History of Flight
On May 4, 2011, at 1142 central daylight time, a Thomas Europa experimental amateur built airplane, N914KM, impacted a field shortly after takeoff from Shreveport Downtown Airport (KDTN), Shreveport, Louisiana. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and empennage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The local flight originated from KDTN at 1137.
According to the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office, a local resident discovered the wreckage in an open field on private property. There were no witnesses to the accident.
Radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified and depicted the accident flight from departure to the accident. The airplane initially climbed from 700 feet mean sea level (msl) to 1,200 feet msl on a north-northeasterly heading. At 1140:36, the airplane started to descend. The last recorded position was time stamped at 1141:59 at an altitude of 200 feet msl, a ground speed of 76 knots, and a heading of 350 degrees.
According to an FAA summary, the pilot requested taxi instructions at 1134, takeoff clearance at 1137, and the controller issued a frequency change at 1142. No response was received from the pilot. Recordings of voice communications were not available.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 71, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land rating. He was issued a third class airman medical certificate on September 3, 2010, with the limitation "must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision."
The pilot's family provided the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge the pilot's flight log for review. The log covered December 7, 1985, through April 28, 2011, showing no less than 283.2 total hours, with 27.6 hours logged in the accident airplane. The pilot completed a flight review on April 23, 2009.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane, a Thomas Europa serial number 1, was manufactured in 1999. It held an FAA special airworthiness certificate for experimental amateur-built operations. It was powered by a Rotax 912 UL engine rated at 80 horsepower, equipped with a Warp Drive 3-blade propeller.
The airplane was maintained under a conditional inspection program. Records showed a conditional inspection completed on June 26, 2010, at an airframe total time of 243.0 hours. The airplane had flown approximately 46.3 hours since then, with a total airframe time of 289.3 hours at the accident.
An airframe logbook entry dated June 4 and June 19, 2010, noted that the trim was occasionally "sticking." No subsequent entries discussed trim problems.
Meteorological Information
The closest official weather observation station was Shreveport Regional Airport (KSHV), elevation 258 feet msl. The routine aviation weather report (METAR) for KSHV issued at 1056 reported winds variable at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 3,000 feet, scattered clouds at 30,000 feet, temperature 21°C, dew point 8°C, and altimeter 30.39 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was on level terrain with short grass and tall deciduous trees. Trees adjacent to the wreckage showed no evidence of contact. The site elevation was 199 feet msl, and the wreckage came to rest on a north-northeast heading.
The main wreckage comprised the fuselage, empennage, both wings, and engine. A long narrow ground scar about 16 feet long was found forward of the right wing, containing white paint chips matching the right wing leading edge. A circular ground scar was located directly under the engine.
The fuselage included the engine assembly, cabin, and instrument panel. The windscreen was fragmented. The cabin area was crushed upward, and the engine was crushed aft into the cabin, reducing occupiable space. The fuselage bottom was crushed and partially separated at three locations.
The left wing remained attached at the fuselage with attached left aileron and left flap assembly. The leading edge was crushed and splintered. The left aileron was partially separated but remained attached to the flight control tube; flight control continuity was confirmed. The left flap position could not be determined.
The right wing remained partially attached with right aileron and right flap assembly. The leading edge was crushed and broken. The right aileron was crushed at the inboard leading edge; flight control continuity was confirmed. The right flap was buckled four feet inboard from the outboard edge; its position could not be determined.
The empennage was partially separated from the fuselage, including horizontal and vertical stabilizer, rudder, and elevators. Rudder control cables were continuous from the flight control yoke to the rudder assembly. The elevator control tube was buckled just aft of the cabin but continuous to the elevator control bell crank, where it separated with overload signatures. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers were unremarkable.
The engine remained attached to the firewall. All three propeller blades separated from the engine: one found several hundred feet west of the main wreckage splintered and broken, another embedded in the ground beneath the main wreckage, and the third adjacent to the left wing. Continuity to accessory gears and valve train was established, with tactile compression on all cylinders. The engine was full of dark oil. Spark plugs exhibited normal signatures compared to the Champion spark plug chart.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center performed an autopsy on May 5, 2011, authorized by the Caddo Parish Coroner's office. The autopsy concluded the cause of death was blunt force injuries and listed specific injuries.
The FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute performed toxicological tests on specimens collected during the autopsy (CAMI Reference #201100083001). Results were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol. A trace amount of metoprolol was detected in urine and blood.
The pilot reported taking metoprolol on his last application for his airman medical certificate. This prescription medication is a selective beta1-adrenoreceptor blocking agent used to treat high blood pressure, angina, and control heart rate in some arrhythmias.
Tests and Research
The NTSB investigator-in-charge removed and retained the elevator trim motor for examination. The motor was found in the full nose up position. Functional testing revealed no anomalies.