IAD00LA050

The purpose of the flight in the home-built airplane was to give an orientation flight to the pilot-rated passenger, as she had never flown an open cockpit airplane. According to the pilot, there was no communications possible between his seat in the back and the passenger seat in the front, but that he briefed his passenger prior to takeoff. He said the understanding was that he would fly the airplane to altitude and transition to level flight, and then signal the pilot in the front by 'a slight circle with the control stick' to take the flight controls. The pilot said he surrendered the flight controls, and the airplane completed a series of 360-degree turns at varying altitudes. Witnesses described the turns and how the airplane passed 'dangerously close' to trees and buildings before it flew under wires and struck terrain and a tractor. After the accident, the pilot reported that he was unclear as to whom, if anyone was on the controls at the time of the accident. The pilot rated passenger had no recollection of the flight or the accident.

On June 11, 2000, at 1130 Eastern Daylight Time, an amateur-built Double Deuce airplane, N1056G, was substantially damaged during collision with terrain and a farm tractor while maneuvering near West Alexandria, Ohio. The certificated private pilot/owner and pilot-rated passenger were seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated at the Morningstar Airport (3OH1), West Alexandria, Ohio. No flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

In a telephone interview, a trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol said the pilot was giving airplane rides to guests who had attended a local wedding. The pilot had flown two flights earlier in the day, and that the accident occurred during the third flight.

The Double Deuce was an open-cockpit airplane with no intercom system.

An aviation officer with the Ohio State Highway Patrol conducted an interview with the pilot/owner. The statement provided by the Highway Patrol was in a question and answer format.

The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to give an orientation flight to his pilot-rated passenger, as she had never flown an open cockpit airplane. According to the pilot, there was no communications possible between his seat in the back and the passenger seat in the front, but that he briefed his passenger prior to takeoff. He said the understanding was that he would fly the airplane to altitude and transition to level flight. At that point, the passenger would take the flight controls. According to the pilot:

"We took off to the [southeast] and I climbed to approximately 1,500 feet agl (above ground level). I trimmed the aircraft to take the pressures off and let [the passenger] fly the aircraft from her seat. She then made two 360-degree turns and we descended down to about 600 feet agl. She continued to descend. I realized we were in trouble and the rest is a blur. [Question] How low were you when you realized you were too low? [Answer] 100 to 200 feet agl."

According to a summary of the interview in the Ohio State Highway Patrol report:

"[The pilot] then says he wished he had taken the controls back sooner. He also said he didn't want to offend [the passenger]. [The pilot] realized they were too low and in trouble."

The pilot said there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane. He said the stall speed for the airplane was 55 miles per hour.

In a written statement, the pilot said:

"...I help [the passenger] get buckled in and explained that when I got the plane up and trimmed that I would make a slight circle with the control stick to signal for her to fly the airplane. We took off and climbed to a safe distance above the Eaton radio tower at Maplewood, a small town just east of Eaton, Ohio. I trimmed the airplane and gave a little circle of the stick to signal her to take the controls.

"Everything was alright and I sat and watched for other aircraft and left her to fly the plane. In a short time we did a 360-[degree] turn left and that I could see the profile of her face and that she was enjoying the ride.

"After this, we went around again and did a 720-[degree turn] and... after that things went blank."

A witness who was standing on the property where the airplane crashed provided a signed statement to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The form provided by the police contained a narrative statement by the witness, and also documented questions by a police Sergeant and the answers from the witness. According to the witness:

"When I first saw the plane it was flying about 1,000 feet to 1,500 feet above the ground. The engine was running fine. When I came out of the house to do chores, I heard him circling around. As I was watching him he circled around and got fairly close to the trees. He went around behind the house and got dangerously close to the ground, but he came back up. He went across the road at approximately 500 feet and circled around and started coming back down. He went under the power lines and his wing caught the tractor sitting in the driveway and crashed."

The witness stated that when the airplane was maneuvering near the trees, there was no more than 30 feet of clearance. He said that there were no interruptions of engine noise and that the engine sounded "as if he was under full power all the time." The witness stated that just prior to ground contact, the airplane was traveling approximately 50 to 60 miles per hour in a left bank, with the nose pitched down approximately 20 degrees.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) interviewed the pilot at the hospital. During a telephone interview, the inspector said the pilot felt there was a miscommunication between himself and the pilot-rated passenger, and that the pilot was unsure if anyone was flying the airplane at the time of the accident.

During a telephone interview, the pilot-rated passenger stated she had no recollection of events beyond the offer for the airplane ride.

The pilot's most recent FAA third class medical certificate was issued on August 8, 1998. He reported 750 hours of flight experience on that date. The pilot reported to the Highway Patrol that he had 300 hours of flight experience in the accident airplane.

The passenger's most recent FAA third class medical certificate was issued on May 8, 1998. She reported 190 hours of flight experience on that date.

The weather reported at Dayton, Ohio, 20 miles northeast of West Alexandria, was broken ceiling at 12,000 feet with winds from 230 degrees at 10 knots.