History of Flight
On May 22, 2011, at approximately 1050 mountain daylight time, an amateur-built Cassutt III M airplane, registration N420FH, impacted terrain while maneuvering after takeoff near Erie, Colorado. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage followed by a post-crash fire. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a flight test. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The accident flight was the airplane's first ever flight, or maiden flight. A witness observed the airplane take off from the airport, climb to about 300 feet, and then enter a sudden left turn. The airplane subsequently descended toward the ground and struck terrain.
Personnel Information
The 64-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. He possessed a third-class airman medical certificate issued on December 9, 2009, with the limitation that he must have glasses available for near vision. On his most recent medical application, he reported using Atenolol to control high blood pressure and logged 1,975 total flight hours with 35 hours in the previous six months.
Aircraft Information
The Cassutt III M is a low-wing, fixed-gear airplane. Its serial number was NAC 2009-1. The aircraft was built by the pilot from plans and completed in 2011. It was powered by a 100-horsepower experimental engine driving a Sterba 58x64 two-bladed wood propeller. The airframe consisted of steel tubing covered with fiberglass, fabric, and laminated plywood. The airplane's airworthiness certificate and experimental operating limitations were issued on May 16, 2011.
Meteorological Conditions
At 1049, the automated weather observation facility at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) in Broomfield, Colorado, reported wind from 240 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 19 knots; visibility 40 miles; few clouds at 7,000 feet; broken clouds at 15,000 and 20,000 feet; temperature 64°F; dew point 28°F; and barometric pressure 29.88 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination of the accident site showed that the airplane collided with trees located 350 yards west-northwest of the runway's departure end. Downed tree limbs and impact marks on aspen trees indicated a nose-down angle of approximately 50 degrees. A two-foot-deep crater contained fragments of composite materials and portions of the wooden propeller. The airplane came to rest inverted about eight feet from the impact crater. A post-crash fire consumed most of the coverings. All major components were found at the scene. A piece of the right wing composite casing was found separated and entangled in aspen trees. The spruce wing spar remained attached but showed thermal damage. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to the control surfaces, although the aileron push-pull rod ends exhibited overload fractures. The engine sustained extensive thermal damage; both magnetos were damaged by impact and fire and could not produce spark. Engine continuity and compression were verified by hand-turning the propeller. The oil screen contained a small amount of particulates consistent with a new engine, and all fuel screens were clean. No anomalies were found in either the airframe or the engine.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on May 23, 2011, by the Weld County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner revealed that the heart's left anterior descending artery had up to 70 percent stenosis, with 100 percent stenosis in many branches. The medical examiner noted that the pilot's heart disease may have contributed to the crash, stating, "It is possible that sudden cardiac death occurred shortly after takeoff and that led to the crash, as there are no definitive control type injuries to the extremities." The manner of death was ruled an accident. Forensic toxicology by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory detected 0.821 ug/mL Atenolol in peripheral blood and Atenolol in urine. Atenolol is a medication used to treat high blood pressure, angina, and to improve survival after a heart attack by relaxing blood vessels and slowing heart rate.