Accident Overview
On October 22, 2008, at 1330 central daylight time, a Cessna 175A, N7919T, an unregistered airplane, collided with runway 18 during takeoff from the Foley Municipal Airport (5R4), Foley, Alabama. The certificated private pilot received serious injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage from impact forces and postcrash fire. The flight was operated as a positioning flight under 14 CFR Part 91, with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Witness Account
The owner of the airplane witnessed the accident from the west side of the departure runway. In a written statement, he reported that the pilot performed a run-up and magneto check and taxied to the end of runway 18. The takeoff sounded as though the engine was at full power. The airplane wobbled back and forth a little before takeoff, then rose to about 30 feet high and nosed over.
The owner stated that the airplane was being flown to Jasper, Alabama (JFX), 206 nautical miles north, to receive an annual inspection. He said the pilot, a mechanic, had obtained a ferry permit for the flight and would perform the annual inspection. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found no record of a ferry permit for this flight.
Pilot Information
The pilot, age 64, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land, issued on June 12, 1968. He also held an expired first-class medical certificate, issued on May 13, 1971, with a restriction that he must wear corrective lenses. The pilot reported on his last medical application that he had accumulated 0 civilian flight hours in all aircraft. The pilot’s logbook was not recovered, and the pilot failed to complete a pilot/operator report, as requested by the NTSB Investigator-in-charge.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was not registered at the time of the accident. The FAA Registry listed the status of the airplane as “In Question” and the name of the registered owner as “Sale Reported.”
A review of the airplane’s logbooks found that the most recent annual inspection was performed on October 1, 2004, at a total airframe time of 1,989.7 hours. The entry documents the aircraft’s removal from storage, painting, and extensive renovation. The entry contains a notice: "AIRCRAFT MUST BE TEST FLOWN BY A CERTIFIED PILOT BEFORE RELEASE TO SERVICE." It also contains a certification stating the aircraft had been inspected in accordance with an annual inspection and found to be in airworthy condition; however, the certification was not signed.
According to the owner, the airplane had not flown and had been tied down outside for the last three years. He stated that he would run the engine each month. Several mud wasp nests, dislodged from the airplane, were observed in the wreckage path. One large nest was observed wrapped around the number 1 cylinder top spark plug ignition lead.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector, a representative from Cessna Aircraft Company, and a representative from Continental Engines found that during takeoff, the airplane struck the departure runway approximately 2,600 feet from where it started its takeoff roll. Four propeller strikes were noted at the point of impact. The nose gear separated from the fuselage, and the airplane slid about 525 feet before coming to rest 10 feet to the east side of the departure runway on a heading of 135 degrees magnetic. The fuel supply line separated from the carburetor during the impact sequence, and a post-impact fire started during the last 100 feet of the slide down the runway.
The fuselage was damaged by post-impact fire from the firewall to the empennage. The main landing gear remained attached to the fuselage. The nose gear assembly separated from the firewall. The engine remained attached to the fuselage. The wing struts remained attached to the fuselage and wings; however, the wing roots and cabin overhead were consumed in the post-impact fire.
All flight controls remained attached to the airframe, and flight control cable continuity was established throughout the airplane. The flap handle was observed in the retracted position. The flap position was not reliable due to extensive fire damage. The elevator trim tab actuator extension was measured at approximately 0.75 inches, or approximately 10 degrees tab down. The wing and empennage did not display impact damage but were heavily damaged by the post-impact fire.
The fuel selector handle was in the "both" position. Fire damage prevented a complete examination of the fuel system.
The engine remained attached to the firewall. The propeller and gear reduction drive separated from the engine.
The engine was transported to the Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) facility in Mobile, Alabama. On October 24, 2008, the engine was disassembled and examined by TCM personnel. No pre-impact anomalies were noted to the engine.
The propeller blades displayed extensive leading edge damage. The tip of one blade was curled forward approximately 360 degrees. The diameter of the curl was four inches with approximately one inch of the tip separated from the blade. Deep and extensive chordwise scoring and scratches were noted to the outside surface of the curled area. The other propeller blade displayed "S" bending. Approximately three inches of the tip separated from the blade. The remaining tip of the blade was curled forward and displayed leading edge damage and chordwise scoring and scratches similar to the other blade.