History of Flight
On April 2, 2012, about 1920 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Seawind 3000, N514KT, was substantially damaged when it struck a building shortly after departing from Deland Municipal Airport (DED), Deland, Florida. The private pilot owner and a commercial pilot passenger were seriously injured; the private pilot succumbed to his injuries on May 26, 2012. One person inside the building was seriously injured, and two other occupants sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight to Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB).
The flight originated the previous day from Aurora, Illinois, with a refueling stop in Tennessee, to begin seaplane training. The pilot intended to land in Sanford but diverted to DED due to a transponder malfunction. The accident flight was to have the transponder replaced at DAB. The pilot reported he had purchased the airplane about six weeks earlier after it had not flown for three years.
Witnesses at DED observed the airplane depart runway 23. One pilot reported the airplane rotated about 500 feet before the end of the 4,301-foot runway and entered a shallow climb with a high pitch angle, then stalled and entered a descending left spin. Another witness heard one or two sputtering sounds and saw the airplane in a climb attitude, then turn left and descend straight down into the supermarket roof.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 60, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. His most recent third-class medical was issued September 9, 2010, at which time he reported 450 flight hours. An insurance application dated September 22, 2009, listed 495 total hours. His logbooks were not located, so total and make/model experience could not be determined.
The passenger, age 52, held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine, multiengine, and instrument ratings, as well as a flight instructor certificate with similar ratings. His most recent second-class medical was issued January 3, 2012, and he reported 4,000 total flight hours. He had known the pilot since 1994 and had flown with him in the accident airplane for about one hour a week prior.
Aircraft Information
The Seawind 3000, serial number 60, was an amphibious, four-seat, high-wing, retractable-gear composite airplane kit-built in 2002. It received an experimental airworthiness certificate in July 2002 and was purchased by the pilot on January 7, 2012. The airplane was powered by a tail-mounted Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D 300-horsepower engine, serial number L-18822-48A, driving a three-bladed Hartzell constant-speed propeller. The engine was manufactured in 1978 and overhauled in October 2001. The airframe had 400 total hours, with the engine accumulating 400 hours since overhaul. The airplane was equipped with long-range fuel tanks (110 gallons) and had undergone a condition inspection on May 3, 2011.
The same engine had been previously installed on a Piper PA32RT-300 involved in a 1993 fatal accident (NTSB #LAX93FA141). At that time, the engine had about 3,800 total hours and 1,030 hours since overhaul.
Meteorological Information
At 1935, the reported weather at DED included wind from 240 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 7 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 29°C, dew point 15°C, and altimeter 29.87 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane descended into the roof of a supermarket about 1 mile from the departure end of runway 23, penetrating the roof and impacting shelving before coming to rest upright on a heading of about 260 degrees. A postcrash fire destroyed the cockpit and consumed most of the airframe, leaving only the outboard 8 feet of the right wing and small composite fragments. The outboard 56 inches of the right aileron and 11 inches of the right flap remained attached. Both right wing fuel tank caps were installed. All three landing gear and the top portion of the vertical fin were found in the debris.
Flight control continuity was confirmed for elevator, ailerons, and rudder from the cockpit to their respective attachments. The propeller assembly remained attached; two blades had curled tips and leading edge gouges, and all blades were relatively straight with no twisting. The propeller pitch change mechanism was intact but without witness marks.
The engine and accessories sustained fire damage. A teardown at Lycoming Engines revealed no preimpact malfunctions. The engine rotated about 350 degrees with valve continuity and piston movement before coming to a hard stop due to a piece of molten metal between a connecting rod and counterweight. The spark plug electrodes were intact, and the fuel injector screen was clean and properly installed. The crankcase numbers did not match, and five of six cylinders had different part numbers; two cylinders (Nos. 1 and 2) were not approved for the IO-540K series.
Examination of the fuel system components at the NTSB Materials Laboratory found black particulate in the fuel flow transducer and fuel line, but due to fire damage, it could not be determined if debris was present before the accident.
Probable Cause
None stated in the source.