History of Flight
On December 22, 2011, at approximately 1155 eastern standard time, an American Champion model 8KCAB, registration N161PC, struck the ground while maneuvering near Union County Airport (MRT) in Marysville, Ohio. The pilot was conducting aerobatic maneuvers for the re-issuance of his unlimited aerobatic competency card. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The airplane experienced substantial damage to its fuselage and wings. The aircraft was owned and operated by the commercial pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight had departed from MRT minutes before the accident.
A witness, who was observing the flight to evaluate the pilot for the re-issuance of his aerobatic competency card, reported that he was positioned on the airport ramp. He stated that the pilot's current aerobatic card had not expired, and the pilot was to perform his normal airshow routine for evaluation. The witness observed the pilot take off from runway 27. When the airplane was about three-quarters down the runway, it turned left in an 80-degree bank to the south. It then turned east and performed a maneuver described as a "modified clover-leaf/split-S," after which it struck the ground. The witness noted that the airplane never exceeded 300 feet above ground level during the flight and that the engine sounded normal.
A clover-leaf is an aerobatic maneuver involving a pull-up to a vertical attitude, a 90-degree roll, and completion of a loop, repeated four times to trace a clover-leaf pattern. A split-S is a maneuver where the airplane is rolled inverted and then the second half of a loop is performed downward.
Personnel Information
The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with a multiengine land rating, along with commercial privileges for single-engine land, helicopter, instrument helicopter, and glider ratings. He also held a flight instructor certificate for airplane single- and multiengine and instrument airplane. His most recent first-class medical certificate was issued on June 6, 2011, with no restrictions. The pilot reported 2,000 civilian flight hours on his last medical application. He also had military flight experience, including flying Lockheed C-130 aircraft for the Air National Guard, with a total military flight time of 5,055.4 hours.
Aircraft Information
The accident aircraft was an American Champion model 8KCAB "Super Decathlon," serial number 962-2004. It was a single-engine, high-wing, strut-braced monoplane with conventional tail-dragger landing gear. The fuselage was primarily welded steel tubing with fabric covering, and the wings had an aluminum structure also covered with fabric. Power was provided by a Lycoming AEIO-360 engine rated at 180 horsepower. The most recent annual inspection was completed on December 5, 2011.
Meteorological Information
At 1153, weather conditions at MRT were calm wind, scattered clouds at 1,200 feet above ground level, overcast at 2,200 feet, visibility 10 miles, temperature 6°C, dew point 2°C, and altimeter setting 30.12 inches of mercury.
Airport Information
Union County Airport is located about one mile southeast of Marysville, Ohio, at an elevation of 1,021 feet above mean sea level. It has a single runway, 9/27, measuring 4,218 feet long and 75 feet wide, constructed of asphalt. An aerobatic practice area was situated south of the runway, defined as a block of airspace 3,300 feet by 3,300 feet, extending from the surface up to 3,979 feet above ground level (5,000 feet msl), within one statute mile of the runway.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted the ground south of the runway in an approximately wings-level attitude. The landing gear separated from the aircraft. The right wing was separated, and the left wing was partially separated at their inboard ends, with both wings displaced forward but remaining near the fuselage. The ailerons remained attached to their respective wing panels. The tail surfaces stayed attached; the outboard end of the right elevator was bent upward, and the top of the rudder was bent rearward. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers appeared undamaged. The forward fuselage was crushed rearward. Federal Aviation Administration inspectors examined the aircraft and found no preimpact failures or malfunctions in the control system, engine, or structural components.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted on December 23, 2011, at the Franklin County Morgue attributed the cause of death to injuries sustained in the accident. A Final Forensic Toxicology Fatal Accident Report by the FAA detected atropine in the liver and blood (cavity). Atropine is a prescription anticholinergic agent used to increase heart rate and is often administered during emergency resuscitation.