History of Flight
On November 13, 2011, at 1736 eastern standard time, a Cirrus Design Corp SR22, N661FT, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain within the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge near Boynton Beach, Florida. The certificated commercial pilot and the certificated private pilot were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, originated at Witham Field (SUA), Stuart, Florida, about 1722. The pilots were returning from an air show at SUA, with a presumed destination of Willis Gliderport (FA44), Boynton Beach, Florida. Flying in formation with the accident airplane were a Sukhoi Su-29 and an Extra EA-300, each piloted by a friend of the commercial pilot. After joining formation about 10 nautical miles south of SUA, the flight proceeded southwest.
Shortly after crossing the northern border of the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, the pilot of the Su-29 observed the accident airplane's pitch smoothly increase upward to about 30 degrees. The airplane then began a roll to the left, pitched nose-down as it rolled inverted, descended, then rolled right before impacting the marsh in an approximate 80-degree nose-down pitch attitude. The Su-29 pilot entered a left orbit around the accident site and contacted air traffic control to report the accident.
Personnel Information
The right seat pilot, age 34, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single and multi-engine land, rotorcraft helicopter, and instrument airplane and helicopter. According to his FAA airman file, he obtained a private pilot certificate on May 17, 1996, later obtained numerous ratings, and surrendered his commercial certificate on February 17, 2006, stating "Voluntary surrender in anticipation of FAA certificate action." On August 31, 2008, he obtained a student pilot certificate and subsequently regained all certificates and ratings held at the time of the accident. Two personal flight logs documented 4,384 total hours, 183 in the accident make and model, with no logged aerobatic experience during that period. Pilots in formation described him as a "really good stick" and an "adrenaline junkie" with "low" aerobatic experience; one pilot was aware he had "rolled the Cirrus" in the past. The left seat pilot, age 23, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land and instrument airplane. He obtained his private certificate on November 1, 2006, and instrument rating on August 28, 2010. No personal logs were available; on his instrument rating application he reported 168 total hours, and by January 2011 he had 195 hours, with 12 additional hours afterward in other aircraft, none in the accident make and model.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 2008. Its most recent annual inspection was completed on October 6, 2011, at 733 total aircraft hours. The right seat pilot took possession on November 11, 2011, at 765 total hours. The airplane was operated by Air Orlando Airplane Flight Training and Rental, LLC, as a rental aircraft available for flight training and 14 CFR Part 135 flights. It was rented to the right seat pilot for personal use from November 11 through November 13, 2011. According to the rental agreement, the renter agreed not to allow any other person to operate the aircraft without written approval.
Meteorological Information
At 1753, weather at Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), about 12 nautical miles northeast of the accident site, included winds from 60 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, few clouds at 3,100 feet, temperature 24 degrees C, dewpoint 18 degrees C, and altimeter 30.12 inches of mercury. Sunset occurred at 1731, end of civil twilight at 1755. At 1735, the sun was 1.7 degrees below the horizon, azimuth 250 degrees magnetic.
Flight Recorders
A recoverable data module (RDM) in the vertical stabilizer recorded flight parameters at 1 Hz, containing about 145 hours of flight time, including the accident flight and two other flights of interest. On November 11, 2011, the airplane departed Boca Raton Airport (BCT) at 1654; at 1658 it pitched up and rolled left, completing 360 degrees of roll. On the morning of the accident, it departed BCT at 1030; at 1057 it performed a similar 360-degree roll. During the accident flight, after departing SUA at 1722, the airplane climbed to about 1,000 feet. At 1734:53, it descended through 161 feet GPS altitude; over the next minute, GPS altitude varied. Beginning at 1736:18, it rolled left to 66 degrees, then right to 70 degrees, climbing to 308 feet GPS. Then it descended, pitched up to 27 degrees nose-up, and entered a left roll that exceeded 90 degrees. The pitch decreased to 67 degrees nose-down as the roll transitioned past inverted. The final recorded data point showed 68 degrees nose-down pitch, 42 degrees right roll, 205 feet pressure altitude, and 156 knots airspeed. Normal acceleration ranged from 0.96g to 0.1g to a maximum of 3.67g.
