History of Flight
On August 7, 2011, about 1350 eastern daylight time, a Maule M-7-235, N747GL, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain while on approach to Warrenton Air Park (7VG0) in Warrenton, Virginia. The certificated commercial pilot and a passenger were fatally injured. The airplane came to rest upright and a post-impact fire consumed the airframe, leaving only a portion of the left wing and the two amphibious floats. The personal flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed. The flight departed Potomac Airfield (VKX) in Friendly, Maryland, at 1315.
According to the owner of the airplane, the pilot called at about 1315 and stated his intention to fly the floatplane to 7VG0. The owner observed the airplane enter the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for runway 4. While turning from the base leg to the final leg, the airplane banked left to about 75 degrees, at which point the nose pitched down to an almost vertical attitude. The airplane descended and struck the ground in an open field before the runway threshold and "exploded." A second witness reported seeing the airplane fly over the north end of the runway, turn onto the downwind, then bank and enter a dive before impacting the ground and "exploding."
Pilot Information
The pilot, age 42, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, single-engine sea, and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on August 10, 2010. A review of his logbook showed approximately 1,300 total flight hours, including 1,066 hours in single-engine airplanes. An accurate total of flight time in the accident make and model could not be determined.
Aircraft Information
The four-seat, high-wing, amphibious airplane was manufactured in 1994 and received its FAA airworthiness certificate on March 4, 1994. It was powered by a Lycoming O-540-J1A5D, 235-horsepower engine driving a three-bladed McCauley propeller. The most recent annual inspection could not be determined because the owner could not locate the maintenance logbooks after the accident.
Airport Information
Warrenton Air Park (7VG0) is a privately-owned airport without a control tower. It has two turf runways: 04/22 (2,215 feet long by 70 feet wide) and 15/33 (2,000 feet long by 70 feet wide). Runway 04/22 narrows to 70 feet usable at a bridge over a stream, mowed to 240 feet wide. Runway 15/33 is marked with orange cones, with turf approximately 250 feet wide; landing is only permitted on runway 33, with no takeoffs on runway 33 and no takeoffs or landings on runway 15. The airport elevation is 442 feet above mean sea level.
Meteorological Information
At 1355, the recorded weather at Warrenton-Fauquier Airport (HWY), about 10 miles southeast, included wind from 220 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 4,700 feet above ground level, temperature 35°C, dew point 27°C, and altimeter 29.71 inches of mercury. These conditions yielded a pressure altitude of about 652 feet and a density altitude of about 3,035 feet.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane struck the ground with the left wingtip approximately 780 feet from the threshold of runway 4, coming to rest about 730 feet from the threshold. All major components were accounted for at the site. A detailed examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact anomalies.
The initial impact point was about 30 feet aft of the trailing edge of the rudder. The left wing separated from the airframe and showed impact and crush damage to the outboard two-thirds; the inboard 4 feet had thermal damage. The stall sensor switch was operational. The right wing exhibited extensive thermal damage. The empennage and fuselage also showed extensive thermal damage; the rudder and elevator were destroyed by fire. Control continuity was confirmed from the control surfaces to the cockpit, though cables were cut by local authorities during recovery.
The left amphibious float had thermal and impact damage, with the forward cross tube embedded with dirt and grass. The right float also showed thermal damage and impact marks consistent with contact between the floats. Both floats had landing gear extended, and water rudders were extended but cable connections were separated. No water or hydraulic deformation was found inside the floats.
The engine exhibited extensive thermal damage. Spark plugs appeared dark with normal wear; the bottom plug of cylinder No. 6 was hanging by the wire. The engine was rotated about 60 degrees via the propeller flange, and continuity was confirmed through the rear accessory drive. The oil dipstick was void of oil. The propeller governor rotated smoothly and had oil present. The throttle quadrant was thermally damaged, preventing accurate position determination.
The propeller assembly had three blades; two remained attached with thermal damage, S-bending, and tip curling. The third blade was found 4 feet aft of the rudder, buried 2 inches into topsoil, with similar damage and chord-wise scrape marks.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on August 8, 2011, by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Manassas, Virginia, reported the cause of death as two specific injuries from "blunt force trauma." Forensic toxicology by the FAA detected no ethanol or drugs in the pilot's urine.
Additional Information
The Maule M-7-235 Flight Manual indicated a stall speed between 45 and 53 knots, depending on flap setting, and noted that altitude loss during stall recovery could be as much as 300 feet. FAA publication FAA-H-8083-3A recommends that bank angle not exceed a medium bank because steeper banks increase the stall speed.
A certificated flight instructor who had provided recent training to the accident pilot in a different aircraft type noted that, on two flights, the pilot performed traffic pattern turns at 45 degrees of bank. On the most recent flight, the pilot did not properly recover after hearing the stall warning horn on short final and had to be coached.
A GPS unit from the accident flight provided data for the last minute of flight. The airplane entered the left downwind at 758 feet and 47 knots ground speed. During the turn from downwind to base, it was at 692 feet and 44 knots. The last recorded data point, at 1349:37, showed 528 feet and 57 knots ground speed.