History of Flight
On January 12, 2009, at approximately 1320 Central Standard Time, a Probst Baby Ace D, registration N610DD, operated by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain five miles north-northeast of Kilgore, Texas. The flight was conducted under visual meteorological conditions as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot was fatally injured. The cross-country flight had departed Minden, Louisiana (F24), and was en route to Gilmer, Texas (JXI). The pilot had picked up the airplane at 1000 local time in Oak Ridge, Louisiana, with a final destination of Fort Worth Spinks Airport (FWS) in Fort Worth, Texas.
Several witnesses reported seeing an airplane matching the description flying low in the area, but no one observed the impact. A local resident discovered the wreckage at approximately 1600. According to law enforcement, the airplane came to rest inverted in a landfill.
Pilot Information
The pilot, aged 62, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and instrument ratings, last issued on February 11, 2007. He was issued a third-class medical certificate on May 30, 2006, with the limitation "not valid for any class after 11/30/2007." On his last medical application, he reported 556 total flight hours. His current logbook was not located.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane, a Probst Baby Ace D (serial number P-1919), was built in 1960 and registered with the FAA on an experimental airworthiness certificate for amateur-built operations. It was powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors C85 series engine rated at 85 horsepower, equipped with a two-bladed fixed-pitch propeller, and had a 12-gallon fuel tank. The pilot had recently purchased the airplane, which was still registered to the previous owner and maintained under a conditional inspection program. Maintenance records showed an inspection completed on December 12, 2008, at an airframe total time of 748.03 hours. The airplane had flown approximately three hours since then, for a total airframe time of about 751 hours.
Navigation and Flight Path
A sectional aeronautical chart consisting of portions of the Dallas-Fort Worth and Memphis sectionals taped together was recovered from the wreckage. No edition dates were visible. The chart showed a pink highlighted black ink line connecting Oak Ridge, Louisiana, with Fort Worth Spinks Airport, and a yellow highlighted line corresponding to Interstate 20. A handwritten piece of yellow notebook paper containing cities, mileage, and degree headings was also found. The intended route included scheduled fuel stops in Minden, Gilmer, Lancaster, and Spinks.
The aircraft was equipped with a non-aviation-approved handheld Garmin E-trex Legend GPS. Data downloaded from the device indicated a northern departure from Oak Ridge, a northwesterly deviation around Monroe Regional Airport, a westerly course toward the Union Parish VOR, a southward course toward Ruston, Louisiana, and a westerly track to Minden. From Minden, the flight continued west above Shreveport, with a southwestern deviation abeam East Texas Regional Airport, terminating at the accident location. The last minutes of the flight track showed the airplane flying over the accident area and reversing course ten times.
Wreckage and Impact
The accident site was near a landfill at an elevation of 308 feet msl. The airplane impacted inverted on a westerly heading. High-tension power lines were located directly above the wreckage. The terrain showed no ground scarring, and the debris field was confined to the immediate area. No fuel spillage was observed on the ground except for a small stain under the engine. The fuel tank was empty, the float gauge read dry, and the gascolator contained two to three tablespoons of fuel.
The right wing fabric was torn, the wing assembly crushed aft and broken, and the wing spar fractured. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator were bent downward and aft at mid-span. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were bent to the left at mid-point. The nose sustained impact damage, and one propeller blade was bent forward approximately 15 degrees with chordwise and lengthwise scratching. A horizontal gouge on the engine cowling was consistent with overhead power lines, and light blue paint transfer and airframe material were found on the power lines directly above the wreckage.
Survival and Medical Information
The aircraft was equipped with a lap belt and shoulder harness. The lap belt was cut by responders to recover the pilot, while the shoulder harness was found secured in a storage sack behind the seat, unused. An autopsy performed on January 27, 2009, at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences determined the cause of death as blunt force injuries. Toxicological testing detected carvedilol in the blood and urine and pseudoephedrine in the urine; tests for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol were negative.