Accident Overview
On July 25, 2011, at 1145 central daylight time, a Piper J3L-65, registration N81BF, collided with the waters of Lake Winnebago near Van Dyne, Wisconsin. The accident occurred following a loss of control while the pilot was performing an aerobatic maneuver. The airline transport certificated pilot and the passenger were both fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight was conducted as a local personal flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh, Wisconsin, at 1127.
Flight History
The pilot had flown to OSH the previous day to attend the EAA AirVenture fly-in. On the day of the accident, the airplane departed OSH along with another Piper Cub for a local sightseeing flight over Lake Winnebago. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger in the other airplane reported that both airplanes flew down the coastline at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,400 feet. They observed the accident pilot performing a maneuver when the accident occurred: the airplane pitched up, climbed, and yawed to the left, entering a descent. During the maneuver, the airplane became inverted and impacted the lake. They contacted OSH air traffic control and circled the area until a boat approached the accident site, then returned to OSH.
A witness reported seeing two airplanes flying about 300 feet above the water, traveling north to south. The airplanes were flying slow and making slow turns, not aerobatic maneuvers. The witness looked away momentarily, then his wife stated that one airplane was upside down. He looked back and saw one airplane inverted and descending into the lake, but did not see how it became inverted.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 47, held an airline transport pilot certificate with multi-engine and single-engine commercial privileges. He held type ratings for B747, B727, B737, B757, B77, CE-560XL, and L-1011 aircraft and a first-class medical certificate dated February 14, 2011, with no limitations. He was employed as a Boeing 747 first officer for a Part 121 operator. His resume listed 12,256 total flight hours, including 1,840 hours in single-engine airplanes. He had purchased the accident airplane in April 2010; his flight time in that specific airplane could not be determined.
Aircraft Information
The Piper J3L-65, serial number 6084, was manufactured in 1940. It was a high-wing, fabric-covered, tail-wheel airplane with tandem seating. Shoulder harnesses and seatbelts were installed in both seats in October 2009. It was powered by a Continental C90-8 engine. The airframe and engine logbooks were not located; the tachometer indicated 219.7 hours at the time of the accident.
Meteorological Information
Recorded weather at OSH (about 8 miles northwest) at 1153 included wind from 230° at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear sky, temperature 26°C, dewpoint 16°C, and altimeter 29.97 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was located in Lake Winnebago, about ½ mile east of Wendt’s Harbor. A barge crew, hearing of the accident via marine radio, assisted rescue divers in placing straps around the airplane and lifting it onto the barge. The airplane was then brought to shore. The fuselage aft of the rear seat was intact with fabric wrinkles; the cockpit was crushed inward and the top fuselage broken open. Both wings were bent forward, wooden spars broken at the fuselage, and wing struts bent. The right wing sustained impact damage. Control continuity was established to all flight controls. The fuel selector was at Both, throttle Open, carburetor heat Off, and the airplane was trimmed nose-down. The engine remained attached; both propeller blades had shattered outboard sections. Engine examination showed normal spark plug signatures, compression on all cylinders, sparks from leads, and oil present. No anomalies precluding normal operation were found.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies were performed on July 26, 2011, at the Fond du Lac County Medical Examiner’s Office. The cause of death for the passenger was drowning with blunt force trauma as a significant factor. The cause of death for the pilot was drowning with blunt force trauma to the head; an autopsy finding noted multiple cysts in the white matter of the cerebral hemispheres consistent with cysticercosis. The pilot’s wife was unaware of this condition; it is unknown if the pilot was aware. Forensic toxicology on the pilot was negative for all tested substances.
Survival Factors
Occupants of the other airplane made a MAYDAY call to OSH tower. They circled until a boat approached, then returned to OSH. OSH tower contacted Milwaukee approach control to coordinate search. A Civil Air Patrol airplane heard the MAYDAY and assisted, locating the wreckage at 1205 southwest of Warbird Island. A rescue helicopter arrived, and numerous boats responded. The water depth at the site was about 6–7 feet. A Winnebago County Sheriff’s Deputy entered the water to attempt rescue but could not remove occupants. Rescue divers recovered the occupants; the pilot was restrained, but the back-seat passenger did not appear to be restrained with seatbelt or shoulder harness and was floating within the airplane.
Additional Information
A Garmin GPSMAP 295 was recovered from the cockpit; its tracklog data from 1127:53 showed the airplane taking off north, turning southeast, climbing to the western shoreline of Lake Winnebago, then descending. Altitudes varied; the last data point at 1144:22 placed the airplane at a GPS altitude of 1,251 feet with a calculated groundspeed of 73 knots.