History of Flight
On June 14, 2010, at 2018 Pacific daylight time, a RANS Coyote II S6, N1901C, descended vertically and impacted terrain while in the traffic pattern at Lincoln Regional Airport, Lincoln, California. The private pilot operated the airplane under Part 91 of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations. The pilot and his passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Lincoln airport about 1930.
A witness, who had been flying his airplane at the same time and knew the accident pilot, stated that this was the second time the pilot had flown with the doors off the airplane and the first time he had taken a passenger. The witness had just landed and reported experiencing a 10–12 mph wind from the southwest when, at 500 feet above ground level (agl), he observed the accident airplane enter the traffic pattern for runway 15. One other airplane was ahead in the pattern. The accident airplane entered the downwind leg at 500 feet agl, lower than the normal 800-foot pattern altitude, and initiated a left turn at a 35- to 40-degree bank angle. The witness believed the turn was intended to increase spacing from the preceding aircraft. After completing about 180 degrees of turn, the airplane appeared slower than normal; the left wing dipped, and it entered a descending spiral. The airplane rotated 360 degrees while descending vertically before impacting the ground.
Pilot Information
The pilot, aged 44, held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land, issued May 7, 2005, and a third-class airman medical certificate issued January 22, 2008, with no limitations. His logbook recorded 379.7 hours of flight time, primarily in a Cessna 182, with the last entry dated July 1, 2009. No entries documented any flight in the accident airplane. The most recent flight review was dated May 21, 2008.
Aircraft Information
The two-seat, high-wing, fixed gear, experimental light sport category airplane, serial number HWM001, was manufactured in 1993. It was powered by a Rotax 582DCDI 65-horsepower engine and equipped with a 3-bladed composite propeller. Maintenance records were not located. The hobbs meter read 229.1, and the digital tachometer read 0035 at the accident site.
The RANS S6-ES Coyote II Pilots Notes state, “The S-6ES can be flown with one (1) or both doors removed up to 65 mph. A loss in L & D, climb and cruise speed is to be expected with doors open or off operations.” The wings were identified as the Standard wing, with stall speeds listed: 39 mph at 0-degree bank, 42 mph at 30-degree bank, and 46 mph at 45-degree bank (flaps up).
Meteorological Information
The Lincoln Regional Airport AWOS-3 recorded at 2012: winds from 170 degrees at 6 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, and clear skies.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The main wreckage was located in a flat, dried grass field within the airport boundary. All components were present, with no debris path or lengthy ground scars. An FAA inspector established control continuity from cockpit controls to elevator and rudder; aileron cables had been cut at the right wing root to facilitate victim removal. Photographs showed ailerons attached and push-pull tubes connected. Four gallons of fuel were collected from the left fuel tank; the right fuel tank was compromised.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on the pilot on June 15, 2010, listed multiple blunt-force trauma as immediate cause, with specific injuries documented. Forensic toxicology detected no carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, or drugs.