History of Flight
On April 4, 2012, at 1410 central daylight time, a Grumman F8F-1 airplane, registration N14HP, collided with trees and terrain during a low-altitude aerobatic maneuver performed shortly after takeoff from Stephens County Airport (BKD) in Breckenridge, Texas. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and a postimpact fire occurred. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the Breckenridge Aviation Museum under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that was originating at the time.
A witness preparing to depart in his own airplane observed the accident airplane taxiing toward runway 17. The witness communicated via radio that he wanted to watch the accident airplane takeoff ahead of him. The accident pilot announced over the radio his intention to perform a Half Cuban Eight aerobatic maneuver after takeoff and then overfly the runway in the opposite direction. After takeoff, the airplane climbed about 150 feet in a shallow climb before pitching up into a near vertical climb. It continued the climb in an inside loop, then leveled out inverted about 500 feet above the runway, heading opposite the takeoff direction. The witness then observed the airplane's wings roll suddenly before it entered a near vertical descent, described as a split-S maneuver, from which it did not recover before impacting terrain on a southeasterly heading. The airplane exploded on impact, and a postimpact fire ensued.
Another witness reported seeing the airplane pitch up into a steep climb shortly after takeoff, continuing to about 1,000 feet above the runway, where it entered a right descending roll. As the airplane rolled toward wings level, it descended into trees located off the south end of runway 17. The witness noted that the airplane appeared to be recovering from a dive when it impacted terrain.
Personnel Information
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot, age 77, held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine and multi-engine land airplane and instrument airplane ratings. His last aviation medical examination was completed on June 24, 2011, when he was issued a second-class medical certificate with a restriction for near vision corrective lenses.
The most recent pilot logbook entry was dated April 2, 2012. At that time, the pilot had accumulated 16,689.4 hours total flight time, of which 16,227.2 hours were logged as pilot-in-command. He had logged 10,498.2 flight hours in single-engine airplanes and 6,191.2 hours in multi-engine airplanes. He had accumulated 805.1 hours in actual instrument conditions, 895.0 hours in simulated instrument conditions, and 681.3 hours at night. The logbook included a summary of his flight experience in numerous aircraft types, including the accident airplane make and model, with 10,045.4 flight hours in warbird classification airplanes, including 2,007.8 hours in Grumman F8F-1 and F8F-2 models. He had logged 288.0 hours in the past year, 138.3 hours in the prior 6 months, 58.7 hours in the previous 90 days, and 27.5 hours in the last 30 days. No flight was logged within 24 hours of the accident. The pilot's last flight review was completed on March 8, 2011, in a Beechcraft B60 airplane. Reportedly, he was an experienced aerobatic pilot who had routinely performed at airshows throughout his flying career.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a 1945 Grumman model F8F-1, serial number 90446. It was powered by a 2,100-horsepower Pratt & Whitney model R-2800-34W reciprocating engine, serial number P333510, and equipped with a constant-speed, four-blade Aeroproducts model A-642-G1 metal propeller. The tail wheel-equipped airplane was configured with a single seat, had a maximum takeoff weight of 8,800 pounds, and was certified for aerobatic flight.
The airplane was a flying museum-quality, World War II-era aircraft owned and operated by the Breckenridge Aviation Museum in Breckenridge, Texas. It was used predominantly as a static display museum attraction but also flown at airshows featuring World War II-era airplanes. On May 22, 1987, the FAA issued the airplane a special airworthiness certificate, limited category, for exhibition purposes. The airframe had accumulated a total service time of 2,759.6 hours at the time of the accident. The last annual inspection was completed on March 22, 2012, at 2,758.7 total airframe hours. The engine had accumulated 133.3 hours since its last major overhaul, completed in January 2008. The propeller had accumulated 440.9 hours since its last overhaul, completed in April 2002.
Meteorological Information
At 1415, the airport's automated surface observing system reported wind 280 degrees at 8 knots, sky clear, visibility 10 miles, temperature 21 degrees Celsius, dew point 7 degrees Celsius, and altimeter setting 29.88 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
A postaccident investigation was conducted by FAA inspectors from the Lubbock Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). The on-site investigation confirmed that all airframe structural and flight control components were located at the accident site. The initial impact was in a field about half a mile south of the runway 17 departure threshold. The initial impact crater contained one propeller blade. The right wing had separated from the fuselage and was located about 25 yards south of the initial impact point. The main wreckage, consisting of the fuselage, left wing, and empennage, was found entangled within trees about 35 yards southeast of the initial impact point. The engine was located about 100 yards south of the initial impact point. The propeller hub had separated from the engine, and the propeller blades exhibited twisting. All observed structural component failures were consistent with overstress separation. Flight control continuity could not be established between the individual flight control surfaces and their respective cockpit controls due to damage; however, all separations were consistent with overstress. The flap position could not be determined due to impact damage. The fuselage, including the cockpit and instrument panel, was fragmented and damaged by fire. Postaccident examination of the airframe, engine, and propeller revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Additional Information
Federal Aviation Regulation 91.303 requires that aerobatic flight be conducted above 1,500 feet above ground level unless a specific waiver has been granted. According to FAA documentation, an aerobatic waiver had not been approved for flights over BKD. The Lubbock FSDO received a request for an aerobatic box in 2009, but a request for additional information made to the requester was not fulfilled, and the request was not approved.
Medical and Pathological Information
On April 5, 2012, an autopsy was performed on the pilot at the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's District Morgue in Fort Worth, Texas. The cause of death was attributed to multiple blunt-force injuries sustained during the accident. The autopsy report indicated that a majority of the heart and brain were not available for examination, and the degree of injury to the extremities precluded further evaluation of those areas.
The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicology tests on samples obtained during the autopsy. No carbon monoxide or cyanide was detected in blood samples. Ethanol was detected in blood and liver samples but was attributed to sources other than ingestion. Rosuvastatin was detected in liver and blood samples. Rosuvastatin, brand name Crestor, is a medication used to treat high cholesterol and prevent heart disease.
According to FAA medical documentation, the pilot reported having cataract surgery in 2001. In March 2004, he requested a waiver for that procedure, although he had already been granted a second-class certificate in 2001, 2002, and 2003. In June 2004, he reported a preoperative physical and a second cataract surgery on the other eye. His second-class certificate was issued routinely in 2004, 2005, and 2006. In 2007, the pilot reported having high cholesterol managed with Zetia and Crestor (ezetimibe and rosuvastatin). In 2008, he reported the use of levothyroid (levothyroxine, thyroid hormone replacement). His second-class certificates were issued by the Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) on each of these visits.
In 2009, per FAA records, the pilot provided his AME with results of a pharmacologic nuclear stress test along with cholesterol and thyroid testing, all classified as normal. The FAA record also included a physician's note from the pilot's cardiologist from an office visit on May 14, 2010. Diagnoses included hyperlipidemia, coronary atherosclerosis of native coronary artery, peripheral vascular disease, and hypertension. The past history detailed a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) with stent placement of the right coronary artery and a percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) with stent placement in the popliteal artery. Laboratory results from that visit indicated elevated glucose and normal cholesterol and thyroid hormone levels. In June 2010, the AME noted the laboratory results but did not comment on the recorded historical elements and issued a second-class medical certificate. The FAA medical record also contained reports of an echocardiogram, another nuclear stress test, and a carotid Doppler examination completed during 2011; results were reported as normal, and the pilot was issued a second-class medical certificate on June 24, 2011.