Accident Overview
On August 16, 2009, at 1411 central daylight time, a From Here To There PDQ RV-8, registration N98AW, collided with terrain while performing aerobatic maneuvers approximately 3 miles west of Tea, South Dakota. The airline transport rated pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The personal flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which departed from Skie-Lincoln County Airport (Y14) at about 1345.
Witness Accounts
Two witnesses reported observing the airplane. The first witness saw it climb until it appeared to be “almost standing still,” then it turned left and entered a 45-degree nose-down spin. After one or two rotations, the engine reportedly “cut out then backfire about 3 times and then it sounded like it quit.” The airplane continued spinning until near the ground, when it appeared to “straighten out” before disappearing behind a hill; the witness heard the impact a second later.
The second witness described a similar initial maneuver. The airplane then entered a second similar descent, during which the engine “stalled and made a big pop and then it made another pop and then it was silent.” The airplane performed a “twirling effect” until impacting the terrain.
Personnel and Aircraft Information
The pilot, age 28, held an airline transport pilot certificate with multi-engine land and commercial single-engine land ratings, as well as type ratings for BE-300, CE-500, and CE-560XL aircraft. He also held a certified flight instructor certificate with single- and multi-engine and instrument ratings, issued June 22, 2009. His most recent first-class medical certificate, issued October 30, 2008, required corrective lenses. Estimated total flight time was about 6,187 hours, with approximately 5,548 as pilot-in-command. He was a member of the Vanguard Squadron aerobatic team and had flown the accident airplane for at least 30 hours. Both the pilot and passenger were wearing parachutes.
The amateur-built RV-8 (serial number 80270) was a two-place, tandem-seat aerobatic airplane. It was powered by a 200-horsepower Lycoming AEIO-360-A1E engine (serial number L-22721-51A). The aircraft received a Special Airworthiness Certificate on November 2, 2001, and was purchased by the Vanguard Squadron in January 2006. The last condition inspection was completed March 24, 2009, at 709.9 total aircraft hours. The last engine oil change occurred May 13, 2009, at 751.3 hours. The airplane operated on 100 percent ethanol, had a 44-gallon fuel capacity, and was equipped with an inverted oil system.
Meteorological and Wreckage Information
At 1356, weather conditions at Foss Airport (FSD) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, about 10 miles north-northeast of the accident site, included wind from 310 degrees at 12 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, few clouds at 3,700 feet, temperature 22°C, dew point 14°C, and altimeter setting 29.94 inches of mercury.
The airplane came to rest upright in a soybean field. The engine was embedded in the ground at an approximate 45-degree angle. The cockpit area was buckled downward just aft of the rear seat. The canopy had separated and lay near the airplane. The empennage was intact. Both wing leading edges were crushed rearward. The left aileron was partially detached, and the left wing tip was separated; right wing control surfaces were intact. The fuel selector was positioned to the left fuel tank, with the pointer broken off. The propeller control was forward; throttle and mixture controls were found in mid-range.
A post-accident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no anomalies. Engine continuity was verified, compression was noted on all cylinders when rotated by hand, and both magnetos produced spark. Fuel was present at the site.
The airplane was equipped with a Dynon Avionics EMS-D10 engine monitoring system and an EFIS-D100 electronic flight information system. The EFIS did not store data, but the EMS contained about 29 minutes of flight data. In the last five seconds of recorded data, engine rpm fluctuated from 518 to 1,896 and then to 1,554, while manifold pressure changed from 16.3 to 22.5 and then to 7.3 inches of mercury.
No autopsy was performed on the pilot. A forensic toxicology report by the FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute was negative, though insufficient specimens were available for a full analysis.