| Crash location | 38.442222°N, 75.403333°W |
| Nearest city | Pittsville, MD
38.395394°N, 75.412974°W 3.3 miles away |
| Tail number | N707TR |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 19 Jul 2005 |
| Aircraft type | Ratliff Hummel Bird |
| Additional details: | None |
On July 19, 2005, about 1045 eastern daylight time, a homebuilt Hummel Bird, N707TR, was substantially damaged during impact with terrain, while departing Davis Airstrip (6MD8), Pittsville, Maryland. The certificated commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector stated that the pilot had been building the accident airplane "on and off" for approximately 11 years. The accident flight was the pilot's first flight in the airplane. Review of the pilot's logbook revealed that he had accumulated approximately 1,497 total hours of flight experience; all of which were in single engine airplanes. In addition, the pilot flew about 15 hours within the 90 days preceding the accident. There was no record of prior flight experience in a Hummel Bird.
Two witnesses at the airport recorded the accident flight with video cameras. The videos displayed the airplane performing several high-speed taxis on runway 36, a 2,750-foot-long, 105-foot-wide, turf runway. The videos did not capture the liftoff from runway 36, but showed the departure climb. About 200 feet agl, the airplane slowly rolled right and descended into a field. The airplane impacted the field approximately 2,000 feet beyond the departure end of the runway.
The FAA inspector examined the wreckage and confirmed flight control continuity. The inspector did not observe any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions with the airframe or engine.
The reported weather at an airport approximately 8 miles west of the accident site, at 1054, was: wind from 220 degrees at 4 knots; visibility 10 miles; sky clear; temperature 86 degrees F; dew point 79 degrees F; altimeter 29.99 inches Hg.
Toxicological testing was conducted on the pilot at the FAA Toxicology Accident Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The toxicological report for the pilot revealed:
"QUININE detected in Urine
DIPHENHYDRAMINE detected in Urine
DIPHENHYDRAMINE NOT detected in Blood"
A loss of control for undetermined reasons, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent into terrain.