MIA93LA191

The airplane was observed by a witness as it took off from a lake and made a left downwind departure. A reduction in engine power was heard, and the airplane was observed making another left turn at about 300 feet AGL as if turning from base to final approach. The airplane appeared to be slow and was observed to shudder from left to right before going into a left roll and a spin. The airplane disappeared from view and collided with the terrain.

On September 6, 1993, at about 1545 eastern daylight time, a RANS S-12, an unregistered experimental airplane, operated as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed while maneuvering after takeoff. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed, and the private pilot was fatally injured. The flight originated from Harris Lake in the vicinity of Leesburg, Florida, about 5 minutes before the crash.

According to the FAA, a witness stated to the FAA aviation safety inspector conducting the on-scene investigation that the airplane was observed to take off from Lake Harris to the east. On climbout the airplane made a left turn as if turning downwind, and the engine was heard to decrease to idle power. The airplane was observed to make another left turn as if turning from base to final at about 300 feet agl. The airplane appeared to be slow, and was observed to shudder from left to right. The airplane then went into a left roll, followed by a spin, and disappeared from view below the tree line.

According to the FAA, review of airman records on file with the Airman Certification Branch, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the pilot, Max E. Wetstein, was issued a private pilot rating, airplane single-engine land on June 24, 1993. The pilot was performing airplane single-engine sea operations at the time of the accident without the appropriate airplane class rating required by 14 CFR Part 61.5. The pilot was issued a class 3 medical certificate with no waivers/limitations on April 9, 1993.

According to the FAA, review of aircraft records on file with the FAA Aircraft Registry, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the experimental airplane was not registered as required by 14 CFR Part 47.3. The aircraft logbooks were not located.

According to the FAA, examination of the crash site revealed the airplane collided with the terrain in a nose down left wing low attitude. The propeller system collided with the fuselage separating one propeller blade. The propeller tips on the remaining two propeller blades were destroyed. The fuel tanks were not ruptured. About 6 gallons of fuel was found in the main fuel tank. The left wing was bent up, and the right wing was bent down. Examination of the airframe revealed no evidence to indicate any preimpact failure or malfunction. All components necessary for flight were present at the crash site. Continuity of the flight control system was established for pitch, roll, and yaw. Examination of the engine assembly revealed no evidence to indicate a preimpact failure or malfunction. The engine was transported to an authorized repair station and placed in an engine stand. The engine started, ran, and developed oil pressure and power.

Postmortem examination of the pilot, Max E. Wetstein was conducted by Dr. Janet R. Pillow, Associate Medical Examiner, District 5, Leesburg, Florida, on September 7, 1993. The cause of death was multiple injuries. Postmortem toxicology studies of specimens were performed by the Doctors & Physicians Laboratory, Leesburg, Florida. These studies were negative for neutral, basic, and acidic drugs.

The aircraft wreckage was released to Captain Jerry L. Gehlbach, Commander, Criminal Investigation Division, Leesburg Police Department, Leesburg, Florida, on September 6, 1993. The engine was released to James V. Whittington, Rotax Technician, Lockwood Aviation Inc., Lake Wales, Florida, on September 17, 1993.