Accident Overview
On May 13, 2011, at 1632 eastern daylight time, an experimental light sport Carothers Zenith CH 701 airplane, registration N433UB, collided with a tree while landing at a private strip near Tidioute, Pennsylvania. The personal flight, operated under 14 CFR Part 91, departed from the pilot's private strip at 1615. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The private pilot and a passenger sustained serious injuries.
The pilot reported that he had been operating at low altitude with a passenger. After turning onto final approach, the right wing struck a tree. The airplane rolled right; he added power, the nose pitched down, he pulled back on the control stick, and the engine continued running until impact with the ground in a nose-down attitude, followed by a nose-over inversion. The pilot stated he experienced no mechanical problems and that "the accident was caused by pilot error."
Witnesses living near the pilot's house observed the airplane flying low above trees prior to the accident. One witness noted the pilot circled their property and allowed the wheels to touch treetops before flying along a river and returning. They saw the airplane begin a descent eastward toward the pilot's house, crossing a highway. The left wing struck a tree, the airplane rolled left, the nose pitched down, and the engine continued running until ground impact and inversion.
Pilot Information
The 48-year-old private pilot received his certificate on August 2, 2008, with a rating for airplane single-engine land. He did not hold an FAA repairman certificate. No logbook was found at the crash site; however, the pilot reported logging 150 total flight hours, including 2 hours in the Zenith CH 701. He had logged 63 hours of pilot-in-command time and flown 1 hour in the preceding 90 days and 1 hour in the preceding 30 days, all in the accident aircraft. A third-class medical certificate was issued on July 2, 2007, with no limitations. The pilot claimed he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident.
Post-accident toxicology testing of hospital specimens, obtained via subpoena and analyzed by the FAA Bioaeronautical Research Science Laboratory, detected ethanol at 133 mg/dL in serum and 128 mg/dL in blood. Hospital testing at 1800 hours on the accident day indicated a blood alcohol level of 149 mg/dL (0.149 percent). No drugs were found. Carbon monoxide and cyanide tests were not performed.
Aircraft Information
The Zenith CH 701 is a two-place airplane with tricycle landing gear, serial number 6695, built by the registered owner in 2011. It was powered by a Volkswagen 2276, 100-horsepower engine. The registered owner stated the aircraft had no logbooks, current condition inspection, airworthiness certificate, or approved FAA operating limitations. The engine had accumulated 100 total hours, and the airframe 2 hours at the time of the accident; the Hobbs meter read 2.1 hours.
Wreckage Examination
Examination of the crash site revealed the nose section bent upward 90 degrees. The engine cowling was damaged but in place. The propeller assembly remained attached to the crankshaft flange; wooden blades separated from the hub, with one blade under the left wreckage and the other fragmented about 20 feet to the right. The engine remained attached to its mounts but displaced left. The nose landing gear was attached and bent aft. The windscreen was destroyed; the cabin area compressed aft to about 5 feet behind the seats. Seats were intact, and both seatbelts and shoulder harnesses were in use. The instrument panel was distorted; the throttle was closed. Flight control continuity was confirmed to all surfaces. Left and right main landing gear remained attached.
The right wing remained attached to the tubular steel cabin area, bent upward and pushed aft. Fixed leading edge slats were damaged; the full-length flaperon assembly was undamaged. Wing struts remained attached to the wing and fuselage. The swept-up rear fuselage, inverted stabilizer, and left and right elevator were undamaged; the all-flying rudder was damaged. The left wing exhibited similar damage: attached, bent upward and aft, with damaged leading edge slats but intact flaperon assembly and struts. Visual examination of the engine and components revealed no anomalies.