NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On March 26, 2012, about 1422 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built, Avid Flyer MK 4, N61410, impacted the ground during a balked landing at the JAARS-Townsend Airport (N52), Waxhaw, North Carolina. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane came to rest in a nose down attitude at the base of several trees and sustained damage to the fuselage and all flight control surfaces. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight. The flight departed from the Fairfield County Airport (FDW), Winnsboro, South Carolina at 1341.

According to several pilot-rated witnesses, the airplane was observed in a nose-up pitch attitude of about 30 degrees, about 30 feet above the ground. The airplane was then observed at a lower pitch attitude near the top of a 70-foot-tall tree and was observed banking to the left and right about 30 degrees. The airplane went behind a 85-foot-tall pine tree and then the sound of an impact was heard. One eyewitness reported that just prior to the accident, the airplane entered a near vertical nose down attitude, entered a spin, and then disappeared into the trees. The eyewitnesses reported that the engine sounded as though it was producing full power during the accident sequence.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 63, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third-class medical certificate was issued November 3, 2010 and was not valid for any class after November 30, 2011. At the time of the accident, the pilot was utilizing his driver's license in-lieu of a medical certificate. According to the pilot's logbook, the most recent entry was dated February 21, 2012 and at the time indicated 264.8 hours of total flight experience, 218.9 hours of flight experience as pilot in command, and 9.2 hours of total flight experience in the accident aircraft make and model. The pilot's most recent flight review was conducted on September 19, 2011.

AIRPLANE INFORMATION

The two-seat, high-wing, fabric-covered, steel-tube construction, single-engine, experimental-amateur built airplane was equipped with a Jabiru 2200A, four-stroke, four-cylinder, air-cooled, reciprocating engine. The airplane had the "Speed wing" design and was also equipped with "STOLSPEED Vortex Generators." The airplane maintenance records indicated that the most recent conditional inspection was completed on October 1, 2011 with a total time in service of 128.5 hours as of that inspection. The most recent airframe maintenance logbook entry was completed on the day of the accident which indicated a tachometer time of 133.52 hours. The entry indicated that the transponder was removed and replaced and that the weight and balance change was negligible. According to FAA aircraft registration records, the airplane was issued an airworthiness certificate on May 29, 2002 and was purchased by the accident pilot on November 15, 2011.

The airplane was also equipped with a Ballistic Recovery System (BRS) which consisted of a solid propellant rocket motor, activation handle and cable, and a parachute container. The rocket motor is used to deploy a parachute capable of supporting up to 1,050 pounds. The airframe had no identification or warning labels associated with the BRS attached; however, while reviewing the logbooks the warning labels where located in a plastic bag inside the file folder containing loose papers associated with the airplane.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

The airport was a privately-owned airport and at the time of the accident it did not have an operating air traffic control tower. The airport was equipped with one runway designated as runway 4/22. The runway was reported as "in excellent condition" at the time of the accident. Runway 4/22 was a 3,309-foot-long by 40-foot-wide runway, and was located 602 feet above mean sea level (msl).

METEROLOGICAL IN FORMATION

The 1435 recorded weather observation at Lancaster Municipal Airport (LKR), Lancaster, South Carolina, located approximately 11 miles to the southwest of the accident location, included wind from 310 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 24 degrees C, dew point 5 degrees C and barometric altimeter 29.96 inches of mercury.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

Initial examination revealed that the airplane impacted the ground in a small ravine located in a wooded area, about 700 feet to the east of the runway centerline, and came to rest in a nose down attitude between two trees that were about 6 feet apart. The right wing remained attached to the fuselage and the left wing was removed by rescue personnel. Both wings contained 32 plastic vortex generators on the top and just aft of the leading edge. The left wing’s flaperon was impact-separated from the wing at the attach points. The right wing's flaperon remained attached to the wing; however, two of the attach points were impact-separated.

The ballistic recovery system parachute was not deployed, and the rocket was disarmed at the accident site. The maintenance safety pin remained inserted in the pull handle, with the "Remove Before Flight" streamer attached, which was located between the two seats. When removed and examined, the pin did not exhibit any deformation or witness marks.

The fuel tank, located in the right wing, was not breached and contained approximately 5 gallons of a blue fluid similar in color to 100LL aviation fuel. The same color fluid was located in a fuel line forward of the firewall and connected to the engine. A sample of the fluid was collected and was free of foreign objects or water. The cockpit fuel selector valve was found in the "ON" position and operated normally. The engine remained attached to the firewall and the wooden propeller blades were impact-separated at the propeller hub. Control continuity was confirmed to all flight control surfaces from the control column and from the rudder pedals to their respective control surfaces or their respective fracture points.

The engine was examined and continuity was confirmed from the propeller hub to the rear accessory pad and compression was observed on all four cylinders when rotated by hand. No mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities were noted and rotation was smooth with a slight binding during approximately 20 degrees of rotation. The rear accessory gear was noted as making contact with the rear of the engine case during that same 20 degree rotational arc.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy was performed on the pilot on March 27, 2012, by the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office, Charlotte, North Carolina, as authorized by the Laurens County Coroner's Office. The autopsy findings included "blunt force injuries of the thorax" and the report listed the specific injuries.

Toxicological testing was performed post mortem at the FAA’s Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The tests were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol. Amlodipine was detected in the urine and blood. The medication as well as the pilot's history of hypertension and incidental, asymptomatic atrial fibrillation were reported to the FAA during the pilot's most recent third-class medical examination.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The global positioning system (GPS) was recovered and sent to the NTSB's Vehicle Recorders Laboratory for download. The GPS recorded the accident flight and revealed that the airplane entered the left downwind leg to runway 22 at 1419:20 (HHMM:SS), at an altitude of 1322 feet msl, and at a groundspeed of 58 knots. At 1421:59 the airplane was at 696 feet msl and had a groundspeed of 59 knots. Subsequently, the recording indicated that the airplane began to veer to the left and at 1422:09 the airplane was at 656 feet msl and had a groundspeed of 44 knots, that groundspeed was maintained until the end of the recording at 1422:13. The recording ended in the vicinity of the accident location.

The Avid Yearbook

A publication provided by the kit manufacturer was located with the maintenance records for the aircraft. The book included directives, service letters, and performance numbers for the Mark IV which included the stall speed for the "Speedwing" design and indicated that the speed was about 42-46 mph [36–40 knots] depending on the weight of the aircraft.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during an attempted go-around, which resulted in a low-altitude aerodynamic stall.