ERA19LA247

Several witnesses noted the airplane was flying but did not hear an engine sound while it was in the traffic pattern of an airstrip adjacent to the pilot’s house. Witnesses reported hearing the airplane impact terrain. A postcrash fire occurred. The pilot was able to self-extricate himself and informed a first responder and medical personnel that he was "circling to land and the engine bogged down." Examination of the wreckage found the cockpit and inboard portions of the wings were consumed by the postcrash fire; there was no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the flight controls for roll, pitch, and yaw. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of failure or malfunction of the powertrain, but heat damage to the fuel metering, ignition, and cooling systems precluded determining whether there was any preexisting issue with those systems. While the pilot’s autopsy found severe atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, he initially survived the accident and did not experience a loss of consciousness; thus, sudden incapacitation was not a factor. Medication found in his system was the result of postaccident medical intervention. Personal medical records revealed that the pilot had a stroke about 2 months prior to the crash that resulted in the loss of his right visual fields. The condition, called homonymous hemianopsia, causes difficulty in visual-motor control and perception in space. However, without knowledge of the intended flight pattern and timing of the reported loss of engine power, it could not be determined whether the pilot’s homonymous hemianopsia contributed to the accident.

Maintenance records were not available; therefore, the date of the airplane’s last condition inspection could not be determined. On August 14, 2019, about 0841 eastern daylight time, a Fantasy Air Allegro 2000, N5020X, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Boone, North Carolina. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Several witnesses reported hearing no sound from the engine. One of those witnesses, who was located about 1.1 nautical miles west-southwest from the accident site, reported seeing the airplane flying in either a southerly direction or possibly south-southwesterly direction at an estimated height of 200 ft above ground level. He also indicated that he did notice the propeller rotating. The airplane flew over a ridge and went out of his sight. He did not hear the impact. The other witness reported that he saw the airplane flying in a northerly direction towards him. He noted the left wing suddenly dipped down and then appeared to straighten. The airplane was banking to the left and the witness indicated that he did not hear or see the impact. Witnesses who were located about 0.2 nautical mile south-southwest of the accident site reported hearing the airplane flying and noted it circle the area a few times. They then heard a “boom” and saw smoke in the air. One witness went to the accident site to render assistance while the other went to the accident site area, called 911, and directed first responders. According to the NC State Highway Patrol Master Trooper, the pilot had self-extricated from the airplane and was about 300 to 400 ft down the hill away from the airplane. He briefly spoke with the pilot before he was transported to a hospital for medical care, and the pilot reported that he was "circling to land and the engine bogged down." The pilot died about 8 hours after the crash from extensive burns. The medical examiner reported cardiovascular disease consisting of an enlarged heart (450 grams) and severe atherosclerosis in the left anterior descending (90%), right coronary (75%) and left circumflex (70%) arteries. Evidence of a remote microscopic stroke was noted in the pilot’s brain. A review of the pilot’s personal medical records revealed he was being treated for hypertension, hypothyroidism, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. About a month before the accident, he complained of dizziness and vision problems. Imaging conducted about 2 weeks before the accident showed the pilot had a stroke that resulted in the loss of vision in his right visual fields (a condition known as homonymous hemianopsia). Postaccident medical treatment records showed the pilot was administered fentanyl and lidocaine for pain management on the way to and at the hospital. Toxicology testing found the opioid pain reliever fentanyl, its inactive metabolite norfentanyl, and the local anesthetic lidocaine in the pilot’s blood and urine. Thenon-sedating high blood pressure medication irbesartan was detected in blood and urine. According to the law enforcement first responder, the weather conditions on his arrival about 43 minutes after the accident consisted of “mostly clear skies with some clouds. No fog that morning, light winds.” The airplane impacted the ground in a wooded area about 320 ft north-northeast from the eastern edge of an airstrip adjacent to the pilot’s house. According to the Federal Aviation Administration inspector who went to the accident site, the airplane impacted trees about 40 ft above ground level on/towards upsloping terrain. She did not notice any tree branches/limbs that were cut by the propeller. The fuselage was resting against a tree, while the left wing was downslope, and the right wing was upslope. The cockpit and inboard portions of both wings were consumed by the postcrash fire, and the vertical stabilizer also sustained fire damage. Examination of the flight controls for roll, pitch and yaw revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction; no preimpact separations at attach points were noted. The flap position was not determined. The wreckage was recovered for further examination of the engine. Following wreckage recovery, examination of the engine was performed by the technical advisor assigned by the country of design and manufacture with oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration. The engine sustained extensive heat damage to the ignition, fuel metering, and cooling systems. No evidence of pre-impact failure or malfunction was noted of the engine whose systems were not damaged or destroyed by the postcrash fire. Examination of the three-bladed composite propeller revealed impact and/or heat damage to all blades.