DEN05FA002

The Russian-built aerobatic airplane had taken off just prior to the start of the air show. The airplane held outside the show area for a T-33 jet, which was the show's first performance. The pilot then went into his routine. The airplane was approximately 1,500 feet above ground level (agl) when the pilot entered his second maneuver, a torque roll. On reaching its maximum height, the airplane was observed to tail slide and enter an inverted spin. A witness said, "The pilot attempted to recover but didn't make it. The airplane struck the ground upright, in a slight right bank and nose down attitude. On contact with the ground, the airplane exploded and was engulfed in a fireball." Another witness, also one of the air show's performers, described the torque roll. He said that in this maneuver, the airplane pulls up into a vertical climb at full throttle. As the airplane runs out of airspeed, torque from the engine and propeller turns the airplane. The airplane then falls off one direction or the other, nose down, and the pilot flies the airplane out of the dive. The witness said he saw the airplane come out the bottom of the smoke and enter an inverted flat spin. The witness said he saw the airplane make three revolutions. The witness said he thought the pilot had gone too far. "He came off the throttle, the rotation stopped, then the airplane yawed. I heard the engine come in. The airplane came around in a positive attitude. He was getting low. He was upright in a spin. He went to full power. He made a turn and a half and then hit [the ground]." An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. A former importer and dealer of SU-29's, who was also a pilot and mechanic who had flown and maintained SU-29's, stated that at the altitude the accident airplane was operating, the pilot cannot reduce power at all during the torque roll maneuver. He said," that if you do reduce power, the airplane will fall off wrong and you will not have enough altitude to recover." Examination of recorded video/images taken of the flight sequence through the ground impact showed the airplane come out of the torque roll into an inverted spin with full left rudder and slight upward elevator controls. The airplane descends in an inverted spin attitude for 3 revolutions before the airplane makes a clockwise roll around its longitudinal axis, placing it in an upright, nose down attitude. About 3.4 seconds prior to the airplane coming out of the inverted attitude, the rudder moves toward neutral. The airplane enters a left downward spiral. At this point, the airplane is less than 600 feet agl. The airplane makes 1.5 left-turning spirals. On completion of the first spiral, the rudder is deflected left and the elevator is deflected upward. At the end of 1.5 spirals, the airplane is approximately 150 feet agl. At this point, the airplane stops its spiral motion and falls straight down to the ground in a 47-degree nose down pitch attitude. On impact, the airplane's rudder shows full right deflection. The elevator is full up (full aft stick deflection).

History of flight

On October 2, 2004, at 1327 mountain daylight time, a Sukhoi, SU-29 aerobatic stunt airplane, N92CG, piloted by an airline transport pilot, was destroyed when it impacted terrain 500 feet west of runway 20 at the Santa Fe Municipal Airport (SAF), Santa Fe, New Mexico. A post-crash fire ensued. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The aerobatic flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot was fatally injured. The local flight was the second performance in the 2004 Santa Fe Air Show. The flight originated at 1255.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector spoke to the pilot before he took off. The inspector reviewed his certificates and his records. The inspector said the pilot looked fine, was talking, upbeat, and very cooperative. "He was willing to show us anything we wanted to see."

The inspector was in the SAF Air Traffic Control Tower when the air show began. The inspector said that the airplane took off early and held outside the show area for a T-33 jet, which was the show's first performance. The inspector said the pilot then went into his routine. He said the airplane was really high, approximately 1,500 feet above ground level (agl), when he entered his second maneuver, an "inverted spin." He said, "The pilot attempted to recover but didn't make it. The wreckage struck flat in an upright, nose down attitude, and was engulfed in a fireball."

A witness, also one of the air show's performers, said the pilot was performing a torque roll. In this maneuver, the airplane pulls up into a vertical climb at full throttle. As the airplane runs out of airspeed, torque from the engine and propeller turns the airplane. The airplane then falls off one direction or the other, nose down, and the pilot flies the airplane out of the dive. The witness he saw the airplane come out the bottom of the smoke and enter an inverted flat spin. The witness said he saw the airplane make three revolutions. The witness said he thought "the pilot had gone too far. He came off the throttle, the rotation stopped, then the airplane yawed. I heard the engine come in. The airplane came around in a positive attitude. He was getting low. He was upright in a spin. He went to full power. He made a turn and a half and then hit [the ground]."

