Accident Overview
On December 2, 2010, at approximately 1406 central standard time, an experimental amateur-built Southerland Freebird Litesport Ultra airplane, registration N415US, sustained substantial damage after impacting terrain near Decatur, Illinois. The accident occurred following an in-flight loss of control while maneuvering after climbout from runway 18 at Decatur Airport (DEC). The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions, and no flight plan was on file. The pilot was fatally injured.
Flight Sequence
The flight departed locally about 1359 and was returning to DEC at the time of the accident. The pilot had requested a high-speed taxi clearance and was cleared by air traffic control to perform a high-speed taxi on runway 18. During the high-speed taxi, the airplane became airborne. The pilot then requested and received a landing clearance. He reported difficulty getting the airplane's nose down and subsequently declared a MAYDAY, stating he had "no control" of the airplane. He was given clearance to land on any runway. His last transmission was that he "can't seem to keep the nose down." Airport rescue and firefighting personnel observed the airplane come "tail-end down" and then "nose down." The airplane came to rest about two miles east of DEC in a field near the 7300 block of Ridge Road.
Wreckage and Examination
The right wing separated from the fuselage in flight and came to rest about 285 feet east of the main wreckage. The pilot was found about 63 feet west of the main wreckage. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors examined the wreckage on-scene. The examination and review of photographs indicated that the separation was consistent with overload. No other anomalies were detected.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The airplane was a single-engine, high-wing, experimental amateur-built Southerland Freebird Litesport Ultra, serial number N415US. It was powered by a Chevy Geo Metro G10 three-cylinder four-stroke engine. A FAA designated airworthiness representative inspected the airplane and issued its special airworthiness certificate on October 15, 2010. The inadvertent flight was the airplane's first flight.
The pilot, aged 55, held a FAA sport pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating issued on November 1, 2010, after passing an airman examination using a designated examiner's Flightstar IISC airplane. The pilot reported on his application a total flight time of 60.7 hours, of which 15.2 hours were as pilot-in-command.
Weather Conditions
At 1354, the recorded weather at DEC was: wind 230 degrees at 6 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition few 1,400 feet, overcast 4,300 feet; temperature 1 degree C; dew point -3 degrees C; altimeter 30.17 inches of mercury.
Toxicology
An autopsy performed by the Macon County Coroner's Office listed the cause of death as multiple injuries due to an aircraft accident. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute prepared a Final Forensic Toxicology Accident Report. The report detected desmethylsertraline and sertraline in various tissues and fluids, including blood (cavity), spleen, spinal fluid, gastric, muscle, kidney, vitreous, and brain. A family member indicated that the pilot was taking an antidepressant for work stress.