Accident Summary
On February 15, 2011, at approximately 1630 eastern standard time, a Taylorcraft DCO-65 airplane, registration N46089, experienced a loss of control during maneuvering and impacted terrain near Americus, Indiana. The accident resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the passenger suffered serious injuries.
Flight Details
The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight departed Purdue University Airport (LAF) in Lafayette, Indiana, at 1608.
Before departure, the pilot performed a preflight walk-around inspection and added three gallons of fuel to each wing tank. An unknown quantity of oil was also added to the engine. The airplane departed runway 10 in an eastbound direction and climbed to 1,500 feet; it was unclear whether this altitude was mean sea level or above ground level.
The pilot then flew north, following a river toward a friend's lake. At some point, the flight turned eastbound. While executing a turn back to the west to return to the airport, the pilot exclaimed, "oh my god," and the nose dropped. The airplane descended straight down and impacted wooded terrain, coming to rest in a nose-down vertical attitude against trees.
Aircraft Examination
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors examined the wreckage. The forward fuselage was crushed, the wings were bent and buckled, and the engine was partially separated. Flight control continuity was confirmed to all control surfaces. Several cuts consistent with the propeller were noted on a nearby tree. There was no evidence of mechanical malfunction or failure of the engine or airframe.
A portable GPS unit found in the airplane was sent to the NTSB vehicle recorders laboratory for data extraction, which revealed the unit was not powered during the accident flight.
The airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed in October 2010, at a total airframe time of approximately 1,100 hours.
Pilot Information
The pilot's family reported that the pilot had accumulated approximately 500 hours of total flight time. The airplane owner noted that the pilot had about 30 hours in the accident airplane. The pilot succumbed to injuries sustained during the accident on February 26, 2011. An autopsy and toxicological tests were not performed.
No probable cause was stated in the source.