NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On September 4, 2011, at 1452 mountain daylight time, a Brewster Long-EZ experimental amateur-built airplane, N9DZ, sustained substantial damage during impact with terrain near Kanab, Utah. The private pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, received fatal injuries. The builder/owner/pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight, which had originated about 20 minutes before the accident. A flight plan had not been filed. The pilot was flying from Bryce Canyon, Utah, to Kanab, Utah, in extended formation with two other airplanes.

Kanab Municipal Airport was hosting a Rutan Fly-In over Labor Day weekend. The pilot had flown from his home in El Paso, Texas, to Kanab on Saturday, the day before the accident. On the morning of the accident, several pilots in three airplanes decided to fly to Bryce Canyon for lunch, a distance of about 45 nautical miles (nm). On the return flight, the accident airplane was the number two airplane, and radar indicated that he was trailing the lead airplane by about 1.5 nm. The flight’s ground track was about 215 degrees. As the lead airplane approached Kanab, he radioed the other two airplanes to change their radio frequency to Kanab’s Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) 122.8 MHz.

The accident pilot acknowledged the instruction, but never checked in on the CTAF frequency. The number three airplane did check in. Radar data indicated that the number three airplane was trailing the accident airplane by about 4 nm. The lead airplane and the number three airplane landed normally a few minutes later. After 30 to 45 minutes had passed and the accident airplane did not arrive at Kanab, an aerial search was commenced. The wreckage of the accident airplane was quickly located about 22 nm northeast of the Kanab Airport. The last radar return was about 130 degrees for 1 nm from the wreckage; the radar data indicated that the accident airplane was flying straight, about 500 feet above the terrain.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The 58-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate. His most recent third-class Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate was issued on November 11, 2010. On the application for this medical certificate, he reported that he had 600 hours of total flight experience and 15 hours of flight experience in the last 6 months. His pilot flight-log book was not recovered.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The single-engine (pusher), propeller-driven, two seat tandem, canard configured aircraft was manufactured by the pilot/owner, on July 30, 1999. Its maximum takeoff gross weight was 1,420 pounds; it had an empty weight of 855 pounds. It was powered by a non-certificated experimental Penn Yan Aero (JP) XE-320 four cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled engine, which had a maximum takeoff rating of 150 horsepower at sea level. The aircraft maintenance records were not recovered.

At the time of the accident, an unknown amount of birdshot was stowed in the nose of the aircraft. The birdshot was used for ballast to maintain an optimum center of gravity of the airplane.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 1510, the reported weather conditions at Buckskin Mountain, Arizona (elevation 6,175 feet; 133 degrees for 17 nautical miles from the accident site), were: wind 095 degrees at 4 knots; temperature 85 degrees Fahrenheit; dew point 25 degrees Fahrenheit. At 1453, the reported weather conditions at Page, Arizona (elevation 4,258 feet; 104 degrees for 50 nautical miles from the accident site), were: wind 340 degrees at 6 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; temperature 95 degrees Fahrenheit; dew point 25 degrees Fahrenheit; altimeter setting 30.00 inches of Mercury.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The airplane was found on high sandy desert (5,775 foot elevation), sagebrush covered terrain with widely scattered Utah Junipers, which were 5 to 15 feet tall. A ground scar on a 130 degree heading, extending about 85 feet, terminated with the aircraft wreckage, which was enmeshed with a deeply rooted Juniper. The vegetation and soil disturbance at the initial impact point suggested that the accident airplane was in a 25 to 30 degree right bank, with a 15 to 25 degree nose low pitch at impact.

The airplane’s fuselage and cockpit were totally compromised; a continuity check of the flight controls could not be accomplished. The left wing exhibited minimal damage, and the right wing was broken and much of its bottom skin was separated from the wing. Both wings were in their preimpact relative position to the main wreckage. The rear mounted engine was canted to the left and resting on top of the left wing. Both of its wooden propeller blades had separated near the propeller hub.

The engine was separated from its firewall. Its top spark plugs were removed. The engine crankshaft was manually rotated by hand using a hand tool attached to the crankshaft propeller flange. Rotational continuity was established throughout the engine and valve train. Thumb compression was noted on all four cylinders. The engine was equipped with an electronic LSE Plasma II CD ignition system; it was not tested.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy of the pilot was conducted by the Office of the Medical Examiner, Utah Department of Health, Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 7, 2011.

The FAA’s Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicology tests on the pilot. According to CAMI’s report, the pilot’s blood was tested for cyanide and drugs with negative results. Ethanol was detected in the pilot’s blood, but it was determined to be from sources other than ingestion.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's loss of airplane control during cruise flight.