NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On June 28, 2014, about 1615 central daylight time, a Skybolt experimental amateur-built airplane, N619PD, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain just west of the Mid-Way Regional Airport (KJWY), Midlothian/Waxahachie, Texas. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was operated without a flight plan. The local flight originated approximately 1600.

On the morning of the accident, approximately 0930, the pilot completed about a 1.5 hour brief, with an aerobatic judge and pilot, to include the details of the flight. They discussed at length what maneuvers the pilot was going to fly, that the altitude floor of the flight was 800 feet, and density altitude and its effects. The pilot was going to perform both competition maneuvers, and non-competition maneuvers with the eventual intent of obtaining a Statement of Aerobatic Competency (SAC) card. The pilot was looking for the aerobatic judge's critique for a barnstorming-type airshow.

The pilot flew in to the airport about 1400 for the accident flight. He flew the maneuvers that they had discussed. There were no issues that the judge noticed with the performance and the pilot went completely through what they had briefed. About 15 minutes into the flight, the pilot wanted to do a new maneuver, a "shoulder roll," which he had indicated to the judge that he had practiced previously (prior to the accident flight).

About 3,000 feet above ground level (agl), the airplane entered a dive and leveled off about 2,000 feet agl, then pitched the airplane nose up to a 30 degree pitch. The airplane began to roll to the right and at the inverted position, the airplane yawed to the right – the pilot's right as he was inverted (from the observer's point of view it rotated clockwise). In a right yaw and a right roll, the airplane rotated 2.5 times. The judge perceived that the airplane "ran out of energy" in a knife-edge position. The airplane went from a knife edge to an inverted attitude and subsequently entered a spin, turning clockwise.

The judge estimated that the airplane made 3 to 4 revolutions in the spin. He heard the power reduce "but possibly not to an idle". Almost immediately the rotation slowed for ½ a turn and about 1,400 feet agl, the rotation sped back up in the same direction. The airplane remained in that attitude until it impacted the ground. The judge was directly across the runway and the airplane crashed directly in front of him.

The judge stated that he was in constant communication with the pilot during the flight. It was a very precise flight up to that point – an intermediate level known sequence. The pilot performed a hammer head, barrel roll, and several other maneuvers all without any issues. He stated that the pilot accomplished the intended "shoulder roll" maneuver. He perceived that it was during the recovery that something went wrong – recovery could have been expected after the second or third turn.

Other witnesses observed the airplane in a flat spin and one witness estimated that the airplane completed 3 to 4 revolutions in the spin before it hit the ground. One witness specifically remarked that he did not detect any sort of failure or issue with the airplane prior to the accident.

The airplane came to rest, inverted, to the west of runway 18.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 48, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single engine land and glider ratings. The certificate contained the limitation "Not valid for carriage of persons for hire in airplanes on cross-country flights of more than 50 nautical miles or at night."

He was issued a second class airman medical certificate on June 2, 2014. The certificate contained the limitation "Must wear corrective lenses." At the time of medical certificate application, the pilot reported a total time of 918 hours; 20 hours of which had been logged in the previous 6 months.

One logbook was available for review during the course of the investigation. The logbook contained entries between January 4, 1996, and May 28, 2012. A review of the logbook indicated that the pilot had logged no less than 617.2 hours. The pilot received a spin endorsement on July 4, 2012, and successfully completed the requirements of a flight review in May of 2102. A current logbook was not made available for review. The pilot's logbook only reflected 5 hours of logged time in the make and model of the accident airplane. Investigators were told that only the pilot flew the accident airplane and it is estimated he had logged no less than 250 hours of experience in the make and model of the accident airplane.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the 2010 experimental amateur-built airplane, (serial number 001) had been manufactured by the pilot. It was registered with the FAA on a special airworthiness certificate for experimental operations. A Lycoming IO-360-B4A engine rated at 180 horsepower at 2,700 rpm powered the airplane. The engine was equipped with a 2-blade, Performance Propeller.

According to a friend, the pilot was attentive to the weight and center of gravity of the airplane. The pilot had changed the propeller and adjusted the center of gravity of the airplane aft a total of 4 inches through a modified engine mount. The friend stated that these changes were made to improve or increase the rate of the roll while the pilot was performing aerobatics.

The airplane was maintained under a condition inspection program. A review of the maintenance records indicated that a condition inspection had been completed on January 1, 2014, at an airframe total time of 230.56 hours. The airplane had flown approximately 28 hours between the last inspection and the accident and had a total airframe time of 258.27 hours.

