Accident Summary
On October 21, 2008, at 1245 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Quicksilver GT-500, registered N184GT, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain during a forced landing shortly after takeoff from Arant Airport (1NC6) in Wingate, North Carolina. The owner/student pilot was killed and the flight instructor received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
Witness Accounts
A witness reported observing the accident airplane takeoff from outside his hangar. Moments later, he heard a noise and then the sound of the airplane ceased. Believing the occupants might be practicing emergency maneuvers, he decided to investigate and discovered they had crashed. Another witness, preparing to fly his own airplane from the same grass strip, earlier saw N184GT flying and landing, then taking off again just ahead of his anticipated departure. This witness observed N184GT takeoff from inside his airplane while performing ground checks. Shortly after, he heard over the radio, "184GT making emergency landing." Looking up through his windshield, he saw N184GT about 100 feet above the ground making a 30-degree turn toward the landing strip it had just departed from. The left wing then dropped abruptly, and the airplane descended at a very steep angle into the field.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The student pilot, aged 55, was seated in the front. He held a third-class medical certificate issued on April 26, 1985, with a requirement to wear corrective lenses. His flight logbook documented 320 total flight hours. The flight instructor, aged 48, was seated in the rear. He held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane, as well as a flight instructor certificate with the same ratings. He was issued a second-class medical certificate on February 8, 2008, with a requirement to have available glasses for near vision and wear corrective lenses. He reported total flight experience of 2,800 hours.
The airplane was an amateur-built experimental issued an airworthiness certificate on October 10, 2006. It was on a condition inspection program; the last inspection was performed on June 29, 2008, at a total time of 312 hours. The engine was a Hirth F30 rated at 110 horsepower, installed on February 2, 2001, at which time the airplane had accumulated 233 total hours. Maintenance records did not provide history for the accident engine. A Hirth engine representative stated company records show the engine was sold to an ultralight company in Texas on April 15, 2000.
Flight Instructor Statement
The certified flight instructor stated that he was providing flight lessons to the owner/student to prepare him for the practical portion of the sport pilot license. The day prior, they practiced flight maneuvers and procedures. On the accident day, they were on a cross-country flight returning to 1NC6. The student performed a short field landing, then they departed again from runway 16 for pattern work. The takeoff from the 2,300-foot-long grass strip was normal. The runway has a 500-foot runoff at the end and then doglegs left. Climbing at 60 mph, when the airplane reached about 200 feet above ground, the engine rapidly lost power until it quit. The student continued flying, and the instructor called out airspeeds and coached throughout the maneuver. Trees were to the right and high tension lines ahead. The best direction was to turn left and attempt to return to the departure runway. The aft-mounted engine restricts airflow over the rudder and elevator when not running. The student did not panic and turned appropriately, lowering the nose to maintain 60 mph. Due to insufficient altitude gained during the climb, they could not reach the runway. Ahead was an open corn field with rolling, uneven terrain. Just before landing, the instructor assisted the student in flaring. The airplane came in flat at about 60 mph; the left main gear touched first, then the nose wheel dug in. The front section tore apart as the airplane flipped.
Weather Information
The nearest official weather reporting station was Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport (EQY), Monroe, North Carolina, 9 miles west of the accident site. The 1253 surface observation reported: wind 250 degrees at 4 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; clear sky; temperature 21°C; dew point 7°C; altimeter 30.16 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Engine Examination
The airplane crashed approximately 100 yards southwest of the south end of the landing strip in a cut corn field. The front section up to the forward part of the back seat area was crushed and ripped open; airframe structure tubing and fuselage skin were destroyed. The tail boom supporting the empennage broke at the aft fuselage location. The back seat area remained intact. No external damage was observed on the aft-mounted Hirth engine. One of the three propeller blades broke at mid-point upon ground contact during the flip. The separated nose tire assembly was found where the nose wheel struck the ground. Airframe debris was lodged into the ground at the forward contact point. Fuel was present at the accident site.
An examination of the engine with FAA oversight revealed a fractured crankshaft near the number 2 piston journal section.
Medical and Toxicological Information
The Mecklenburg County medical examiner conducted a postmortem examination; the cause of death for the student pilot was blunt force trauma. The FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute performed toxicology testing on specimens from the student pilot. No carbon monoxide, cyanide, or ethanol were detected. Omeprazole was detected in the blood.