On January 31, 2009, about 1811 eastern standard time, an unregistered, amateur-built experimental light sport aircraft, Quicksilver MXL II Sport, collided with a power line at Summey Airpark, Ellenboro, North Carolina. The certificated private pilot was killed and the airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces. The flight was operated as a personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot had just purchased the airplane. The inspector interviewed witnesses that reported the pilot began taxiing the airplane around the airport, and then taxied to runway 14. Shortly thereafter, he departed, making a hard left bank turn. The airplane flew between two airport hangers, struck a power line, and collided with the ground.
The pilot, age 55, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. His certificate was updated on June 12, 2008. The pilot's last medical examination was on April 19, 1996, for a third-class medical certificate with no limitations or waivers. The pilot reported 500 flight hours on his last medical application. According to the pilot’s wife, he flew approximately 60 hours within the last 90 days, and less than 1 hour in the accident airplane. The pilot's logbook was not available for review, and a determination of his total flight hours was not verified.
The two-seat, high-wing, fixed gear airplane, serial number 000807, was manufactured in 2002. It was powered by a Rotax 503 DCDI 50-horsepower engine and equipped with a three-bladed Warp Drive propeller. The hour meter indicated that the airframe had approximately 263 hours. The airplane was unregistered and uncertificated at the time of the accident. There were no aircraft logbooks available for review.
Examination of the airframe and flight control system by the FAA inspector revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction. Examination of the fuel system revealed 10 gallons of automotive fuel remained in the fuel tank. Further examination of the fuel system revealed no water or debris in the fuel system. The airplane was equipped with a ballistic parachute system, but it was not deployed. The examination of the engine and system components by the FAA inspector revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction.
An autopsy was performed on the pilot on February 2, 2009, by the Office of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, North Carolina, as authorized by the coroner of Rutherford County. The cause of death was reported as “multiple blunt force injuries."
Forensic toxicology was performed on specimens from the pilot by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The toxicology report stated no ethanol was detected in the liver or muscle, and no drugs were detected in the liver.