History of Flight
On July 19, 2010, about 1400 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Texas Air Ventures Comp Air 8, N882X, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground during an aborted landing at Mt. Pleasant Regional Airport (LRO), Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. The certificated commercial pilot was killed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Merritt Island Airport (COI), Merritt Island, Florida, about 1200. The positioning flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
A witness, who worked for a fixed-base operator at LRO, reported that the airplane was scheduled to overnight at the airport. He witnessed the airplane on approach to runway 17, a 3,700-foot-long, 75-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The witness stated that the airplane looked "a little wobbly and unstable" before it touched down on the runway. The airplane then traveled off the right side of the runway onto a grass area, and was "swaying side to side" before he heard the engine power-up. The airplane became airborne again, and "went almost straight up, like it was performing an aerial maneuver and appeared to stall and then flipped over upside down and went straight into the ground…" He then observed smoke and fire coming from the impact site.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 29, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and sea, airplane multiengine land, and instrument airplane. He reported 1,600 hours of total flight experience, with 300 hours during the previous 6 months, on his most recent application for an FAA first-class medical certificate, dated June 22, 2010.
On the day prior to the accident, the pilot flew the accident airplane on a familiarization flight with a certified flight instructor for 5 hours. They performed about 20 practice landings. The pilot initially had difficulty controlling the tailwheel, especially if the airplane bounced during landing, but subsequently "got the hang of it" and the flight instructor was "very impressed" with his handling. After the flight, the instructor felt the pilot was capable of flying the airplane on the positioning flight, but they planned another familiarization flight the next day. The instructor had no further contact with the pilot and was not certain why the pilot elected not to conduct that second flight.
The flight instructor did not recall the pilot's total flight experience but noted that the pilot had no prior Comp Air experience and that his total turbine flight experience was 14 hours, accumulated while ferrying a King Air 90. The pilot also informed him that he had flown "20 Atlantic and 1 Pacific crossings."
The last page of the pilot's logbook, recovered by his father, showed the most recent entry dated July 15, 2010. According to the "totals to date" section, the pilot had accumulated approximately 1,927 hours of total flight experience, including 690.1 hours in the "turbine" column, 1,053.1 hours in "complex," and 1,278.5 hours in "high performance."
Aircraft Information
The six-seat, high-wing, tail-wheel, turboprop airplane, serial number 0281020, was constructed primarily of composite material and was equipped with a Walter M601D series 657-horsepower engine and an AVIA 3-bladed constant speed propeller. According to the kit manufacturer, the kit was sold in August 2002. FAA records show the airplane was issued an experimental airworthiness certificate on May 9, 2003. The airplane was purchased from the builder by an individual through a corporation on March 25, 2010.
The previous owner/builder reported that the airplane had been operated for about 150 total hours at the time of sale, and that its most recent condition inspection was signed off in February 2010. All maintenance records were placed in the back of the airplane to be delivered to the new owner. Records of work performed after the sale, including installation of a new heavy-duty elevator pitch trim motor and a new tail wheel assembly, were not located and presumed destroyed in the accident. The flight instructor reported that the airplane performed well during the familiarization flight with no mechanical issues. Both the instructor and previous owner stressed the importance of re-trimming the airplane from landing configuration during a go-around to avoid a dramatic pitch-up condition after engine power application.
Meteorological Information
The reported weather at LRO at 1415 was: wind from 170 degrees at 13 knots, gusting to 18 knots; visibility 8 statute miles; clear skies; temperature 31 degrees Celsius; dew point 23 degrees Celsius; altimeter 30.06 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
On-site examination by an FAA inspector revealed tire marks consistent with the accident airplane, about 1,000 feet beyond the approach end of runway 17 on the right side of the runway centerline. The tire marks continued for approximately 360 feet before departing the right side of the runway. The airplane struck a runway light and traveled an additional 50 feet on the grass before the tire marks were no longer visible. The airplane came to rest inverted about 300 feet from the right edge of the runway.
A postcrash fire consumed the majority of the airplane. The cockpit was destroyed. The pilot's seat frame was observed, but its position could not be determined. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions. The three-bladed propeller assembly separated from the engine, and all three propeller blades displayed "s-bending" and chord-wise scratches.
The airplane's pitch trim actuator sustained significant fire damage and was removed for further examination at Comp Air, Merritt Island, Florida, under FAA supervision. The examination revealed that the pitch trim actuator was positioned in the landing, full nose-up position. The pitch trim motor could not be functionally checked due to damage sustained in the accident.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on July 20, 2010, at the Medical University of South Carolina indicated the cause of death as "blunt force injury of the head" sustained in the accident. Toxicological testing by the FAA Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory was negative for drugs and alcohol.