Accident Sequence
Witnesses observed the airplane executing a series of aerobatic maneuvers at an altitude of approximately 100 to 300 feet above ground level. The airplane then descended in a near-vertical attitude. It came to rest upright within a shallow crater near a residential area, and a post-impact fire ensued.
Wreckage Examination
Examination of the empennage section revealed two marks on the aft topside portion of the bellcrank housing. However, no evidence of foreign objects that would have restricted flight control operation was found. Both wings exhibited leading-edge crushing aftward from the wing root to the wing tip. All of the airplane's flight controls were located within the accident site.
Flight Control Examination
Flight control continuity was established to the left and right ailerons, as well as to the elevator and rudder flight control surfaces. Further inspection of the empennage section again noted two marks on the aft topside of the bellcrank housing, but no foreign objects that could have prohibited operation of the flight controls were identified.