Accident Overview
On April 6, 2008, at 1456 eastern daylight time, a Cessna P210N (registration N734JV) was substantially damaged when it crashed in a residential area while on approach to Bowman Field (LOU) in Louisville, Kentucky. The certificated private pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was operating under an instrument flight rules flight plan from Garfield County Regional Airport (RIL) in Rifle, Colorado. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
Flight History
The airplane departed Rifle at about 0925 (0725 mountain daylight time) and climbed to 19,000 feet, direct to Louisville. En route, the pilot received a clearance change to proceed direct to an intersection, then direct to Louisville. About 3 hours into the flight, the pilot requested and received a clearance to descend to 11,000 feet to avoid icing. Approaching Louisville, the airplane was cleared for a straight-in approach to runway 6. The tower controller advised the pilot of a Piper Cherokee ahead. The pilot asked about the other airplane's landing runway, and the controller replied that it was landing on runway 6 and that the pilot might need S-turns on final. The pilot responded, "I'm low on fuel." About 5 seconds later, the pilot stated, "got him in my sight," and the controller approved S-turns and cleared the airplane to land. No further transmissions were received from the airplane.
Witness Observations
A witness, a private pilot in another airplane holding for departure, observed the accident airplane on final approach. The airplane appeared slightly high but should have been able to lose altitude. He saw the accident airplane level off, then make a climbing left turn with landing gear and flaps extended. The airplane did not increase airspeed, and the bank angle became steeper. It entered a spin with the left wing low, completing 1 1/2 revolutions before disappearing below a tree line. Another witness, not a certificated pilot but with previous solo experience, saw the airplane on approach and then saw what looked like the pilot "punch the power and start to go around." The airplane started a left turn; about halfway through, the nose was high and the left wing dipped. The nose then went down, and the airplane descended without spinning, disappearing behind trees. Three Bowman Tower controllers stated they saw the airplane in a left turn followed by a steep descent; one described a "very steep left spiraling descent."
Radar Data
The last six radar/altitude encoder returns, at approximately 5-second intervals, showed the airplane inbound to runway 6 at 1,000 feet, then a brief descent to 900 feet, followed by a turn and climb to 1,000 feet. The airplane completed the turn at 900 feet and remained at that altitude for one additional readout.
Aircraft Examination
Photographs of the accident scene indicated the airplane initially impacted terrain in a yard, slid across a residential street, and came to rest upright against two small trees. The left wing was broken mid-span, with the outboard portion pointing downward. The empennage was broken to the right where it struck a tree. The left landing gear and flaps were extended. The right main gear and nose gear were broken off. The engine was displaced from the firewall. One propeller blade was sticking up with no leading edge damage. The left wing and cockpit area exhibited charring. The right wingtip auxiliary fuel tank was missing, with the attaching area charred.
Subsequent examination in a hangar confirmed control continuity to all flight controls except the rudder. Flaps were extended approximately 25 degrees; the flap control handle was full down and bent right. Elevator trim measured approximately 20 degrees tab up. The left wing was bent downwards approximately 90 degrees mid-span. The left composite wingtip fuel tank was partially damaged by fire. No fuel was found in the left main fuel tank. The fuel tank selector valve was in the "Left" tank position; both auxiliary fuel tank switches were "Off."
The three-bladed propeller remained attached to the engine. Two blades had aft bending, one with S-bending and diagonal scratches; the third had minimal leading edge damage. Engine examination confirmed crankshaft continuity and compression in all six cylinders. The turbocharger shaft rotated freely; scoring was observed in the turbine section. Both magnetos produced spark on all ignition leads. The fuel supply system showed no anomalies; all fuel nozzles were clear. The throttle plate was in the "idle" position; the mixture control lever was about "mid-position."
Pilot Information
The pilot was not interviewed until July 13, 2009, due to head trauma. He had almost no recollection of the day and did not remember taking off. He recalled his destination was Norfolk, Virginia, but could not recall fuel quantity approaching the airport. He had made similar trips using Cincinnati, Ohio, as a fuel stop. The pilot's flight plan showed direct from Rifle to Louisville; the great circle distance was 1,033 nautical miles, with a total flight time of about 5.5 hours. Logbook entries indicated previous flights from Rifle to Cincinnati (1,081 nm) in 6.0 hours, and to Columbus (1,144 nm) in 5.75 hours, and to Cleveland (1,191 nm) in 6.0 hours.
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land and instrument ratings. He had logged about 2,220 hours. His latest FAA third-class medical certificate was issued December 5, 2006. Post-accident toxicological testing on a small amount of urine found in a urinal in the wreckage was positive for an unspecified level of tolterodine; the pilot had noted use of this medication on his most recent FAA medical application.
Weather
Weather recorded at the airport near the accident time included clear skies and variable winds at 4 knots.