Accident Summary
On February 27, 2010, approximately 0905 Central Standard Time, a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee, N4218J, registered to and operated by the pilot, was destroyed when it impacted terrain in the 1200 block of County Road 132, near Gatesville, Texas. A post-impact fire ensued. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The local flight originated at City-County Airport (GOP), Gatesville, Texas, at about 0845, and was en route to Mathis Field (SJT), San Angelo, Texas.
Witness Accounts
The airport manager, who was a close friend of the pilot, reported that the pilot was going to San Angelo to have the press-to-transmit button on the control yoke repaired. He observed the pilot take off on runway 35. Shortly after, he heard an airplane southwest of the airport. He saw the airplane at about 1,000 feet agl making very abrupt changes in directional flight, first with a right bank of at least 60 degrees, then straight and level, followed by a steep left climbing turn, then descending with wings level at a 45-60 degree angle toward the ground. During the descent, engine noise appeared to increase. The airport manager stated the maneuvers were “entirely out of his character.”
Three other witnesses provided accounts. One observed the airplane “do 3 loops.” A second witness told an FAA inspector that the airplane made “2 or 3 high pitch attitude loops, coming out in a high angle of bank, (then) he looped it over and headed for the ground, (losing) altitude rapidly, engine was screaming at a high rpm. Hit the ground (and) exploded.” A third witness, a retired U.S. Army sergeant, observed the airplane at about 500 feet altitude climbing steeply under full power, followed by several full throttle dives with rolls and tight turns at the apex of each climb, then a steep (about 30+ degrees) dive with steady engine sounds at full throttle.
Pilot Information
The pilot was a 66-year-old retired captain in the United States Army. He held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single/multi-engine land, rotorcraft-helicopter, and instrument airplane-helicopter ratings. On his second-class medical certificate dated June 9, 2008 (expired June 2009), he reported 6,700 hours total flight time.
Weather
The airport had an AWOS. At the time, VMC prevailed: sky clear, visibility 8 miles, wind calm.
Aircraft Examination
On March 31, 2010, the airplane and engine were examined at Air Salvage of Dallas in Lancaster, Texas. No anomalies were found in the engine and airframe. The left wing was fragmented with thermal and impact damage; most skin separated from the main spar. The aileron control cable had a broom straw appearance at the forward fuselage. The right wing was similarly fragmented; the aileron bellcrank had been displaced inboard. The empennage was intact but showed impact and fire damage. The stabilator was in place, and the trim drum showed 7 threads upper extension, consistent with about 2 degrees nose-up trim out of 12 available. The fuselage was consumed by fire. The flap handle was in the full down (flaps up) position. No oxygen was found in the wreckage, though an oxygen generator was found in the pilot's parked car.
The engine bore impact damage to the bottom of the crankcase. Crankshaft flange bent, propeller assembly separated. Engine continuity obtained with valve action, compression on all cylinders, bore scope revealed no anomalies. Magnetos had thermal damage and could not be tested. Carburetor impact separated. Vacuum pump rotated freely. One propeller blade bent aft 90 degrees with nicks and surface scratches; the other twisted 90 degrees toward low pitch.
Autopsy and Toxicology
An autopsy performed by the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas attributed cause of death to multiple blunt force injuries, manner accidental. No soot detected in airways. Drug screen found 0.05 mg/L metoprolol and 2.2 mg/L hydroxychloroquine. FAA's CAMI toxicology found hydroxychloroquine in lung, liver, heart; metoprolol in liver and kidney; oxazepam and temazepam in liver and kidney. No ethanol detected. Carbon monoxide and cyanide tests not performed. The autopsy noted severe cardiovascular disease: 80% stenosis of left anterior descending and right coronary arteries, and an atherosclerotic abdominal aorta.
Medical Records
On his June 9, 2008 medical application, the pilot listed multiple medications but answered “No” to all medical history items except “Admission to hospital” and “Other illness, disability, or surgery.” His personal medical records revealed a history of traumatic brain injury from a 1993 motor vehicle accident, with episodes of amnesia, diplopia, poor organizational skills, cognitive inefficiency, and depression. He had a history of coccidiomycosis with left upper lobectomy in 1976, restrictive lung disease secondary to severed left phrenic nerve, and recurrent pneumonia. He reported reluctance to use portable oxygen. He had an abdominal aortic aneurysm (4.6 cm noted December 2009), rheumatoid arthritis (treated with hydroxychloroquine), and was noted to have severe hypokinesis of the basal-mid left ventricular wall on an echocardiogram in January 2010.