History of Flight
On October 16, 2010, at approximately 1825 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built RV6A, registration N13KN, collided with terrain shortly after departing from Monticello Sky Ranch Airport (GA06) in Monticello, Georgia. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Multiple eyewitnesses provided statements to the NTSB. They observed the airplane become airborne, then initiate a left roll until its wings were perpendicular to the ground, followed by impact and an immediate explosion. One witness estimated the airplane reached about 100 feet above ground level before the roll began. Two witnesses reported that the engine sound remained constant until impact.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 56, held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land airplane rating. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on May 28, 2009, at which time he reported 1,034 total hours of flight experience. The pilot's logbooks were not located during the investigation.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was constructed from a kit by the accident pilot-owner in 2002 and received a special airworthiness certificate on December 28, 2002. It was equipped with a Lycoming O-320-D1A engine and a Sensenich propeller. The aircraft and engine maintenance logbooks were not found.
Meteorological Information
The 1819 recorded weather observation at Baldwin County Airport (MLJ) in Milledgeville, Georgia, about 26 miles southeast of the accident site, reported calm wind, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 19°C, dew point 7°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.11 inches of mercury.
Airport Information
The privately owned airport featured a single turf runway oriented southeast-northwest, designated 14/32, measuring 3,900 feet in length and 80 feet in width. No air traffic control tower was present.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination by an FAA inspector revealed that the airplane impacted near a tree line about 450 feet east of the extended runway centerline, close to the southern edge of the airport property. The vertical stabilizer tip, a 1-foot section of the outboard right wing, and a 3-foot section of the outboard left wing remained intact; the rest of the wings, fuselage, and cockpit area sustained impact and fire damage. The engine separated and was found about 20 feet from the main wreckage in the tree line.
A follow-on examination on October 26, 2010, confirmed control continuity from the left aileron to the control stick, and from the right stick to the thermally damaged wing area. The outboard 2 feet of the right wing showed thermal damage. Elevator and rudder control continuity was confirmed. Engine continuity and compression were verified; some bottom spark plugs appeared oil soaked. All three propeller blades were impact-separated at varying lengths. The carburetor bottom half was impact-separated, while the top half remained attached at the oil sump. The magnetos exhibited thermal damage and could not produce spark.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Division of Forensic Sciences reported the pilot's cause of death as blunt force head and torso trauma.
Toxicological testing at the FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory detected no carbon monoxide, cyanide, or ethanol. The report noted 0.066 µg/mL of desmethylsertraline and 0.03 µg/mL of sertraline in the blood, with both substances also found in urine. Sertraline, commonly known as Zoloft, is a prescription antidepressant; its metabolite is desmethylsertraline. The medication carries a warning that it may impair mental and physical abilities for hazardous tasks. According to FAA's Aerospace Medical Research database, the therapeutic range for sertraline in blood is 0.01–0.20 µg/mL.
In April 2010, the FAA allowed special issuance for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), requiring evaluation of the underlying condition and a period of observation. No special issuance was granted to the pilot, and no use of the medication was noted on his most recent medical certification. No personal medical records were located.