History of Flight
The flight originated from Delaware Municipal Airport (DLZ) about 1300 local time as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed. An Ohio State Highway Patrol aviation officer heard radio transmissions on the DLZ common traffic advisory frequency from an aircraft reporting 10 miles north of DLZ, then later 5 miles. The officer saw a small white single-engine airplane flying south at about 1,900 feet MSL. Shortly after the 5-mile report, the officer received a call about an accident near DLZ.
A witness mowing grass at DLZ observed the airplane fly over runway 28/10 heading east at traffic pattern altitude. The airplane made a steep bank right turn to a south heading, then a steep bank left turn back to east. Both turns had bank angles of 45 degrees or more. The airplane continued east on what appeared to be a left downwind for runway 28, then went out of view behind trees.
Another witness driving on a nearby road saw the airplane "hanging in the air for a moment with its nose pointed upward at 11:00" then execute "somewhat of a backward roll" and spin toward the ground. A third witness saw the airplane turning to line up for landing, wings "went vertical," then it entered a dive. The airplane disappeared behind trees; when the witness passed the tree line, the airplane was on fire in a field.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land airplane rating and a third-class airman medical certificate issued February 23, 2010, with no limitations but was a special issuance valid until February 28, 2011. A fire-damaged logbook found in the wreckage indicated about 1,238 hours of total flight experience. On his most recent medical application, the pilot reported 1,280 total hours and 10 hours in the preceding six months.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was an Aero SP Z O O AT-4 LSA, serial number AT4-004, a single-engine low-wing monoplane with side-by-side seating, fixed tricycle landing gear, and predominantly aluminum construction. It was powered by a Rotax 912ULS engine rated at 98 horsepower, with a three-blade ground-adjustable propeller.
Meteorological Information
At 1253, the weather at Ohio State University Airport, Columbus, was: wind 230° at 9 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; scattered clouds at 2,800 feet; broken clouds at 3,600 feet; temperature 30°C; dew point 23°C; altimeter 30.04 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted trees and terrain about 0.7 miles on a bearing of 100° from the approach end of runway 28. A tree near the wreckage path had broken branches and airplane pieces. The airplane came to rest upright. Fire damaged the forward fuselage, including the cockpit, consuming structure forward of the main wing spar attachment point and the upper cabin. The tail surfaces remained attached and largely intact. The right wing remained attached with leading-edge impact damage; the left wing partially separated due to fire damage inboard, with impact damage on the outboard leading edge. Control continuity was verified from the cockpit to all primary flight controls. No preimpact anomalies were noted.
The engine and forward components sustained fire damage. The propeller hub remained attached; all three composite blades had broken from the hub, with blade shanks retained in the hub.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Franklin County Coroner's Office listed the cause of death as inhalation injury due to flash fire. A Final Forensic Toxicology Fatal Accident Report detected acetaminophen (33.34 ug/mL) and oxycodone (0.612 ug/mL) in urine, but oxycodone was not detected in blood. Oxymorphone (0.288 ug/mL) was detected in urine but not in blood.