DEN85FTE07

NTSB accident investigation · Richard A. White Glasair SH-2 · Rawlins, WY · August 9, 1985

Accident · FatalFinal report
Date
August 9, 1985, 09:25 local (15:25 UTC)
Place
Rawlins, WY
Injuries
2 fatal
Damage
Destroyed
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N39RWRichard A. White Glasair SH-2
Weather
Day
Status
Completed
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19850809048339A
Case key
16565

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

Loss of control - in flightCruise - normal
Supervision - not possiblePilot in commandCause
Incapacitation(cardiovascular)Pilot in commandCause
Incapacitation(loss of consciousness)Pilot in commandCause

Analysis

The acft crashed in a slightly nose low high velocity impact with the eng operating at low pwr by the signatures on the prop. The radar plot shows that the flight descended from aprx 15000 ft to about 10000 ft in aprx 1 minute. The acft continued to descend in a high speed high rate of descent spiral which changed to a high speed stall just prior to impact as ndicated by grnd contact marks and wreckage clues there was a broken cloud deck at aprx 4000 ft AGL. Friends of the plt do not believe that he would have consciously climbed to above 15000 ft without oxygen, leading to a conclusion of plt incapacitation prior to the climb and crash. Attempted control inputs from the wife could have altered the acft performance after PIC incapacitation. Due to the acc trauma no concusions were drawn from the plts nremains during atuopsy. The flt pattern is the main evidence of lack of plt input during the final minutes of flt.

Aircraft

Registration
N39RW
Reported as
Richard A. White Glasair SH-2 (GLASAIR SH)
Category
Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number
177
Engine
Lycoming IO-360-E1A6D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Richard A. White
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Experimental (Special)
Departed
BFF · Scottsbluff, NE
Destination
CCR · Concord Buchana, CA

Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
60
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
Medical
Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Toxicology
Performed
Flight hours
2,000 total

Weather

Conditions
Day
Wind
320° at 10 knots
Visibility
30 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
4,000 ft overcast
Temperature
52 °F, dew point 46 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
RWL, 22 nm away

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.