Accident Summary
On September 30, 2011, at approximately 1303 central daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Heronimus Glasair III, registration N43KH, was substantially damaged after a loss of engine power and collision with a motel in Falls of Rough, Kentucky. The private pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions; no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Rough River State Park Airport (2I3) at 1255.
Witnesses reported that the airplane departed runway 20, circled, and returned for a fly-by. As it flew over the runway, the engine sounded like it over-revved, and a puff of smoke was seen from the nose. The pilot made a left banking turn and entered a left downwind for runway 02. The engine revved high, then surged as the airplane descended, eventually going silent. The airplane turned toward the airport but did not have enough altitude to reach the runway. The pilot appeared to level the wings and lower the landing gear before the airplane descended into trees. An explosion was heard shortly after, and first responders found the airplane engulfed in flames behind a motel.
Pilot Information
The pilot, aged 61, held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land privileges issued November 29, 2010, and a third-class medical certificate issued November 3, 2010, with a limitation for corrective lenses. He reported 1,100 total flight hours. His logbook was not recovered.
Aircraft Information
The two-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane, serial number 3071, was manufactured in 2005 and first flew on March 24, 2006. On October 26, 2010, the original Lycoming IO-540 engine was replaced with a Chevrolet LS1 engine equipped with a Vortech supercharger. The propeller was a Hartzell HC-C2YK-1BF constant speed propeller attached to a propeller speed reduction unit (PSRU). The aircraft was inspected on October 10, 2010, with a tachometer reading of 1.4 hours. On March 3, 2011, the pilot/builder certified completion of flight test hours. Operating speeds included Vso of 60 knots, Vx of 80 knots, and Vy of 170 knots.
Meteorological Information
Weather reported at Godman Army Airfield, Fort Knox, Kentucky, about 31 miles northeast, at 1255: wind 310 degrees at 11 knots gusting 17 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 18°C, dew point 8°C, altimeter 29.97 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage was found in the rear courtyard of a motel, approximately 1/4 mile south of 2I3. A debris path from severed trees extended about 50 feet on a magnetic heading of 192 degrees. The airplane collided with the rear motel wall before coming to rest. A post-crash fire consumed most of the fiberglass airframe. The cockpit, cabin, and fuselage were completely burned. The left and right wings and empennage were fragmented and consumed by fire. The engine assembly was fire-damaged and showed impact damage. The propeller remained attached to the PSRU; both blades exhibited s-bending, chordwise scratching, and were curled and melted near the tips.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on October 1, 2011, listed blunt force injuries. Forensic toxicology detected no ethanol or drugs in the pilot's specimens.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination of the PSRU by the NTSB Materials Laboratory revealed that the components had less than 50 hours of service. The PSRU was designed with an automatic clutch that disengaged at idle and engaged with increased power. The propeller drive shaft was fractured at its aft end where it mated with the gear. Approximately one-quarter of the forward fracture face exhibited rotational smearing. Fatigue cracks were observed, including curved crack arrest marks on the forward surface. Four cracks were found in the gear near the internal splines that mated with the driveshaft.