NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On June 5, 2015, at 1647 mountain daylight time, a Morse Rebel experimental amateur-built airplane, N914FM, impacted a hangar and parking ramp at the Eagle Regional Airport (EGE), Eagle, Colorado. The commercial pilot was fatally injured and the passenger was seriously injured. There were no ground injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. 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, cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was being operated without a flight plan.

GPS data recovered from an avionic device found in the wreckage recorded three flights on the day of the accident. The first flight data began at 08:11:12 in south-central Minnesota. Enroute stops were recorded from 09:25-09:50 at Martin Field Airport (7K8), Iowa, and from 12:57-13:40 at Holyoke Airport (HEQ), Colorado. The flightpath tracked from HEQ to the West-Northwest before turning southwest near Walden, Colorado, towards EGE.

The airplane flew a visual approach to land on runway 25 at EGE. During the approach the tower controller provided the pilot the current wind direction and velocity of 220 degrees at 21 knots, gusting to 26 knots. A witness observed the airplane very near to the runway during landing when "the wind caught [the airplane]". The airplane climbed away from the runway and completed an approximately 180 degree, rapid left turn. The airplane's flight path overflew the airport parking ramp on an easterly heading, mostly wings level, and in a slightly nose high attitude until just before it impacted the west face of hanger number four on the airport property. Before impact, the airplane began a left descending roll and hit the hanger in a left bank of about 75 degrees and approximately thirty-five feet above the ground. The airplane subsequently fell to the parking ramp and came to rest inverted. First responders told investigators it was not raining when they first reached the airplane, but it started raining within a few minutes of their arrival.

Security camera footage captured portions of the accident flight, and the footage confirmed the witness reports.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 68, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane multi-engine land, airplane single-engine sea, and instrument airplane. The pilot also held a mechanic – airframe and powerplant certificate. The pilot's current pilot log book was not located; however, a pilot log book was located with the last entries dated September 2, 2011. As of that date, the pilot had logged a total of 2,536.5 hours. The pilot's last 3rd class airman's medical certificate was dated February 4, 2013. The pilot claimed 3,000 total flight hours and 50 flight hours in the past 6 months on that application.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The single engine, high wing, two-seat, fixed gear airplane, serial number 0147R, was assembled in 1996. It was powered by a Lycoming D-320 engine, serial number 3556-27, that drove a composite, two-bladed Props, INC. 74x746 propeller. The airplane's last condition inspection was accomplished on February 15, 2015, at a recorded tachometer time of 215.9 hours. The airplane was equipped with a flaperon system.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 1650 MDT, KEGE reported a wind from 200° at 18 knots with gusts to 22 knots, visibility ten statute miles or greater, light rain, overcast cloud base at 7,000 feet above ground level (agl), temperature of 20° Celsius (C) and dew point temperature of 16°C, altimeter setting 30.16 inches of mercury.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

Eagle Regional Airport (EGE) is a public airport located at measured altitude of 6,547 feet mean sea level. It has one runway; runway 7/25, 9,000 feet by 150 feet, of asphalt construction.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The airplane impacted the west facing front of a metal-sided hangar about thirty-five feet above the ground and subsequently fell to the parking ramp. The airplane came to rest inverted. The wreckage was removed to a secure location and examined. Flight control continuity was verified to all flight controls, and no pre-impact anomalies were noted with any airplane systems or the engine. The position of the airplane's flaperon handle could not be determined due to impact damage.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy was authorized and conducted on the pilot by the Rocky Mountain Forensic Services, PLLC, Loma, Colorado. The cause of death was the result of multiple injuries sustained in an airplane accident.

Forensic toxicology was performed on specimens from the pilot by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Results were negative for all substances tested for.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

The following devices containing non-volatile memory (NVM) were recovered from the wreckage and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Vehicle Recorder Division for examination:

Device Manufacturer/Model: iFly GPS 720

Serial Number: Unknown.

The iFly GPS 720 exhibited damage due to impact forces. No accident related data was recorded on the device's internal memory.

Device Manufacturer/Model: AvMap Ultra

Serial Number: 4120423

The AvMap Ultra exhibited major damage due to impact forces. No accident related data was recorded on the device's internal memory.

Device Manufacturer/Model: SD Memory Card

Serial Number: BI1401222811D

The SD memory card exhibited minimal damage due to impact forces, but no accident related data was recorded on the device.

Device Manufacturer/Model: HTC One M8 Phone

Serial Number: 310003202964795

The HTC One M8 phone exhibited minimal damage due to impact forces. Nine photographs from the accident flight were recovered from the phone. Timing of each of the photos was established using the metadata embedded in the image files, and the timing ranged from 1635 to 1638 MDT.

Device Manufacturer/Model: Samsung Galaxy Tab (Black)

Serial Number: R52G10SC1WB

The Samsung Galaxy Tab (Black) exhibited minimal damage due to impact forces. The internal memory was recovered using laboratory hardware and software. GPS data was recovered that captured each leg of the cross-country flight that occurred on the day of the accident, beginning at 08:11:12 and ending at 16:49:53.

Device Manufacturer/Model: Samsung Galaxy Tab (White)

Serial Number: R52FB0DLAZH

The Samsung Galaxy Tab (White) exhibited major damage due to impact forces. Due to the damage, no data could be recovered from the device.

Device Manufacturer/Model: Apple iPad

Serial Number: DMPJ75EEDNQT

The Apple iPad exhibited minimal damage due to impact forces. No accident related data was recorded on the device.

Performance Study:

A Performance Study was conducted utilizing GPS data obtained from the Samsung Galaxy Tab (black) and weather data recorded at EGE at 1650 MDT. The GPS data reflected the accident flight, which originated at Holyoke Airport in Holyoke, Colorado at about 13:43 MDT. The flight duration was three hours and five minutes. The weather at EGE at 1650 was reported as 10 statute miles visibility, overcast skies at 7,000 feet, light rain, and winds from 200 degrees at 18 knots, gusting to 22 knots.

The aircraft approached runway 25 at an equivalent airspeed of 75 knots (kts) and slowed to 65 kts as it crossed the runway threshold. The equivalent airspeed calculation relied on the 18 kts wind report; the reported gusting winds up to 22 kts would change the equivalent airspeed. The final 400 ft of descent was done along a glide slope of 4.7 degrees. Runway 25 has a four light precision approach path indicator (PAPI) with a 3.0 degree glide path. The aircraft's rate of climb (descent) during this final portion of the flight was between -600 and -800 ft/min.

About 18 seconds after crossing the threshold, about 1,200 feet down the runway, the aircraft turned sharply to the left. The aircraft departed the runway, crossed over a taxiway, and continued over the ramp before impacting the hanger. During the final 40 seconds of flight the aircraft crossed the threshold at an equivalent airspeed of 64 kts (groundspeed was 54 kts) and slowed to just above 40 kts (30 kts groundspeed) when it began to turn to the left. As the aircraft left the runway, its airspeed increased until it was about 67 kts (64 kts groundspeed) as it crossed over the taxiway.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Pilot's Operating Manual stated the maximum recommended crosswind as 15 knots at 90 degrees. Based on recorded wind data, the calculated crosswind component was 13.7 knots, 16.8 knots with gusts.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane while landing in gusty, crosswind conditions that likely exceeded the recommended limitation of the airplane.