Accident Overview
On June 4, 2012, about 1400 central daylight time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registration N88095, impacted terrain while maneuvering near Zahl, North Dakota. The airplane was registered to an individual and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that originated from Crosby, North Dakota. The wreckage was located in a rural area approximately 10 miles southwest of Crosby.
Witness Accounts
Witnesses reported that the airplane engine sputtered and the airplane then descended in a nose-down attitude. Some witnesses stated the pilot was flying low and maneuvering between gravel piles of a gravel pit adjacent to the crash site. One witness expressed the opinion that the pilot was flying carelessly. Another witness described the airplane flying 20–25 feet above the ground, leveling out over a field, then going straight up while executing a half spiral, nosing over, and impacting terrain. One witness also commented that he heard the engine rev up right before the aircraft nosed over, which is indicative of an engine in an extreme lean mixture condition.
Pilot Information
The pilot, aged 33, held a student pilot certificate and an airman medical certificate that was expired. His last medical certificate, dated April 27, 1997, reported a total flight time of 15 hours, with 6 hours in the preceding 6 months. The third-class medical certificate had the limitation requiring corrective lenses while operating aircraft. There were no current FAA records for the pilot. An autopsy conducted by the State Forensic Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as blunt chest, abdominal, pelvic, and extremity injuries, with the manner of death ruled as accident.
Aircraft Information
The 1974 Bellanca 8GCBC was registered to the pilot's father on July 2, 1975, and the registration expired on March 31, 2012. The airplane was powered by a Lycoming O-360-C2E engine. The last annual/100-hour inspection was completed on June 18, 2011, at a total time of 1,609 hours. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that the airplane was airworthy on the date of the accident.
Postaccident Examination
Examination of the airplane revealed no usable fuel aboard; the fuel tanks, carburetor float bowl, and firewall fuel strainer had no evidence of fuel. Vegetation at the impact site showed no damage from fuel spill. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings.
Medical and Toxicology
An FAA Forensic Toxicology Fatal Accident Report indicated no carbon monoxide or cyanide in the blood, no ethanol in vitreous fluid, but detected valsartan in blood and liver. According to the FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine, valsartan is a prescription medication (an angiotensin II receptor blocker) used to treat high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and post-myocardial infarction.