History of Flight
On September 5, 2009, about 0940 eastern daylight time, an experimental light sport M-Squared Sprint 1000, registration N185SQ, was destroyed when it impacted water in Madeira Beach, Florida. The certificated private pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight that originated at Lake Seminole, Seminole, Florida. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to the county sheriff's incident report, a kayaker in the area observed the airplane land on the water, taxi for several minutes, and then take off again. The witness saw the airplane climb to about 200 to 300 feet before hearing a pop and seeing the airplane head straight down and impact the water. Another witness also heard a pop and looked up to see the airplane plunging toward the water from 300 feet. A third witness heard the pop and saw the airplane nose dive into the water. Two additional witnesses observed something happen to the propeller, saw parts come off the engine area, and then saw a parachute start to deploy before impact. None of the witnesses reported birds in the vicinity. The owner of the company that recovered the airplane stated that a number of people told him they heard the engine rev before the crash.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 2001 and initially powered by a Rotax 582 engine with a three-bladed pusher propeller. FAA records show the airplane was registered in the experimental light-sport category on January 14, 2008, with 515 total airframe hours and a Hirth 3701 engine driving a four-bladed Warp Drive composite pusher propeller. A condition inspection was performed on that date for conversion from ultra-light to light sport aircraft, and the airplane was found airworthy. The next inspection was due by February 1, 2009, but no further entries were noted in the logbook.
The airplane changed ownership multiple times. On August 17, 2009, the third owner sold the airplane to the accident pilot as parts, noting on the sales receipt, "I sell this aircraft in parts, not flyable at present time." Despite this, the pilot's wife reported the airplane was flyable the previous weekend. The third owner, a certificated flight instructor, stated the airplane was not airworthy and needed repairs. He noted that the pilot had been working on the airplane and flying it recently. The third owner also mentioned that he had seen loose propeller gearbox retaining bolts and advised the pilot to tighten them; later, he saw the pilot attempting to retorque the bolts without a torque wrench. The pilot subsequently bought a torque wrench, but the torque settings used could not be determined. The pilot called the airframe manufacturer on September 2, 2009, stating the gearbox had been loose but that he had cleaned and retorqued the bolts.
Parts diagrams indicate the gearbox adapter plate was attached to the engine case by four 10 mm studs with retaining nuts, and the gearbox was held to the adapter plate by ten 6 mm bolts. According to the engine distributor, these bolts should have been secured with Loctite 242 "Blue" threadlocker and torqued to 86 inch-pounds. The rubber damper between coupler flanges had six holes for bolts, which also required threadlocker.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 26, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. On his latest FAA second-class medical certificate application, dated July 21, 2009, he indicated 250 hours of total flight time. Logbook excerpts showed he had flown the accident airplane three times before the accident flight: a 1.0-hour flight on August 29, a 0.5-hour flight on August 31, and a 0.8-hour flight on September 4, 2009. He also received flight training from the third owner and another CFI in other aircraft in late August and early September.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was located in the Intercoastal Waterway in Boca Ciega Bay near channel marker #8. The pilot was found in the left seat. The airplane came to rest mostly submerged in shallow water. Tubular portions of the tail section were detached and loosely connected by wire cables. After examination by an FAA inspector, the wreckage was discarded by the recovery company without the pilot's wife's knowledge. She later reacquired the engine but eventually disposed of it as well.
Photographs taken by the sheriff's department revealed that structural tubes to the tail section were sheared, consistent with overload. The gearbox adapter was fractured near the engine mounts, but all adapter-to-engine mounting studs and nuts were present. Everything aft of the engine-side coupler flange was missing; the flange was intact with no bent prongs. Threads in the bolt holes showed pristine forward portions and rusting in the aft portions, with one bolt hole slightly elongated at the entry surface. No evidence of threadlocking residue was observed.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy was performed on both pilots at the Florida District Six Medical Examiner's Office; the cause of death for both was listed as blunt trauma. Toxicological testing by the FAA Biomedical Research Team revealed no anomalies.