NTSB Factual Report

On July 20, 2012, about 1120 eastern daylight time, an experimental kit-built Escapade airplane, N3YV, collided with trees near Rutland, Ohio. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its wings and fuselage. The airplane was owned and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that operated on a visual flight rules flight plan. The flight departed the Lumberton Municipal Airport (KLBT), Lumberton, North Carolina, at an unknown time, and was en route to the Newark-Heath Airport (KVTA), Newark, Ohio.

A statement provided by an eyewitness reported that the airplane was flying from east to west about 130 feet above ground level and just below low clouds, when the airplane entered a left turn. The airplane's engine sputtered and went silent, the engine sound returned, and then sputtered and went silent. The airplane then descended rapidly in a near vertical attitude.

When first responders reached the accident site, they removed an empty, metal tank in order to extract the pilot. This metal tank was later determined to be the airplane’s header fuel tank. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors responded to the accident site. The airplane was equipped with 18 gallon wing fuel tanks which contained only a residual amount of fuel. The fuel filters, which were located beneath the header tank, were also empty of fuel. There was no fuel blighting on the vegetation around the wreckage. Due to impact damage and recovery efforts by first responders, the position of the emergency engine override switches could not be confirmed. No preimpact anomalies were detected which would have precluded the normal operation of the airplane.

A Viking Aircraft engine was installed on the airplane and the engine manufacturer was an acquaintance of the pilot. He reported that the pilot would routinely fly from KLBT to Massey Ranch Airpark (KX50), New Smyrna Beach, Florida, a distance of at least 350 nautical miles, without refueling the airplane. It is unknown what cruise altitude and power settings the pilot typically used, during the flight between the KLBT and KX50, nor how much fuel he used or left over at the end of the flight.

At 1135, an automated weather reporting facility at the Ohio University Airport-Snyder Field (KUNI), Albany, Ohio, about 9 nautical miles from the accident site, reported wind from 200 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 7 miles, ceiling overcast at 700 feet, temperature 73 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 70 F, and a barometric pressure of 29.94 inches of Mercury.

A review of meteorological information from airfields along the pilot’s route of flight revealed that near a third of the way along the pilot’s route of flight, a broken layer was reported at 10,000 feet above ground level (agl). About 45 nautical miles later, an overcast to broken ceiling was reported at 700 feet agl with an overcast ceiling at 11,000 feet. The ceiling then lifted to a broken ceiling at 2,300 feet and at 5,500 feet. At 11 nautical miles from the accident site, there was a broken ceiling at 700 feet and an overcast ceiling at 1,200 feet. The pilot was non-instrument rated and the airplane was not equipped for instrument flight.

Utilizing the pilot’s previous flight to Oshkosh the year prior, the pilot likely intended to land at KVTA, a distance of at least 363 nautical miles from KLBT. The accident site was about 58 nautical miles south-southeast of KVTA.

An on-board Lowrance Airmap 2000C was downloaded and found to contain the accident flight’s data track. The Airmap 2000C does not record time, airspeed, or altitude; only the airplane’s position. Therefore, the pilot’s exact cruise airspeed and altitude could not be ascertained. The pilot’s total leg for the accident flight was approximately 338 nautical miles. The track began at the KLBT and flew northwest until southwest of Charleston, West Virginia, where the track begins to make several turns, some of which near 180 degrees. Weather at Charleston, West Virginia, during that time was a few clouds at 1,200 feet, a broken layer at 2,300 feet, and an overcast layer at 5,500 feet. It is unknown if the purpose of the maneuvering was to remain at cruise in visual meteorological conditions or an attempt to descend through the cloud layers. The track then continued towards Pomeroy, Ohio, were a right turn was made followed by a left turn. Continuing to the northwest, the pilot made a left turn and the track stopped were the wreckage was discovered.

The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) performed forensic toxicology testing on specimens from the pilot. Results were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol. The following substances were detected:

0.115 (ug/mL, ug/g) Paroxetine detected in Blood (Cavity)

Paroxetine detected in Urine

Rosuvastatin detected in Liver

Rosuvastatin detected in Blood (Cavity)

CAMI’s web-based toxicology drug information noted that paroxetine is an antidepressant serotonin reuptake inhibitor. It carries the warning that is “may impair mental and/or physical ability required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks (e.g., driving, operating heavy machinery). Rosuvastatin is used to treat high cholesterol and related conditions, and to prevent cardiovascular disease. In addition, the pilot was reported to be a diabetic undergoing treatment by a personal physician. His medications and medical condition had not been reported to the FAA in accordance with 14 CFR 61.303.b.4. It could not be determined to what extent the pilot’s use of medication interfered with his operation of the airplane.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot’s inadequate fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the inadvertent stall during the pilot’s emergency landing and the pilot’s decision to continue flight in deteriorating weather conditions.