History of Flight
On July 9, 2011, at approximately 1030 central daylight time, an amateur-built Bowie Sonerai II airplane, registration N113RB, crashed into a farm field near Dudley, Missouri. The pilot, who was also the aircraft's owner and operator, sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged, with the left wing and fuselage being the most affected areas. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Dexter Municipal Airport in Dexter, Missouri, at an unconfirmed time. There were no eyewitnesses to the accident; the wreckage was discovered and reported by local authorities.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument flight. According to his logbook from 2005, he had accumulated 2,243 total flight hours, including 53 hours in the accident airplane. His most recent flight review was completed on June 29, 2011, as required by regulations. The pilot's Airman Medical Certificate, issued on December 22, 2010, specified that he must have glasses available for near vision when exercising his pilot privileges.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was an amateur-built Sonerai II, serial number 395. It was a single-engine, mid-wing monoplane with a tailwheel landing gear arrangement, designed to seat two occupants in tandem. The fuselage and tail surfaces were constructed of welded steel tubing covered with fabric, while the wings were made of aluminum. The airplane was powered by a converted four-cylinder Volkswagen engine.
Meteorological Information
Weather conditions recorded at Poplar Bluff Municipal Airport, approximately 12 miles west of the accident site, at 0953 were: wind from 100 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 6 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 28°C, dew point 23°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.93 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane came to rest upright in a level farm field, facing southeast, with an impact point approximately 25 feet northwest of the wreckage. The left wing leading edge was bent upward, and the main spar upper cap strips were buckled near the inboard attachment point. The right wing showed minimal damage. The inboard portions of the main wing spars and the spar carry-through structure had been cut to extricate the pilot. The fuselage was crushed rearward and upward from the firewall to the aft seat position. The aft fuselage and tail surfaces remained largely intact with minor damage. All flight control surfaces—ailerons, elevator, and rudder—remained attached, and control system continuity was verified from the tail surfaces to the cockpit. The aileron bellcranks were attached to the control stick assembly, but the actuation pins on the aileron root ribs were dislodged from their respective bellcranks. The airframe damage was consistent with a left-wing-low, nose-down attitude at impact.
Engine Examination
The engine was removed from the firewall. Continuity of rotating components was confirmed by rotating the crankshaft. The engine had two spark plugs per cylinder; the upper set was removed and showed no anomalies. Suction and compression were present on all four cylinders during crankshaft rotation. The engine had two ignition systems: one magneto and one electronic ignition. The magneto produced spark from all four leads when the input shaft was hand-rotated. The electronic ignition system consisted of a dual pickup assembly mounted in the distributor hole and two motorcycle-style ignition coils on the firewall. The pickup cover was removed, and rotor rotation was observed during crankshaft rotation. No visible anomalies were found in the electronic system. The propeller, made of wood with a carbon fiber covering, had one broken blade; the other was intact.
Fuel System Examination
The fuel system comprised a single tank that fed fuel via gravity through a fuel shutoff valve and gascolator to a slide-type carburetor. The carburetor used a tapered needle to regulate fuel flow based on throttle position and had no float bowl. The gascolator was about three-quarters full of fluid consistent with 100LL aviation gasoline. The fuel tank contained no fuel at the accident site, but the carburetor design would allow fuel to stop flowing when the shutoff valve was closed and the engine was not running. No fuel odor was detected in the soil beneath the engine or carburetor.
Postaccident Examination
Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on July 11, 2011, determined the cause of death as closed head injury resulting from the small plane crash. Toxicology testing detected no carbon monoxide, cyanide, or ethanol. Quinine, an antimalarial and leg cramp treatment, was found in urine. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana, was detected in blood at 0.0035 ug/ml, and its primary metabolite, THC-COOH, was found in blood, liver, lung, and urine. The report noted that quinine at usual doses has no significant performance effects, and marijuana can impair psychomotor performance and attention, with effects possibly persisting beyond the subjective high.
Additional Information
A portable GPS receiver recovered from the wreckage contained no data from the accident flight.