Personnel information

The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate dated May 14, 2004. The certificate listed privileges for airplane multi-engine land and type ratings for Boeing B-757 and B-767 airplanes. The certificate also listed commercial privileges for airplane single-engine land and sea, and L-188, and private privileges for gliders. The pilot was employed as a pilot for United Airlines.

The pilot held a flight instructor certificate dated April 4, 2004. The certificate listed privileges for instruction in single and multi-engine land, and instrument airplanes.

The pilot held a first-class medical certificate dated November 11, 2003. The pilot's medical certificate listed as limitations, "None" and "Not valid for any class after November 20, 2004."

The pilot also possessed a Statement of Acrobatic Competency dated August 29, 2004, authorizing solo aerobatics in a SU-29 airplane and an altitude limitation [minimum floor] of 800 feet above ground level.

According to the his logbook, as of September 27, 2004, the pilot had logged 11,550.4 total flying hours. Of that time, 222.2 hours were in the SU-29 airplane.

According to United Airlines, the pilot completed a pilot proficiency checkride on July 28, 2004. His logbook also showed an entry for a "biennial flight review" dated June 23, 2003. The logbook entry for that day shows the pilot performed the flight review in an Extra 300L airplane. The flight duration was 1.0 hours, and covered the following areas: preflight, start, takeoff, traffic pattern entry and exit, 45-degree climbs, steep turns, multiple rolls, unusual attitudes, and landings.

Aircraft information

The airplane, serial number 74-02, was a tandem 2-seat training and aerobatic airplane manufactured by the Sukhoi Company at Omsk, Russia, in 1993. The airplane was one of several SU-29s exported to the United States, reassembled and sold to individual owners. The airplane was registered to the pilot on February 11, 2002, and was operating on an experimental airworthiness certificate. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot and used for aerobatic competition and aerial demonstration at air shows.

According to the airplane logbooks, the airplane underwent a conditional inspection on February 9, 2004. The engine tachometer time recorded at the annual inspection was 333.0 hours. Based on pilot records, the airplane's total airframe time at the accident was estimated as 388.5 hours.

Meteorological information

The Routine Aviation Weather Report for SAF at 1353, was clear skies, 10 miles visibility, temperature 64 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 37 degrees F, winds of 100 degrees magnetic at 4 knots, and an altimeter of 30.38 inches. The density altitude was calculated as 7,771 feet.

Wreckage and impact information

The National Transportation Safety Board's on scene investigation began October 2, 2004, at 2100.

The accident site was located on the Santa Fe Municipal Airport, in flat desert terrain, approximately 500 feet west-northwest of runway 02-20 (8,342 feet by 150 feet, dry asphalt) and approximately 4,100 feet from the approach end of runway 20.

The accident site consisted of the airplane main wreckage and a debris field that extended west from the main wreckage approximately 70 feet.

The airplane main wreckage rested upright on its fuselage and right wing, and was oriented on a 333-degree magnetic heading. The airplane main wreckage consisted of the engine and propeller, the remains of the header fuel tank, the main landing gear, the left and right wings, the remains of the forward and aft cockpits, the remains of the aft fuselage, the empennage, and the tail wheel.

The airplane's engine and cowlings were canted downward at a measured 47 degrees. The top cowling showed charring and paint blistering. The spinner was crushed and broken aft. One of the three propeller blades was broken aft at the hub and showed chordwise scratches. One propeller blade showed no damage. The bottom cowling was crushed upward. The engine was intact and showed some heat damage.

The right main landing gear was bent aft and left underneath the front cockpit. The left main landing gear was broken aft. The left main wheel was broken aft at the wheel hub and brakes.

The header tank was broken open, charred and melted. The forward cockpit floor was crushed upward. The metal tubing making up the walls and canopy frame was bent upward and twisted clockwise approximately 20 degrees. The fabric skin was charred and consumed. The front pilot seat was charred and consumed. The glare shield was crushed aft, charred, and melted. The front windscreen was broken out. The front cockpit instrument panel was broken to the right, crushed aft, charred, melted, and consumed. The front control stick was broken off near the base.

The rear cockpit frame was twisted clockwise 50 degrees. The fabric skin was charred and consumed. The rear seat, instrument panel and aft cockpit glare shield were charred and consumed. The rear seat control stick was charred.

The aft fuselage frame was bent downward. The fabric skin was charred and consumed aft to the empennage.

The empennage was intact and broken downward just forward of the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizers. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were charred and showed paint blistering. The bottom fabric skin of the left horizontal stabilizer and left elevator was charred. The right horizontal stabilizer and eleva