History of Flight
On January 22, 2012, about 2005 eastern standard time, a Cessna 150G, registration N73JK, was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain shortly after taking off from Quincy Municipal Airport (2J9), Quincy, Florida. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the intended flight to Craig Field (CRG), Jacksonville, Florida. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
A witness, also a pilot, reported hearing the accident airplane land after sunset (about 1830) and then taxi to the fuel pump for refueling. The witness did not speak with the pilot. Later, the witness heard the airplane start up and taxi for takeoff from runway 14 around 2000. During taxi and takeoff, the engine operated "normally." The witness only realized the airplane had crashed after hearing sirens.
Several witnesses standing in a front yard saw the airplane fly overhead at low altitude, heading approximately northward. They lost sight of it as it passed over a tree line and then heard a loud crash.
According to multiple sources, the pilot used the airplane to commute from his home in Mississippi to his job in Florida.
Meteorological Information
Weather observations were not recorded at Quincy Municipal Airport. However, about 20 minutes before the accident, Tallahassee Regional Airport (TLH), approximately 16 nautical miles southeast and about 140 feet lower in elevation, reported a scattered cloud layer at 100 feet above ground level (agl), an overcast layer at 400 feet agl, mist, temperature 19°C, dew point 18°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.13 inches Hg.
Shortly before departure, the witness noted fog beginning to roll onto the airport, wind from about 180°, and an in-hangar weather station indicated temperature 19°C and dew point 18°C.
U.S. Naval Observatory data indicated sunset at 1805, and end of civil twilight at 1831. There was no recorded evidence the pilot obtained a weather briefing, though a phone-in ASOS was available at TLH.
Airport Information
Quincy Municipal Airport had a single runway, 14/32, 2,964 feet long and 75 feet wide, at an elevation of 225 feet.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft logbook showed the latest annual inspection occurred on December 11, 2011, at an airplane total time of 6,366.2 hours and a tachometer time of 251.3 hours. The tachometer at the accident site indicated 297.5 hours.
The pilot had previously owned a Cessna 150J and purchased the accident airplane on December 10, 2011, per a change of registration certificate.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. The pilot's logbook could not be located; however, an insurance binder dated December 7, 2011, indicated 230 total flight hours, 200 hours in make/model, and 88 hours in the previous 12 months.
The pilot's latest FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on October 13, 2010.
The witness noted the pilot had been in the restroom for over 35 to 40 minutes during the stop at 2J9.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest upside down about 0.8 statute miles northeast of the airport, at approximately 30°36.24′N, 084°32.81′W. It was at the edge of a clearing at the end of an approximately 250-foot, 20-degree descending wreckage path through trees, heading about 310° magnetic. Initial tree cuts were consistent with an approximately 45-degree, right-wing-down attitude.
No preexisting mechanical anomalies were noted. All flight control surfaces were located at the scene. The right wing separated from the fuselage about midway along the wreckage path. Right wing control continuity was confirmed from the aileron to where cables exhibited overload separation. Flight control continuity within the main wreckage was confirmed for the right aileron and all remaining surfaces.
The propeller was separated from the engine crankshaft flange; one blade exhibited s-bending, the other was bent 90° aft about midspan and wrinkled near the tip. Numerous tree branches along the path showed approximately 45-degree cuts.
The engine was impact-damaged, with the carburetor and air box separated, and could not be rotated. Blue-colored fuel, clear and free of debris, was found in fuel lines. The gascolator was clean with small debris on the screen. Both magnetos sparked on all terminals, spark plug electrodes had light gray deposits, and suction was produced from the wet vacuum pump when its drive shaft was rotated.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Florida District Two Office of the Medical Examiner noted the cause of death as "multiple blunt force trauma." The pathological diagnosis included severe coronary atherosclerotic disease of the left anterior descending coronary artery with 90% occlusion and an enlarged heart. Microscopic evaluation showed broad bands of interstitial fibrosis in the heart muscle separating the left and right sides. No evidence of an acute heart attack was found.
Toxicological testing by the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team detected desmethylvenlafaxine in liver (0.322 µg/mL) and blood (0.322 µg/mL), and venlafaxine in liver and blood (0.02 µg/mL). The FAA Aeromedical Research toxicology website states that venlafaxine is an antidepressant with warnings that it may impair mental and/or physical ability for hazardous tasks, with therapeutic low dosage of 0.1 µg/mL and high of 0.3 µg/mL, and half-life 3–7 hours. Desmethylvenlafaxine, an active metabolite of venlafaxine, also carries similar warnings, with therapeutic low of 0.2 µg/mL and high of 0.4 µg/mL. Side effects of venlafaxine can include drowsiness and dizziness. The pilot's FAA medical applications contained no mention of prescribed venlafaxine; several bottles of the medication were found at the accident site.