History of Flight
On July 8, 2009, at approximately 0905 eastern daylight time, a Vans RV7A experimental amateur-built airplane (registration N774US) collided with terrain near Sanderson, Florida. The aircraft, operated by a private owner under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, was on a personal visual flight rules flight from Wimauma Air Park (FD77), Wimauma, Florida, to McMinn County Airport (MMI), Athens, Tennessee. The non-instrument rated private pilot departed FD77 at 0803. He did not file a flight plan or obtain a weather briefing. The airplane was reported missing on the morning of July 9, 2009, and located that afternoon by search and rescue personnel.
The owner of FD77 stated that the pilot had told her the night before the accident he would pick her up at MMI and fly her back to FD77. When he did not arrive, she attempted to contact him. She noted the weather was stormy along the route and assumed he had diverted but was unable to reach her. After failing to locate him on July 9, authorities were notified.
A witness near the accident site reported hearing a small airplane to the northeast with the engine at very high rpm under strain for about three seconds, followed by silence and then an impact sound he attributed to thunder. The witness described overcast clouds about 200 feet with light rain and distant thunder, and said the weather had been bad all morning with thunderstorms.
Radar data from the United States Air Force 84th Radar Evaluation Squadron showed a target with transponder code 1200 at 4,000 feet near the accident site at 0902:29. At 0903:41, the target was in a left descending turn at 2,800 feet. The last radar hit was at 0904:29 at 1,600 feet.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 71, held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land rating issued September 2, 2004. His last flight review could not be determined. He was issued an experimental aircraft builder certificate on January 29, 2009. His last valid FAA medical certificate (third class) was issued March 26, 2007, on which he reported 665 total flight hours.
Aircraft Information
The Vans RV7A, serial number 72389, is a two-place airplane with fixed tail-wheel landing gear. It was registered January 31, 2008, and issued a Special Airworthiness Certificate with Operating Limitations on February 16, 2008. It was powered by a Mattituck TMX 360-horsepower engine with a gross weight of 1,800 pounds. The HOBBS meter was destroyed and logbooks were not located, so total engine and airframe time could not be determined.
Meteorological Information
Weather conditions near the accident site were reported by the witness as overcast at 200 feet with light rain and thunderstorms. The closest reporting stations were Lake City Municipal Airport (14 miles west) and Cecil Field Airport, Jacksonville (23 miles east). At 0855, Cecil Field reported winds from 240° at 5 knots, visibility 2.5 miles in light rain and mist, ceiling broken at 1,000 feet, overcast at 3,300 feet. A special observation at 0914 included winds from 180° at 9 knots, visibility 3 miles in thunderstorms and moderate rain, ceiling broken at 1,300 feet. The NWS Jacksonville radar depicted two bands of echoes over northern Florida; the airplane's radar track approached the first band, turned northeast, then turned back northwest and penetrated an area of echoes with maximum reflectivity of 50 dBZ (“extreme”) at 0859 and 45 dBZ (“heavy”) at 0903.
The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast for VQQ issued at 0501 forecasted temporary conditions between 0600 and 0800 of visibility 2 miles in thunderstorms and heavy rain. Convective SIGMET 31E was current, covering an area of thunderstorms moving eastward at 25 knots with tops to 43,000 feet, implying severe turbulence, IFR conditions, and possible low-level windshear.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination by FAA inspectors revealed the airplane struck the ground in a nose-down attitude and came to rest on a heading of 240° magnetic. No crash debris line was present. The engine assembly was buried about 5 feet below the surface and separated from its mounts. One propeller blade remained attached; both blades showed leading edge damage and torsional twisting. The engine cowling and nose landing gear were destroyed; main landing gear remained attached. The cockpit was destroyed; no instrument panel, power quadrant, or fuel selector data could be retrieved. The pilot's seatbelt and shoulder harness were used. Flight control continuity could not be determined due to damage.
Both wings remained attached; leading edges exhibited accordion crushing. The left aileron separated; left flap remained attached. Right aileron and flaps remained attached. Fuel tanks were not identified. The empennage aft of the pilot's compartment was intact but damaged. The vertical fin and rudder were missing and not recovered. The tail cone was sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory. Examination showed the vertical stabilizer separated by fractures in the front and rear spar doubler assembly, with slant-fracture features consistent with ductile overload; no preexisting damage such as fatigue or corrosion was found.
The engine and accessories sustained extensive damage. No fuel, combustion, or electrical tests could be performed. Visual inspection revealed no anomalies.
Medical and Pathological Information
The District 8 Medical Examiner's Office conducted a postmortem examination on July 14, 2009. The cause of death was massive blunt force trauma. No toxicology specimens could be obtained.