Further review of the maintenance records illustrated that the pilot completed the flight test requirement at 25.1 hours on February 13, 2011. The logbook entry stated that aerobatic maneuvers of "loops, rolls, spins, and all combinations thereof" had been test flown and the airplane demonstrated that it was "controllable through the maneuvers' normal range of speeds and [was] safe for operation." On September 1, 2012, the propeller was changed to a wooden "Performance Propeller." A logbook entry on October 3, 2012, stated that testing of the propeller was completed, "including upright and inverted spins" and there were no "adverse affects [sic]." Aside from routine and condition maintenance inspections, there were no other logbook entries addressing the modification of the engine mounts or change of the weight and balance of the airplane.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The closest official weather observation station was KJWY. The elevation of the weather observation station was 727 feet msl. The routine aviation weather report (METAR) for KJWY, issued at 1615, reported wind 170 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 18 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky condition scattered clouds at 5,000 feet agl, broken clouds at 5,500 feet agl, temperature 31 degrees Celsius (C), dew point temperature 20 degrees C, altimeter 29.89 inches.

Relevant meteorological data calculated the density altitude at 3,058 feet.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

Mid-Way Regional Airport (KJWY) is a public non-towered airport located 5 miles southeast of Midlothian, TX, at a surveyed elevation of 727 feet. The airport had 1 open runway, runway 18/36 (6,500 feet by 100 feet asphalt). The airport had a certificate of waiver for an aerobatic practice area. The aerobatic practice area was defined from the surface up to 3,500 feet agl and within a 1 nautical mile radius of the airport. The practice area started about midfield of runway 18/36 and extended to the north.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The wreckage came to rest inverted to the west of runway 18, at a field elevation of 713.7 feet. The main wreckage included both wings, the engine and propeller assembly, the fuselage, and the empennage. All components were located at the impact site.

The fuselage included the forward and aft seats, the instrument panel, and the engine and propeller assembly. The forward seat space was crushed aft, reducing the occupiable space. The aft seat was crush up and aft, and was impact damaged. The instrument panel was impact damaged. Several instruments and switches were damaged or partially separated.

The left bi-wing included the upper and lower wings and both ailerons. The lower wing remained attached to the fuselage. The upper wing separated partially from the fuselage due to impact damage. The upper wing exhibited accordion crushing along the leading edge of the wing. The wing was wrinkled from the leading edge, aft to the trailing edge, along the entire span of the wing.

The lower left wing was bent and torn along the inboard portion of the wing. The outboard portion of the wing was unremarkable. The strut between the upper and lower wing was impact damaged.

The connecting rod between the upper and lower aileron was bent. The upper aileron was unremarkable. The lower aileron was impact damaged on the inboard trailing edge of the wing. The flight control tubes for the ailerons were continuous from the cockpit control stick outboard to the ailerons. Several of the tubes and bellcranks were bent due to impact damage.

The right bi-wing included the upper and lower wing and both ailerons. Both wings remained attached to the fuselage. The upper right wing was impact damaged adjacent to the wing strut.

The lower right aileron separated partially at the inboard hinge. The upper right aileron was bent and buckled at the inboard hinge. The flight control tubes for the ailerons were continuous from the cockpit control stick outboard to the ailerons.

The empennage included the horizontal and vertical stabilizers, elevators, and rudder. The left and right stabilizers were unremarkable. The trim tab on the left elevator assembly separated partially from the elevator. The control tubes for the elevator were continuous but bent in several locations due to impact. The trailing edge of the right elevator was bent. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were buckled aft and bent 90 degrees to the left. The rudder cables were continuous from the rudder forward to the rudder cables in the cabin.

The engine remained attached to the fuselage and was impact damaged along with the cowling. The wooden propeller remained attached at the hub and illustrated impact damage. Blade A was partially broken at the blade hub. Blade B was partially broken at the hub and was further separated, partially, into two pieces along the span of the blade.

An examination of the airframe and related systems exhibited impact damage and no anomalies were noted that would have precluded normal operations.

The top and bottom banks of spark plugs were removed. The spark plugs were clean and exhibited signatures consistent with normal to worn out normal when compared to the Champion Spark Plug Chart. The injector nozzle on the number 1 cylinder contained debris and was bent. The remaining three nozzles were clear of debris. Both magnetos exhibited a spark when rotated by hand.

Air movement was noted on cylinders 2, 3, and 4 when the engine was rotated by hand at the propeller flange. Valve train continuity was noted through the engine, except for cylinder number one. The pushrods on the number one cylinder were impact damaged and air movement was not observed.

Inspection of the engine did not disclose any areas of visual distress on the engine, other than what was attributed to impact damage. Additionally, the examination of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have prevented the engine from producing power.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The autopsy was performed by the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences at Dallas on June 29, 2014, as authorized by the Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, Ellis County, Texas. The autopsy concluded that the cause of death was a result of blunt force injuries and the report listed the specific injuries.

The FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological tests on specimens that were collected during the autopsy (CAMI Reference #201400122001). Results were negative for all tests conducted. Testing for cyanide was not performed.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot’s loss of airplane control while performing an aerobatic maneuver, which resulted in an inverted spin and subsequent collision with terrain.