NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On May 5, 2002, about 1700 eastern daylight time, a Hispano Aviacion HA-200 Saeta, N2000G, registered to, and operated by a private individual as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed in Perry, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airline transport-rated pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft, received fatal injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

The accident pilot's father, who was a witness, stated that his son, who was also an FAA licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic, had been working on the airplane's brakes, and that other than the brakes the airplane had been operating normally. He stated that his son had departed from Perry-Houston County Airport, Perry, Georgia, stating that he intended to taxi the airplane to see if the repairs he had done to the brakes had been successful in correcting "a pull" to the right that had been occurring when taxiing the airplane. The witness further stated that his son told him that he would taxi down the runway and apply the brakes to ensure they worked properly, and if everything was normal he would probably take off, stay in the traffic pattern, and land. The witness stated he observed the takeoff to the north, and saw his son perform two left turns in the traffic pattern, as if he would again turn left a third time and land, but instead of landing, his son continued flying south, away from the airport. The witness said that when the airplane flew south past the airport it was straight and level, and there were no indications of any problems. A short time later, the witness said he saw smoke directly in line with where he had last seen the airplane, and soon after, the telephone rang in the terminal building, and someone stated that an airplane had crashed.

Another witness who lived close to the airport stated that he had heard the sound of the airplane in the distance while he was reading on his patio, as the airplane came over his property he saw it was low over the trees, and it did not sound to him as if the engine had been operating efficiently. He stated that he saw the airplane make a sharp turn to the left, very low over the trees, descended, and at that time he realized it was in trouble. He said he then saw the fire, called 911 emergency, got his fire extinguisher, entered his car, and drove to the scene, where he observed two large trees burning, the airplane engulfed in flames, and the ground covered in fuel.

According to an FAA inspector who responded to the accident, a third witness stated that he observed the airplane while it was flying southbound and it did not sound as if it was operating properly. The inspector further stated that the witness told him that it sounded as if the engine was not generating power and he saw the airplane in about a 20 to 30 degrees nose-high attitude . The inspector said the witness said as he continued to watch the airplane he observed it in the vicinity of a big open field with plenty of room in either direction, and he also saw the landing gear extend, then retract, followed by the airplane entering about a 90-degree "knife edged" descending turn to the left, and impacting the ground.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot/owner held a airline-transport pilot certificate, issued on September 2, 1999, with an airplane multiengine land rating. He also held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single engine land rating, as well as a flight instructor certificate with airplane single engine land instrument ratings. In addition, he held an FAA airframe and powerplant mechanic's license issued on January 14, 1998. He also held a first class medical certificate issued on November 19, 2001, with no stated limitations. The pilot's logbooks were not provided to the NTSB, but at the time of his last application for a medical certificate he reported having a total of 3,400 flight hours experience, of which 120 had been in the last 6 months.

According to an FAA inspector, the pilot had recently acquired the airplane, had been performing maintenance to the airplane, had obtained flight and ground training specific to the airplane, and was attempting to gain FAA certification to operate it when the accident occurred. The inspector said that at the time of the accident the pilot had accumulated a total of about 12 hours flight experience in the airplane.

AIRPLANE INFORMATION

The accident airplane was an uncertificated Hispano Aviacion model HA200 Spanish military jet airplane, manufactured in 1962, serial number was E-14A-13. An FAA Inspector who responded to the accident stated that the pilot had contacted the FAA expressing a desire to display the airplane statically at local airshows, and had been seeking FAA certification to operate the airplane in the experimental exhibition category. The inspector further stated that the pilot had received a Letter of Authorization (LOA), but he had not yet received a Special Airworthiness certificate with operating limitations from the FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) permitting it to be flown, because there were outstanding items that remained to be performed in order to satisfy FAA requirements.

Records obtained from the FAA included a copy of a letter of authorization dated March 21, 2002. In addition, the records showed that on September 4, 1999, at a total time in service of 610.4 hours, maintenance work had been performed and the airplane had been tested for 0.8 hours, after which a mechanic had provided an endorsement stating, "the engine had been inspected IAW with the scope and detail of Appendix D of FAR 43 and found it to be in condition for safe operation." On September 20, 2002, at a stated total time in service of 750.0, records showed that the engine was again serviced, and a similar endorsement as was previously stated, had been written into the record. In January 2002, at a recording tachometer time of 39.5 hours and a total time in service of 760.0, the accident airplane's record reflected that an 100-hour inspection had been performed.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

Weather was not a factor, and about the time of the accident the Macon, Georgia, 1653, surface weather observation was, winds variable at 5 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, few clouds at 2,800 feet, temperature 23 degrees C, dewpoint temperature 16 degrees C, altimeter 30.26 inHg.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The FAA inspector who responded to the scene stated that the airplane crashed in Houston County, Georgia, about 7 miles southwest of the Perry-Houston County Airport, and was destroyed by a postimpact fire. The inspector further stated that airplane had impacted at a steep angle and the wreckage lay among tall trees. He stated that the trees among which the wreckage lay had been burned, and the debris field was consistent with the airplane having impacted at a steep impact angle. He said the impact had created about a 3 to 4-foot deep crater, and only the horizontal and vertical sections of the empennage had separated and had not been burned. he said the postcrash fire consumed the airplane and precluded him from making any determination of whether there had been any mechanical failure or malfunction.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

Postmortem examination of the pilot was performed by pathologists with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Medical Examiner's Office, in Macon, Georgia, on May 6, 2002. The cause of death was attributed to multiple blunt force trauma. No findings which could be considered causal were reported. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Medical Examiner's Office conducted toxicological studies on samples of blood for ethanol and drugs and the report was negative. The FAA Toxicology Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, also performed toxicological studies on samples obtained from the pilot. The samples were tested for carbon monoxide, cyanide, volatiles, and drugs. All tests on the samples were negative.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilots failure to maintain airspeed while performing a turn at a low altitude, which resulted in a inadvertent stall, an uncontrolled descent, and an impact with trees and terrain.