Accident Overview
On April 23, 2011, about 1000 eastern daylight time, a Solo Wings Windlass Aquilla experimental light-sport aircraft (E-LSA), registered N94370, operated by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in Starke, Florida. The pilot, who held a private pilot certificate and an experimental aircraft builder repairman certificate, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
According to FAA records, the pilot purchased the foreign-manufactured weight-shift-control aircraft on February 17, 2011. The aircraft was equipped with a Rotax 503, 50-horsepower engine and had been issued an FAA special airworthiness certificate on January 17, 2007. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had accumulated about 290 total hours of operation, including about 5 hours since its most recent condition inspection on December 21, 2010.
The pilot, age 53, had logged approximately 1,500 hours of total flight experience. His weight-shift-control experience consisted of 5.7 hours flown with a flight instructor in a Revo Evolution Trike during the 90 days preceding the accident.
Accident Site and Damage
The pilot's wife reported that he departed their residence about 0600 with the intention of practicing high-speed taxiing at their private airstrip. When he did not return the following day, she discovered the crash site. The airstrip was 1,950 feet long, 50 feet wide, and oriented west-northwest/east-southeast. The eastern portion of the runway had trees on both sides for the first two-thirds, while the last third had a tree line about 500 feet north and an open field to the south. The runway was uneven with a mild ridge toward the east end.
The aircraft came to rest on its left side in a field just before the tree line north of the eastern third of Runway 10. The left wing, nose, left landing gear, and cockpit sustained substantial damage consistent with a steep nose-down and left wing impact. No ground scars or tracks were found leading to the wreckage.
Examination Findings
An FAA inspector examined the airframe and engine and found no mechanical abnormalities. Fuel from the gascolator was absent of contamination. The propeller damage was consistent with a low-power setting, and the throttle control was in the full aft position. The aircraft was equipped with a ballistic parachute, but the safety pin was installed.
Toxicology Results
An autopsy performed on April 25, 2011, by the Office of the Medical Examiner District Eight, Gainesville, Florida, determined the cause of death as "blunt injuries sustained in plane crash." Toxicological testing by the FAA Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory showed positive results for ethanol and other volatiles in muscle, blood, and brain samples. However, the tissue specimens had undergone putrefaction. The pilot's wife stated that he did not consume alcohol the night before the accident and that she was not aware of any alcohol consumption since after college.