Accident Details
On May 26, 2012, at approximately 1630 eastern daylight time, an experimental light-sport Dragonfly, registration N56FP, was substantially damaged when it struck terrain during maneuvering shortly after departure from Lookout Mountain Airport (0GE3) in Trenton, Georgia. The private pilot, who held an airline transport pilot certificate, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal local flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to an FAA inspector, the airplane departed without incident and climbed to about 350 to 400 feet above ground level. It then flew to a nearby ridgeline to evaluate wind conditions for hang-gliding flights operating from the airport. Witnesses reported the airplane appeared slow as it flew parallel to the ridgeline, then entered a left spiraling dive. One witness stated the airplane made two 360-degree turns and that the engine was heard "operating normally" before it impacted trees. The fuselage and both wings sustained substantial damage.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The Dragonfly was manufactured in 1998 from "spare or salvaged parts" and was equipped with a Rotax 914 series 115-horsepower engine and a Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS) airframe parachute system. The airplane received a special airworthiness certificate as an experimental light-sport aircraft on November 28, 2007. Its most recent condition inspection was performed on April 5, 2012, at an airplane total time of about 3,415 hours and an engine total time of 555 hours. The operator stated the airplane had been flown regularly since the inspection with no anomalies reported.
The 45-year-old pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with multiengine airplane land and sea ratings, a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land rating, and a private pilot certificate with glider rating. He reported 3,000 total flight hours on his most recent application for an FAA second-class medical certificate, issued January 15, 1993, with no limitations. His logbook was not recovered, but the operator noted the pilot was very familiar with the accident airplane and had flown it regularly during the previous two years.
Examination Findings
An FAA inspector examined the airframe and engine and found no mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. All three propeller blades were fractured and displayed rotational signatures. The BRS parachute system was in the armed position but had not been activated; it was discharged by recovery personnel.
An autopsy performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined the pilot's cause of death as injuries consistent with blunt force trauma. The medical examiner reported no significant gross natural disease and no focal myocardial lesions. Toxicological testing by the FAA Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory was negative for alcohol but positive for an undetermined amount of Losartan, an antihypertensive medication.
Winds reported at an airport about 14 miles northeast of 0GE3 around the time of the accident were from 40 degrees at 6 knots.