History of Flight
On March 26, 2012, at approximately 1422 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Avid Flyer MK 4, registration N61410, impacted the ground during a balked landing at the JAARS-Townsend Airport (N52), Waxhaw, North Carolina. The flight had departed from Fairfield County Airport (FDW), Winnsboro, South Carolina, at 1341. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Witnesses, including several pilots, observed the airplane in a nose-up pitch attitude of about 30 degrees, approximately 30 feet above the ground. The airplane then appeared at a lower pitch attitude near the top of a 70-foot-tall tree and was seen banking left and right about 30 degrees. It disappeared behind an 85-foot-tall pine tree, after which an impact sound was heard. One eyewitness reported that the airplane entered a near-vertical nose-down attitude, entered a spin, and disappeared into trees. The engine was reported as sounding like it was producing full power during the sequence.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 63, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued November 3, 2010, and was not valid for any class after November 30, 2011. At the time of the accident, he was using his driver's license in lieu of a medical certificate. According to his logbook, the most recent entry was February 21, 2012, showing 264.8 hours total flight time, 218.9 hours as pilot-in-command, and 9.2 hours in the accident aircraft make and model. His last flight review was conducted on September 19, 2011.
Aircraft Information
The two-seat, high-wing, fabric-covered, steel-tube construction, single-engine experimental amateur-built airplane was equipped with a Jabiru 2200A four-stroke, four-cylinder, air-cooled engine. It had the "Speed wing" design and was fitted with "STOLSPEED Vortex Generators." The most recent conditional inspection was completed on October 1, 2011, with a total time in service of 128.5 hours. On the accident day, an entry indicated a tachometer time of 133.52 hours and that a transponder had been removed and replaced with negligible weight and balance change. The airplane was issued an airworthiness certificate on May 29, 2002, and was purchased by the accident pilot on November 15, 2011. It was also equipped with a Ballistic Recovery System (BRS) consisting of a solid propellant rocket motor, activation handle, and parachute container, capable of supporting up to 1,050 pounds. No BRS identification or warning labels were attached to the airframe; however, such labels were found in a plastic bag within the aircraft records.
Airport and Meteorological Information
The privately-owned airport did not have an operating control tower and had one runway (4/22), reported as in excellent condition. The runway was 3,309 feet long and 40 feet wide, located at 602 feet above mean sea level. A weather observation at Lancaster Municipal Airport, about 11 miles southwest, at 1435 recorded wind from 310 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 24°C, dew point 5°C, and barometric pressure 29.96 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted in a small ravine in a wooded area about 700 feet east of the runway centerline, coming to rest nose-down between two trees about 6 feet apart. The right wing remained attached; the left wing was removed by rescue personnel. Both wings had 32 plastic vortex generators on top just aft of the leading edge. The left flaperon was impact-separated; the right flaperon remained attached but with two attach points separated. The ballistic recovery system parachute was not deployed, and the rocket was disarmed. The maintenance safety pin, with a "Remove Before Flight" streamer, remained inserted in the pull handle between the seats and showed no deformation. The fuel tank in the right wing was not breached and contained about 5 gallons of blue fluid resembling 100LL aviation fuel; a sample was free of foreign objects or water. The cockpit fuel selector was in the "ON" position and operated normally. The engine remained attached to the firewall; wooden propeller blades were impact-separated at the hub. Control continuity was confirmed from the controls to the flight surfaces or fracture points. The engine exhibited continuity, compression on all four cylinders, and no mechanical malfunctions, though slight binding was noted during a portion of rotation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy was performed on March 27, 2012, by the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office. Findings included blunt force injuries of the thorax. Toxicological testing was negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol. Amlodipine was detected in urine and blood; the pilot's history of hypertension and incidental, asymptomatic atrial fibrillation had been reported to the FAA during his last medical examination.
Additional Information
The recovered GPS data showed the airplane entered a left downwind leg for runway 22 at 1419:20 at 1,322 feet msl and 58 knots groundspeed. At 1421:59, it was at 696 feet msl and 59 knots. The recording then indicated a left veer; at 1422:09, altitude was 656 feet msl and groundspeed 44 knots, maintained until the recording ended at 1422:13. The Avid Yearbook, found with maintenance records, listed stall speed for the Speedwing design as about 42–46 mph (36–40 knots) depending on weight.