ERA09LA106

The airplane was in cruise flight at 8,000 feet when the engine began to run rough and the pilot noticed elevated cylinder head and oil temperatures. The pilot subsequently elected to divert to a nearby airport for a precautionary landing. The passenger, who was the pilot's wife, recalled that as the airplane approached the airport it was high and that the pilot performed "S-turns" to descend for landing. Her last memory prior to the accident was of the airplane in a steep left turn, close to the ground. The airplane impacted the ground about 1/4-mile from the approach end of the runway. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact failures; the airplane's current logbooks were not recovered. The most recent reported inspection was an annual inspection, which was performed about 19 months and 200 hours prior to the accident. Both the airframe and engine had accumulated approximately 630 total hours.

On December 25, 2008, about 1500 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built RV7A, N675RV, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground while on approach to the Anson County Airport (AFP), Wadesboro, North Carolina. The certificated private pilot was killed and a passenger sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO), Greensboro, North Carolina, about 1420, destined for Gainesville, Florida. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The airplane was owned and built by the pilot. It was based at the Martin State Airport, near Baltimore, Maryland. According to information received from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), at 1440, the airplane was in cruise flight at 8,000 feet when the pilot reported to air traffic control that he wanted to return to GSO due to an engine problem that he did not consider to be an "emergency." At 1457, the pilot stated that the engine was running rough and that he wanted to land at AFP. At 1458, the pilot indicated that he did not require any emergency services and had AFP in sight. At 1459, the pilot was cleared to change his communication frequency to the airport common traffic advisory frequency. There were no further recorded communications with the airplane. The passenger, who was the pilot's wife, recalled that the engine was running rough with elevated oil and cylinder head temperatures. The pilot was very calm and did not seem alarmed by the situation. As the airplane approached the airport, it was high and the pilot performed "S-turns" to descend for landing. Her last memory prior to the accident was of the airplane in a steep left turn, close to the ground. The airplane impacted the ground about 1/4-mile northwest of the approach end to runway 16. The airplane was examined by an FAA inspector, who reported that both wings were substantially damaged; however, the left wing contained large accordion ripples from the outboard end of the wing, to about mid-span. The left wing tip and left flap separated and were located about 20 feet from the initial impact point. The left forward portion of the fuselage was crushed, and the engine was displaced upward and to the right. The propeller assembly was sheared at the crankshaft flange and the propeller blades contained "light" chordwise striations. The airplane was subsequently recovered to a hangar at AFP for further examination, which included verifying aileron, elevator and rudder flight control continuity. In addition, the engine was rotated via an accessory drive, and thumb compression was attained on all cylinders. On March 16, 2009, the engine was removed from the airplane and further examined at a maintenance facility in Star, North Carolina, by a certificated airframe and powerplant mechanic, under the supervision of an FAA inspector. Theexamination did not reveal any preimpact failures or malfunctions. According to FAA records, the airplane was issued a special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category on February 5, 2005. It was equipped with an Aero Sport Power IO-360-B1B series engine. A logbook entry dated March 30, 2004, noted "new engine for experimental aircraft." Both the airframe and engine had accumulated approximately 630 hours. The airplane's current logbooks were not located. A mechanic reported that he conducted an annual inspection on the airplane, on June 1, 2007. At that time, the airplane had been operated for 432 total hours. The mechanic was not aware of any additional inspections or maintenance work that had been performed since the annual inspection. The pilot, age 57 reported 1,280 hours of total flight experience, on his most recent application for an FAA third class medical certificate, which was issued on October 4, 2006. It was estimated that at the time of the accident, the pilot had accumulated about 1,600 hours of total flight experience, which included approximately 630 hours in the accident airplane. An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner Office, Charlotte, North Carolina, on December 26, 2008. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was listed as “blunt force head trauma due to airplane crash." Toxicological testing was performed on the pilot by the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A weather observation taken at AFP, at 1500, reported wind from 060 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, sky clear; temperature 18 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 10 degrees C, altimeter 30.26 inches of mercury.