History of Flight
On August 21, 2009, at approximately 2010 eastern daylight time, an amateur-built Brown Steen Skybolt, N14BB, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with terrain near Harrison, Ohio. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The local flight had just departed Cincinnati West Airport (I67) in Harrison, Ohio.
A witness observed the departure from runway 19 (2,803 feet by 60 feet, asphalt). The initial portion of the takeoff was out of sight, but when the airplane came into view it appeared to have just lifted off, flying straight-and-level about 50 feet above ground level. At the departure end of the runway, it pitched up into a very steep climb of about 45-50 degrees. The climb continued to approximately 200 feet agl, then the airplane entered a left turn to an easterly heading. It continued banking left until inverted, with the nose pointed almost straight down, and continued to spin left until disappearing behind a fence.
The airplane impacted terrain about 0.15 mile southeast of the departure end of the runway, on an embankment near the perimeter fence of a school bus parking lot.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 47, held a commercial pilot certificate with single and multi-engine land, and instrument airplane ratings. He also held a current flight instructor certificate with airplane single and multi-engine, and instrument airplane ratings. He was issued a second-class airman medical certificate with a restriction for near vision corrective lenses on August 14, 2008.
The pilot's flight time logbook was not available. At his most recent medical exam about one year prior, he reported 3,800 total flight hours.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was an amateur-built Brown Steen Skybolt, serial number 101072. It was a two-place, bi-wing, aerobatic design with tail wheel landing gear. It was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A1G6 engine, serial number L-16297-36A, a normally aspirated, 4-cylinder reciprocating engine producing 180 horsepower.
The airplane received an amateur-built experimental airworthiness certificate on September 10, 1993. Maintenance records indicated test flights from October 22 to December 8, 1993, totaling 25.8 hours. The only additional log entries were dated November 4, 1994, noting "First Annual Inspection." No subsequent entries were observed.
Meteorological Information
The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) ASOS, about 14 miles south-southeast of I67, reported at 1952: wind from 220 degrees at 3 knots, few clouds at 5,000 feet agl, scattered clouds at 10,000 feet agl, temperature 23°C, dew point 16°C, and altimeter 29.83 inches of mercury.
Airport Information
Cincinnati West Airport (I67) is located about 2 miles east of Harrison, Ohio. It has runway 1-19, 2,803 feet long by 60 feet wide, constructed of asphalt. The turf runway 9-27 was closed indefinitely. A single perpendicular taxiway provides access at the south end of runway 1-19. Departing runway 19 requires back taxiing the length of the runway. The airport is north of West Road. Harrison High School is east of the airport, with its football field about 0.16 mile east of the departure end of runway 19. A school bus parking lot is directly across West Road from the high school.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest on a descending slope adjacent to the fence, oriented on a southeasterly heading. The nose and forward fuselage were deformed and fragmented consistent with a direct, nose-down impact. The cockpit area was compromised. Both upper and lower wings were partially separated, with leading edge deformation and crushing. Wing fabric had diagonal wrinkles consistent with wingtips moving aft relative to roots. Ailerons remained attached; control continuity was confirmed to the cockpit.
The aft fuselage (beginning near the aft cockpit seat) and empennage appeared intact. Horizontal and vertical stabilizers appeared undamaged. Elevators and rudder remained attached and moved freely; control continuity was confirmed.
The engine was dislocated with a deformed mount. The propeller remained on the flange, but the crankshaft was bent about 30 degrees aft of the flange and fractured there. Internal continuity was confirmed via crankshaft rotation. Compression was obtained on all cylinders. Magnetos were fragmented; teardown revealed no pre-impact anomalies. Spark plugs appeared intact with normal signatures.
The propeller spinner was crushed. One blade bent forward about 10 degrees outboard of mid-span; the other bent aft about 45 degrees near the root, with chordwise scratching, leading edge gouges, and twisting.
The Hobbs meter indicated 169.1 hours; the tachometer hour meter indicated 131.23 hours.
No anomalies consistent with a pre-impact failure of the airframe or engine were observed.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy on August 22, 2009, attributed the pilot's death to multiple blunt force injuries from the accident. FAA CAMI toxicology testing was negative for all substances in the screening profile.
Tests and Research
The mounting bracket supporting the pilot control stick and the mating control rod were separated. The bracket was deformed and fractured through a weld joint. Metallurgical examination revealed inadequate weld penetration and lack of fusion in welded areas. Fracture surfaces indicated overstress separation. The control rod was fractured on either side of the attachment hole, deformed adjacent to it, with overstress separation features from bending.
Additional Information
Airport records showed two fuel purchases by the pilot around the accident time. On August 12, 2009, he bought 15 gallons of 100 low lead aviation fuel (no aircraft registration noted). On August 16, 2009, he bought 14.86 gallons, with N14BB listed as the aircraft fueled.