History of Flight
On March 7, 2011, at approximately 1500 Pacific standard time, a Muse KR2, registration N122B, was destroyed when it impacted terrain about 14 miles east of Newberry Springs, California. The pilot, the sole occupant, was killed. The experimental-category airplane was owned by a private individual and operated by a commercial pilot under Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Porterville, California, at 1330.
The pilot had purchased the airplane from the registered owner on the same day. The registered owner noted that the pilot had no prior experience in KR-2 airplanes and spent about an hour familiarizing him with the aircraft. The pilot indicated his intention to fly 96 miles to Fox Field near Lancaster, California. He appeared to be in a hurry and departed without a test flight; the takeoff appeared normal. The empty weight of the airplane was 629 pounds, with an 80-hp engine burning about 5 gallons per hour, and it carried 17 gallons of fuel. The registered owner remarked that the airplane did not handle windy conditions well due to its weight and design.
Radar data retrieved from FAA ground tracking radar and the National Track Analysis Program showed the flight path. The airplane departed Porterville at 1330, proceeded south to Gorman, then east toward Needles. The first radar return at 1358:28 showed 5,900 feet msl near Meridian, California. The track climbed steadily to about 9,500 feet, then turned east near Gorman and continued climbing. By 1417, it reached 14,800 feet msl near Edwards AFB. The track then meandered southeast, descending to 12,000 feet msl, then turned east and gradually descended to about 7,000 feet. The final 12 minutes showed altitude fluctuations between 5,800 and 7,300 feet msl. The last radar return at 1500:23 recorded 7,100 feet msl (5,170 feet agl), 1 mile west of the accident site.
An alert notice was issued the evening of March 8, and the wreckage was discovered by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Air Support unit early on March 9. The energy path from the initial impact point extended 185 feet along a bearing of 052 degrees magnetic. Most debris was scattered eastward; the farthest piece, a rudder skin fragment, was found 2,665 feet east of the main wreckage.
Aircraft Information
The two-seat, low-wing, fixed-gear experimental airplane (serial number 7774) was manufactured in 1993. It was powered by a Revmaster R-2100D engine (serial number 2395, 80 hp) and equipped with a Sterba Experimental 52-50 fixed-pitch wood propeller. Maintenance logbooks showed an annual inspection completed on August 12, 2010, at a total aircraft time of 333.2 hours.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 68, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. He was issued a third-class medical certificate on February 9, 2011, with a requirement to wear corrective lenses. His logbook showed 1,537.4 hours total flight time, with the last entry on February 17, 2011, and a flight review endorsement dated February 16, 2011.
Meteorological Information
No record existed of the pilot receiving a weather briefing or filing a flight plan. The nearest reporting station, Barstow-Daggett Airport (KDAG), located 16 miles west-northwest of the accident site, reported at 1451 PST: wind from 250 degrees at 36 knots gusting to 46 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 17°C, dew point -4°C, altimeter 29.74 inHg. Peak wind gusts up to 52 knots were recorded at 1413 PST, with maximum gusts reaching 56 knots.
Bicycle Lake Army Airfield (KBYS), 31 miles north-northwest, reported at 1455 PST: wind from 230 degrees at 25 knots gusting to 42 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 14°C, dew point -6°C, altimeter 29.69 inHg. Peak wind gust of 47 knots was noted. Edwards AFB (KEDW), 72 miles west, reported at 1455: wind from 270 degrees at 23 knots gusting to 43 knots, with blowing dust and sand and mountain wave activity indicated by altocumulus standing lenticular clouds.
Regional wind data showed a band of westerly winds sustained at 40 mph or more near the accident site, with gusts to 56 mph. Upper air data indicated a conditionally unstable atmosphere below 13,000 feet, with a low-level wind maximum at 9,500 feet (245 degrees at 28 knots) creating strong vertical wind shear and a high probability of moderate or greater turbulence. Numerous pilot reports described moderate to severe turbulence below 13,000 feet, including a report of extreme turbulence at 2,000 feet near Palm Springs, and mountain wave activity with updrafts and downdrafts of 1,500 to 2,500 fpm. AIRMET Tango for turbulence, strong winds, and low-level wind shear was valid until 2000 PST.
Wreckage and Impact
The terrain consisted of a shallow slope with dry desert sand and rock, with water drainage cuts. The initial impact point was a 5-foot by 8-foot disturbed area containing propeller and engine cowling fragments. The engine core traveled 185 feet on a bearing of 052 degrees, with oil and cockpit debris along that path. A separate 4-foot by 3-foot disturbed area 74 feet behind the initial impact contained tissue and bone fragments. The cockpit was completely destroyed.
Both wings separated at the wing roots. The right wing was 213 feet from the initial impact point on a bearing of 109 degrees; its tip was fragmented but no leading edge or surface damage was noted. The left wing was 372 feet away on the same bearing, with a chordwise crack about 3 feet inboard and a missing 2-foot by 3-foot section aft of the spar. Ailerons had separated from both wings.
The rudder was found 150 feet on a 342-degree bearing. The upper third of the vertical stabilizer was 1,820 feet on a 090-degree bearing, and an 8-inch rudder skin piece was 2,661 feet on the same bearing. The forward wood spar of the vertical stabilizer had split along the grain; the aft spar broke across the grain at the upper rudder hinge bolt holes. Control cable ends showed broomstrawed overload separations; control horns were bent. The engine was fragmented due to impact forces. All cylinders were accounted for with no mechanical damage; piston faces showed light gray combustion deposits. The crankshaft could be rotated by hand. The magneto was fragmented; the oil screen was clear. The carburetor had separated but the throttle cable remained attached; the mixture cable was not attached to the mixture lever.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department on March 9, 2011, listed the cause of death as "massive body fragmentation." Forensic toxicology by the FAA detected no ethanol in muscle; atenolol and dextromethorphan were found in muscle. Carbon monoxide and cyanide tests were not performed.