Accident Details
On October 16, 2008, about 1245 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Hargett Sky Ranger II, registration N75684, was substantially damaged when it impacted a field near Rock Hill, South Carolina. The non-certificated pilot was killed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated at a private airstrip in Rock Hill.
Aircraft Information
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane was registered by the pilot in December 2007, but it had not been issued an airworthiness certificate. The airplane was assembled by the pilot and had accumulated 81 hours of flight time. There was no evidence of engine or airframe malfunction, and flight control continuity was confirmed from all flight control surfaces to the cockpit.
Pilot Background
The pilot, age 51, had not taken formal flight training but was teaching himself to fly. He had also received instruction from another non-certificated individual who owned the same type of airplane. They would follow each other on short cross-country flights over unpopulated areas, mostly farm fields. The FAA inspector noted that interviewees described the pilot as "really enthusiastic and excited" about building and flying his airplane.
The FAA inspector also reported that although the pilot initially took off from a private airstrip about a mile from the accident site, the property where the accident occurred also included a private airstrip. The owner of that airstrip, who had known the pilot since childhood, had specifically told him not to land there until he had received proper training.
Accident Scene
There were no witnesses to the accident. At the scene, the FAA inspector found that the airplane had impacted a bean field nose-down, with the tail sticking up at approximately a 60-degree angle. Both composite propeller blades were broken off at the hub. An estimated 3 to 4 gallons of fuel remained onboard.
Weather
Weather recorded at nearby Rock Hill Airport around the time of the accident included clear skies, calm winds, 10 statute miles visibility, temperature 23°C, dew point 16°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.12 inches Hg.
Toxicology
An autopsy performed at Piedmont Medical Center determined the cause of death as an "aortic laceration secondary to acceleration/deceleration injury experienced in a plane crash." Toxicological testing by the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team detected tetrahydrocannabinol (marijuana) in blood (0.0479 ug/ml) and lung (1.5081 ug/ml), as well as tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (marijuana) in blood (0.0402 ug/ml) and lung (0.0362 ug/ml).