What happened
On August 19, 2010, at approximately 2045 central daylight time, a Vans RV-7A, registration N474JM, collided with trees during a night takeoff from South Arkansas Regional Airport (ELD) in El Dorado, Arkansas. The pilot, who was conducting a personal flight under visual flight rules toward Georgetown, Texas, sustained 1 fatal injury.
The pilot was engaged in a long-distance cross-country flight that began in Norwalk, Ohio. After stops in Missouri and Arkansas, the pilot waited nearly four hours in El Dorado for thunderstorms to pass. An airport employee reported interacting with the pilot both via radio during his approach and in person during refueling. The employee noted that the pilot appeared confused and explicitly stated he was tired from flying all day.
An observer at the airport witnessed the aircraft taxi to the runway, perform a five-minute engine run-up, and depart runway 31. The witness noted the aircraft used very little runway before climbing to an altitude of approximately 300 to 400 feet and initiating a left turn. No further communications were received from the aircraft.
Search and rescue crews located the wreckage four days later, on August 23, 20 and 10, in heavily wooded terrain approximately 500 feet west of the end of runway 31.
The investigation
FAA inspectors examined the wreckage and determined the aircraft had struck a tree tip before a sharp descent caused a head-on impact with another tree, with the right side of the airframe absorbing the primary force. The investigation found the engine had separated from the airframe and one propeller blade was damaged, but flight control continuity was established. No pre-mishap mechanical anomalies were found in the engine or the airplane.
A review of the pilot's logbook showed a total of 274.5 flight hours, with only 5.5 hours of night experience. The pilot's most recent night flight had occurred nearly one year prior to the accident.
Toxicological analysis of organ tissue was performed; however, due to the state of the remains, the presence of various alcohols could not be definitively linked to impairment rather than post-mortem putrefaction.