History of Flight
On April 17, 2009, at approximately 1710 Pacific daylight time, an amateur-built Alexander Sportsman GS-2 experimental airplane, registration N209TP, was destroyed when it struck trees and terrain during a forced landing near El Dorado Hills, California. The airplane was operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was killed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Rancho Murieta Airport at about 1618.
Witnesses reported hearing a distress call on the common traffic advisory frequency (122.8 MHz) stating loss of elevator control and the pilot's intention to descend into brush and trees. A witness near the accident site observed the airplane flying lower than usual and impacting trees upright, followed by the sound of ground impact. Another witness heard a loud whining noise and then the sound of trees being struck, and saw the airplane on fire in a neighbor's yard. Emergency responders were called by nearby residents.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 60, held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land and sea ratings, and a third-class medical certificate issued February 22, 2008, with a limitation to wear corrective lenses. His logbook, recovered from the wreckage, indicated 162.6 total flight hours, with 3.6 hours in the accident make/model and 2.1 hours in the previous 90 days. A family member reported the pilot had accumulated about six or seven hours total in the accident airplane.
Aircraft Information
The two-seat, high-wing, fixed-gear airplane (serial number 7297) was built in 2009 and issued an experimental airworthiness certificate on March 27, 2009. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-390-EXP engine and equipped with a Hartzell HC-C2YR-1BFP propeller. The airplane was constructed by the pilot under the Glasair Aviation Two Weeks to Taxi program, completed on February 20, 2009. It was then partially disassembled, transported, and reassembled at the pilot's airport. The accident flight was about the fifth or sixth flight since completion, with six to seven total flight hours.
A Glasair representative reported that the pilot had called technical support prior to the first flight, inquiring about engine break-in, elevator rigging, fuel calibration, and first flight advice. The representative advised that elevator travel should be 23 degrees up and 20 degrees down (±1 degree). The pilot indicated his jig did not match those figures and intended to recheck and adjust.
The Two Weeks to Taxi program outline emphasized that upon leaving the facility, the aircraft is not airworthy and requires final operational checks and safety inspections of all assemblies, rigging, flight controls, and systems. The Assembly Manual specified that control system inspections include verifying prescribed travel, adjusting control stops, checking rod end bearing thread engagement with a wire, and ensuring jam nuts are torqued and witness-painted.
Meteorological Information
Recorded data from Sacramento Executive Airport (25 miles southwest) at 1753 indicated wind from 230 degrees at 9 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear sky, temperature 24°C, dew point 9°C, and altimeter 30.09 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination by an FAA inspector revealed the airplane struck 40- to 50-foot-tall trees, then impacted the ground approximately 300 feet from the first tree contact. The wreckage came to rest against a retaining wall near a residential structure and was largely consumed by fire. All major structural components were present. The left and right wings were separated from the fuselage; flaps and ailerons remained attached.
The elevator torque tube was disconnected from the forward rod end bearing. The forward rod end bearing remained attached to the bell crank. The forward torque tube rod end jam nut was threaded about half an inch from the rod end. Gray paint was observed between the jam nut and torque tube, but no paint extended from the jam nut outward. No thread damage was noted. The aft torque tube jam nut and rod end were positioned against the aft rod end bearing; the aft rod end was slightly bent. No torque seal was observed on any jam nuts, rod ends, or the torque tube assembly. Elevator control cables remained attached to the bell crank, and continuity was established to the cockpit. Aileron control continuity was present to the wing root. Control cable separations exhibited overload signatures or were cut during recovery.
The elevator trim motor functioned normally when tested with a 9-volt battery. The trim position was not determined. No other mechanical anomalies were noted.
Medical and Pathological Information
The El Dorado County Coroner conducted an autopsy on April 21, 2009, determining the cause of death as massive blunt force trauma. Toxicology tests by the FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute were negative for volatiles and drugs.