CHI96LA269

The airplane was found three days after it was declared missing. It had been consumed by fire after a collision with trees. Examination of wreckage revealed no mechanical anomaly that would have prevented normal flight. A witness said he observed the airplane flying level near the departure airport. He said it was at an altitude equal to other airplanes departing and arriving at the airport. The witness said the airplane suddenly pitched down, descended below trees, and did not come back up. He said he did not call the authorities because he did not hear a crash or see smoke. Also, he said the weather was clear and sunny. The coroner was an FAA DME (designated medical examiner). He said he had denied the accident pilot a medical certificate due to heart disease, but the pilot appealed his decision and was given a special medical certificate. A toxicology test and autopsy were inconclusive due to inadequate or unsuitable specimens.

On July 30, 1996, at 1150 central daylight time, a VanWinkle Kitfox, N8200Q, piloted by a private pilot, was declared missing. The airplane was found on August 1, 1996, about 3 to 4 miles north of its departure airport. The airplane had been destroyed during a collision with the trees, ground, and a post-impact fire. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight departed Mt. Vernon, Illinois, on July 30, 1996, exact time unknown.

An eye-witness said he observed N8200Q flying level at an altitude similar to that of airplanes flying around the airport near his home. He said the airplane suddenly pitched down and descended at an approximate 70 degree angle. He said the descent looked controlled, like a crop-duster he has observed in the past. The witness said the airplane went below a tree line and didn't come up. He said he didn't call the authorities because he didn't hear a crashing sound or see smoke. The witness said the weather was clear with full sunshine.

The on-scene inspection was conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI). According to the PMI, "...the controls had continuity in all respects." He said, "The fuselage had been consumed by fire and the engine had been burned so that all hoses and wiring were destroyed." He said he observed mechanical continuity within the engine.

The Jefferson County Coroner is also an FAA Designated Medical Examiner. He said he turned the accident pilot down on an FAA medical certificate examination due to heart disease. He added that the pilot appealed his decision and obtained a special medical certificate. According to the FAA's ISIS Airman Report, the pilot received his third class medical certificate on October 16, 1995. This was issued as an exemption by an FAA medical advisory panel. The restriction shown was for 15 months following the month examined.

According to a January 25, 1996, letter supplied by the coroner, the pilot had "...angina approximately five years ago and cardiac catherization at that time showed a significant coronary stenosis. Following the cath five years ago the patient underwent a PTCA (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty) and he has not had any angina since. At the present time he is on "no drugs."

The autopsy was conducted by Dr. John A. Heidingsfelder at Evansville, Indiana, on August 10, 1996. The report stated the major organs were absent for examination.

The toxicology examination was conducted by the FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The examination showed between 10.000 and 108.000 (mg/dL, mg/hg) of ethanol in kidney, lung, and muscle fluids. These quantities, according to the report, "...may be the result of postmortem ethanol production." The report showed 16.000 and 12.000 (mg/dL, mg/hg) of N-propanol detected in the muscle and lung fluid respectively. 5.000 and 6.000 (mg/dL, mg/hg) N-Butanol were detected in the lung and muscle fluid respectively. 2.000 and 4.000 (mg/dL, mg/hg) of Acetaldehyde were detected in the muscle and lung fluid respectively. 5.000 (mg/dL, mg/hg) of Isopropanol was detected in the kidney fluid. No drugs were detected in the lung fluid.

The report said tests for carbon monoxide and cyanide were not conducted due to a lack of suitable specimens. According to the manager of CAMI's toxicology laboratory, the volatiles shown above are a result of putrification.