A BlackBerry 9700 recovered from the wreckage contained photos and videos from the accident day. One photo showed the accident airplane in close formation with another aircraft. Four photos taken between 1730 and 1733 from within the accident airplane showed two trailing aircraft. The left seat pilot was wearing a black t-shirt with both shoulder restraints on; the right seat pilot wore a gray t-shirt and the right shoulder restraint did not appear to be worn. A video at 1050 showed the accident airplane leading a formation, with a green and yellow Extra 300 flying inverted nearby.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was a marshland about 15 nautical miles southwest of North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport (F45), West Palm Beach, Florida. The wreckage was severely fragmented and submerged under an estimated 15 feet of water and mud. Recovered components included all flight control surfaces, empennage, portions of both wings and fuselage, and the engine, firewall, instrument panel, and center wing spar area recovered about two months later. The fuselage was fragmented; the left and right side skins, cowlings, baggage compartment floor, roll cage, and ceiling components were identified. The empennage remained intact and separated from the aft cabin. The horizontal stabilizer exhibited impact damage. The left elevator was attached by only the inboard attach point; the right elevator remained attached. The pitch trim motor was near neutral. The wings were fragmented; both upper wing skins had aft buckling and crushing. Ailerons and flaps separated, with impact damage. The roll trim motor was between neutral and full left trim. The right main landing gear assembly remained attached to a torque box fragment; the left main landing gear and nose gear were not observed. The left front pilot seat had separated from its tracks, with deformation and inflated seatbelt airbag; the nylon webbing showed load bar marks about 10 and 11 inches from the ends. The right front crew seat also separated, with inflated airbag and load bar marks. The whole-airframe parachute system had activated: the rocket motor expended, parachute ejected, but the activation handle safety pin was installed. The engine exhibited extensive impact damage and water immersion. Inductions and exhaust systems separated. Magneto and spark plugs showed water contamination. The fuel pump contained debris, but the manifold valve screen was clear. The oil pump had normal wear; the oil filter had no metallic material. Thumb compression and valve train continuity were established; the engine rotated freely with light binding. Both turbochargers had mud and debris, with intact turbine blades. The propeller hub remained attached; all three blades separated, with only blade No. 2 recovered, which had a span-wise split and the outboard five inches missing.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies performed by the Office of the District Medical Examiner, West Palm Beach, Florida, determined the cause of death for both occupants as "multiple blunt traumatic injuries." The left seat pilot's remains were secured to the left seat by all four points of the restraint system; he was wearing a black t-shirt. The right seat pilot's remains were recovered free of restraints and could not be immediately associated with a seat; he was wearing a gray t-shirt. Toxicological testing by the FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory detected no carbon monoxide or cyanide in either pilot. No drugs were detected in the left seat pilot's urine; ibuprofen was detected in the right seat pilot's urine. The left seat pilot's blood and urine contained ethanol (35 and 12 mg/dL) and n-propanol (7 and 1 mg/dL). The right seat pilot's blood and urine contained ethanol (14 and 10 mg/dL). Both samples were positive for putrefaction.
Additional Information
On the evening of the accident, a witness walking his dogs near his home observed three airplanes flying southbound in close formation at less than 1,000 feet above ground, several wing lengths apart, coming from the direction of SUA. His home was about 540 feet east of the accident airplane's RDM-recorded position at 1729:18. At that time, the airplane was at 521 feet pressure altitude, and radar data showed a target with 1200 transponder code and 500 feet reported altitude about 100 feet northwest. Another witness at F45 heard airplanes overhead that were "loud and low" flying from northeast to southwest. He remarked on their close proximity; when he looked away, the trailing airplane began to lag, and the acquaintance exclaimed, "Whoa, that guy" – the sentence was incomplete in the source.