total, 1,372 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 180° at 10 knots, gusting 15 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 30.03 inHg - Observed at: AID ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020523038149A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020523038149A), May 23, 2002: Amtr BERKUT, Anderson, IN, Destroyed, 1 fatal. (-23) Mr. Drybread had been working on the avionics system for N827CM on may 22, 2002. This work required the removal of the canard wing to gain access to the… ## Docket (28 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 3, 2003, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54761. 5.2 MB in all. - Witness Statements (item 1, .PDF, 117 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40441937&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Statements-Redacted.PDF - Mechanic's Statement (item 2, .PDF, 108 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40441938&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Mechanic%27s%20Statement-Redacted.PDF - ATC Controller Statement (item 3, .PDF, 36 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40441939&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=ATC%20Controller%20Statement-Redacted.PDF - Indiana State Police Report (item 4, .PDF, 110 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40441940&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Indiana%20State%20Police%20Report-Redacted.PDF - Madison County Sheriff's Report (item 5, .PDF, 358 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40441941&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Madison%20County%20Sheriff%27s%20Report-Redacted.PDF - Berkut Information (item 6, .PDF, 652 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176084&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Berkut%20Information-Master.PDF - Airframe and Engine Logbooks (item 7, .PDF, 1.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40441942&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Airframe%20and%20Engine%20Logbooks-Redacted.PDF - Correspondence From Aircraft Owner's Representative (item 8, .PDF, 133 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40441943&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Correspondence%20From%20Aircraft%20Owner%27s%20Representative-Redacted.PDF - Registration and Airworthiness Information (item 9, .PDF, 297 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40441944&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Registration%20and%20Airworthiness%20Information-Redacted.PDF - Toxicological Report (item 10, .PDF, 53 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40441945&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report-Redacted.PDF - Photo 1. Overview of Debris Field (item 11, .PDF, 229 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176092&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201.%20%20Overview%20of%20Debris%20Field-Master.PDF - Photo 2. Engine and Propeller In Initial Impact Crater (item 12, .PDF, 339 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176093&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202.%20%20Engine%20and%20Propeller%20In%20Initial%20Impact%20Crater-Master.PDF - Photo 3. Forward Cockpit Area (item 13, .PDF, 262 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176094&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%203.%20%20Forward%20Cockpit%20Area-Master.PDF - Photo 4. Section of Right Wing (item 14, .PDF, 165 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176096&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%204.%20%20Section%20of%20Right%20Wing-Master.PDF - Photo 5. Top of Separated Canard (item 15, .PDF, 131 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176097&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%205.%20%20Top%20of%20Separated%20Canard-Master.PDF - Photo 6. Under Side of Separated Canard (item 16, .PDF, 135 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176098&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%206.%20%20Under%20Side%20of%20Separated%20Canard-Master.PDF - Photo 7. Close-up View of Separated Canard Attachment Hardware (item 17, .PDF, 41 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176099&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%207.%20%20Close-up%20View%20of%20Separated%20Canard%20Attachment%20Hardware-Master.PDF - Photo 8. View of Canard on an Exemplar Airplane (item 18, .PDF, 39 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176100&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%208.%20%20View%20of%20Canard%20on%20an%20Exemplar%20Airplane-Master.PDF - Photo 9. View From Forward Cockpit of the Installed Exemplar Canard (item 19, .PDF, 55 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176101&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%209.%20%20View%20From%20Forward%20Cockpit%20of%20the%20Installed%20Exemplar%20Canard-Master.PDF - Photo 10. View of Exemplar Canard Attachment Bolt Holes. View If From the Cockpit Looking Forward (item 20, .PDF, 41 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176102&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%2010.%20%20View%20of%20Exemplar%20Canard%20Attachment%20Bolt%20Holes.%20%20View%20If%20From%20the%20Cockpit%20Looking%20Forward-Master.PDF - Photo 11. View of an Exemplar Canard Attachment as Seen From Nose of Aircraft Looking Aft (item 21, .PDF, 43 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176103&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%2011.%20%20View%20of%20an%20Exemplar%20Canard%20Attachment%20as%20Seen%20From%20Nose%20of%20Aircraft%20Looking%20Aft-Master.PDF - Photo 12. Piece of Forward Bulkhead (right side) With Canard imbedded bushing (item 22, .PDF, 44 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176106&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%2012.%20%20Piece%20of%20Forward%20Bulkhead%20(right%20side)%20With%20Canard%20imbedded%20bushing-Master.PDF - Photo 13. Close-up of Bushing in Right Side Section of Forward Bulkhead (item 23, .PDF, 43 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176107&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%2013.%20%20Close-up%20of%20Bushing%20in%20Right%20Side%20Section%20of%20Forward%20Bulkhead-Master.PDF - Photo 14. Canard Control Linkages (item 24, .PDF, 40 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176109&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%2014.%20%20Canard%20Control%20Linkages-Master.PDF - Photo 15. Canard Attachment Tab. Right Side (item 25, .PDF, 41 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176110&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%2015.%20%20Canard%20Attachment%20Tab.%20%20Right%20Side-Master.PDF - Photo 16. Canard Attachment Tab. Right Side (item 26, .PDF, 41 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176112&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%2016.%20%20Canard%20Attachment%20Tab.%20%20Right%20Side-Master.PDF - Photo 17. Canard Attachment Tab. Left Side (item 27, .PDF, 41 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176114&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%2017.%20%20Canard%20Attachment%20Tab.%20%20Left%20Side-Master.PDF - Photo 18. Canard Attachment Tab. Left Side (item 28, .PDF, 43 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40176115&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%2018.%20%20Canard%20Attachment%20Tab.%20%20Left%20Side-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.