History of Flight
On July 31, 2011, at 0748 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Morrison E-Racer, registration N345JM, was destroyed when it struck power lines and terrain while maneuvering during a test flight near Big Rock, Illinois. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated by a private pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, which departed Aurora Municipal Airport (ARR) in Sugar Grove, Illinois, at 0744.
The accident occurred on the airplane's first flight after receiving an experimental airworthiness certificate. According to air traffic control data, the pilot contacted ground control at 0739:33 for taxi clearance to runway 27, mentioning it was the first flight and requesting to orbit the airport at 2,500 feet mean sea level (msl). The tower cleared the flight for takeoff on runway 27 and to orbit the airport at 2,500 feet msl with left turns. Radar track data showed the airplane climbing to 2,600 feet msl while maintaining a 1- to 2-mile radius from the airport.
At 0747:29, near completion of its first orbit, the pilot reported excessive engine cylinder head temperatures and requested to land. The tower cleared the flight to land on either runway 27 or 9, and the pilot selected runway 27. No further communications were received. Radar data indicated the airplane began a descending left turn about 1.5 miles from the airport. Ground speed decreased from 170 knots to 105 knots during the final 18 seconds, and the descent rate increased from 650 feet per minute to 2,400 feet per minute. The last radar return at 0748:10 placed the airplane at 1,100 feet msl (about 400 feet above ground), 2.2 miles west-southwest of ARR.
A witness, also a certificated pilot, observed the airplane at low altitude (100 to 150 feet above ground) north of Granart Road, traveling at high ground speed in a slight left turn with landing gear retracted. The airplane momentarily leveled its wings then entered a near-vertical descent, colliding with power lines and a cornfield.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 73, held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land airplane rating. His last aviation medical examination was on July 6, 2011, with a third-class medical certificate and a corrective lenses restriction. The most recent pilot logbook entry was dated July 15, 2007, showing 382 hours total flight time, all in single-engine land airplanes. The last documented flight review was completed on November 18, 2006, in a Cessna 172.
The pilot had two prior accidents in another Morrison E-Racer (serial number 113): a forced landing on September 12, 2000, due to engine power loss from a modified air intake system, and an inflight fire on June 21, 2008, attributed to a high-pressure fuel system failure. That airplane was destroyed. According to FAA records, the pilot reported 502 hours total flight experience on July 6, 2011, and stated he had not flown in the six months prior.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a 2011 Morrison E-Racer (serial number 186) amateur-built with a composite airframe, forward canard, and rear-mounted engine. It was powered by a modified 350-horsepower Lycoming O-540-A1D5 reciprocating engine (serial number L-1135005-40) with a fuel injection system and electronic coil-on-plug ignition, classified as experimental. The airplane had a fixed-pitch, three-blade Catto Propellers wood propeller. It received an experimental airworthiness certificate on July 8, 2011. Postaccident review of maintenance records found no unresolved airworthiness issues.
Meteorological Information
At 0752, the ARR automated surface observing system reported calm wind, visibility 7 miles, clear sky, temperature 23°C, dew point 20°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.13 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
All airframe structural and flight control components were located at the accident site. The initial impact point was beneath power lines about 20 feet south of Granart Road, with a ground depression consistent with the left wing's leading edge and winglet. The depression extended 15 feet into the cornfield. The main impact crater was 40 feet east of the power lines. The main wreckage comprised the entire airframe, flight controls, engine, and propeller. Structural failures were consistent with overstress separation. The fuselage was fragmented; both wings separated. Three power lines were entangled with the right wing, penetrating the leading edge and extending to the main spar. The left wing showed leading edge damage. The canard and elevator were in pieces; split-rudder surfaces remained attached to vertical stabilizers. Flight control continuity could not be established due to damage, but all discontinuities were consistent with overstress. There was no evidence of inflight fire.
The engine remained attached to the aft fuselage bulkhead/firewall, which had separated. The engine compartment and baffling were destroyed. Internal engine and valve train continuity was confirmed; compression and suction were noted on all cylinders. Upper spark plugs showed normal operation. Functional testing of the ignition system was not possible due to damage. The fuel supply line contained fuel consistent with 100-low lead aviation fuel, free of water or contamination. The fuel inlet screen was clean. The propeller remained attached; one blade fractured near the hub, the other two undamaged.
No evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would preclude normal operation was found. The damage to the engine compartment precluded determination of the cause of the excessive cylinder head temperatures. The airplane's electronic flight information system was not configured to record flight data.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy on June 30, 2011, by the Kane County Coroner's Office attributed the pilot's death to multiple blunt-force injuries. Toxicological tests conducted by the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute detected diphenhydramine (Benadryl) in liver and kidney samples, famotidine (Pepcid) in kidney samples, and quinine in liver samples. No ethanol was detected.