History of Flight
On August 13, 2011, at about 1200 central daylight time, a 1943 Fairchild M-62 (PT-19A) airplane, registration N53956, sustained substantial damage after impacting power lines and terrain along the Des Moines River near Madrid, Iowa. The pilot and passenger received fatal injuries. The World War II era military training airplane was registered to a private individual and had been restored; it was operated by the Iowa Aviation Heritage Museum. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan, in visual meteorological conditions. The flight originated from Boone Municipal Airport (BNW) about 1130, with an intended destination of Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV).
The pilot had flown to BNW earlier that morning for a fly-in event, giving rides to attendees. The airplane was refueled before departure, and the pilot mentioned he would return to IKV by following the Des Moines River.
Witnesses boating on the river observed the airplane flying along the river at an altitude of 50 to 100 feet above the water. The wings were seen banking, apparently waving at them. The witnesses noted two male occupants and no signs of distress.
Another witness fishing on the shoreline reported the airplane approached from the north at an estimated 500 feet above ground level (agl) and descending. The airplane then struck power transmission lines suspended about 200 feet above the river. The left landing gear and left wing contacted the static lines. The airplane nosed over approximately three times in-flight before impacting a sandbar and coming to rest inverted.
The accident site was on a sandbar along the Des Moines River, about 3 miles south-southwest of Madrid, approximately 13 miles south of BNW and 14 miles northwest of IKV.
Personnel Information
The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with single-engine and multi-engine land airplane ratings, with the single-engine rating limited to commercial privileges. He also held type ratings for BE-300, BE-1900, and SA-227 airplanes.
A second-class airman medical certificate was issued on August 30, 2010, with a limitation for corrective lenses. On the application, the pilot indicated no current use of prescription or non-prescription medication and reported 6,600 total flight hours, with 15 hours in the preceding 6 months.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a 1943 Fairchild M-62 (PT-19), serial number T42-3814. It was a World War II-era military training aircraft: single-engine, two-place, open cockpit, monoplane with conventional landing gear. It was powered by a 170-horsepower Ranger 6-440-C2 in-line, six-cylinder, air-cooled engine. The airplane was purchased by a private individual in December 2002 and subsequently restored; at the time of the accident, it was operated by the Iowa Aviation Heritage Museum.
Total flight time at the accident was approximately 2,560 hours. The most recent annual inspection was completed on May 15, 2011, at 2,554 hours. The engine had about 172 hours since overhaul. No unresolved maintenance issues were recorded.
Meteorological Information
The Ames Municipal Airport (AMW) ASOS, about 14 miles northeast of the accident site, reported at 1153: wind from 320° at 14 knots gusting to 23 knots; scattered clouds at 3,400 feet agl; 10 miles visibility; temperature 22°C; dew point 16°C; altimeter 29.98 inHg.
The Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV) AWOS, about 15 miles southeast of the site, reported at 1155: wind from 320° at 12 knots gusting to 18 knots; broken clouds at 3,600 feet agl; 10 miles visibility; temperature 25°C; dew point 14°C; altimeter 29.98 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest inverted on a sandbar. A section of a static line was found adjacent to the airplane, and two yellow and black spherical power line markers lay on the sandbar. Visual examination showed one static line down; the other static line and all three transmission lines appeared intact.
The fuselage was crushed aft to approximately the leading edge of the wings. The nose and engine were buried in sand. The wings were partially separated, with leading edges crushed aft. Fuel tanks were partially separated. Flaps and ailerons remained attached. The empennage was twisted relative to the fuselage, with deformation in the fuselage forward of the empennage. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were buckled; the rudder was partially separated. The horizontal stabilizer and elevators appeared intact. Flight control continuity was confirmed, and no preimpact airframe anomalies were observed.
The two-blade wooden propeller had one blade broken off at the hub; the other exhibited spanwise cracking. Internal engine continuity was confirmed by rotating the crankshaft. Compression was observed on all cylinders. Both magnetos rotated freely; ignition spark was obtained on all leads of the left magneto. The right magneto lacked an impulse coupling. No preimpact engine anomalies were found.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted on August 14, 2011, attributed the pilot's death to injuries from the accident.
The FAA CAMI toxicology report detected 20 mg/dL ethanol in vitreous fluid, but no ethanol in muscle or brain. Desmethylsertraline and sertraline were detected in liver and kidney. Sertraline (Zoloft) is prescribed for depressive illness; desmethylsertraline is its metabolite. Precise blood levels could not be determined as no blood sample was available.
Medical records showed the pilot had been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and prescribed a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. The extent to which OSA-induced fatigue may have affected the pilot could not be determined.
The pilot's wife stated her husband was active and energetic; she believed his Zoloft use was due to several family deaths. She reported he was on a low dose and had not noticed behavioral changes. She also said he had not used the CPAP device that summer and snoring had improved, with no signs of fatigue prior to the accident.