Accident Overview
On July 20, 2012, at about 1120 eastern daylight time, an experimental kit-built Escapade airplane, registration N3YV, collided with trees near Rutland, Ohio. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its wings and fuselage. The airplane was owned and operated by a private individual under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight, which operated on a visual flight rules flight plan. The flight departed Lumberton Municipal Airport (KLBT), Lumberton, North Carolina, at an unknown time and was en route to Newark-Heath Airport (KVTA), Newark, Ohio.
Eyewitness Account
An eyewitness reported that the airplane was flying from east to west about 130 feet above ground level and just below low clouds, when it entered a left turn. The airplane's engine sputtered and went silent, the engine sound returned, and then sputtered and went silent. The airplane then descended rapidly in a near-vertical attitude.
Fuel System Findings
When first responders reached the accident site, they removed an empty, metal tank in order to extract the pilot. This tank was later determined to be the airplane’s header fuel tank. FAA inspectors responded to the site. The airplane was equipped with 18-gallon wing fuel tanks that contained only a residual amount of fuel. The fuel filters, located beneath the header tank, were also empty of fuel. There was no fuel blighting on the vegetation around the wreckage. Due to impact damage and recovery efforts, the position of the emergency engine override switches could not be confirmed. No preimpact anomalies were detected that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
A representative of the Viking Aircraft engine manufacturer, an acquaintance of the pilot, reported that the pilot would routinely fly from KLBT to Massey Ranch Airpark (KX50), New Smyrna Beach, Florida, a distance of at least 350 nautical miles, without refueling. It is unknown what cruise altitude and power settings the pilot typically used or how much fuel remained at the end of those flights.
Weather Conditions
At 1135, an automated weather reporting facility at Ohio University Airport-Snyder Field (KUNI), Albany, Ohio, about 9 nautical miles from the accident site, reported wind from 200 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 7 miles, ceiling overcast at 700 feet, temperature 73°F, dew point 70°F, and barometric pressure 29.94 inches of mercury. Meteorological information along the pilot’s route revealed that near a third of the way, a broken layer was reported at 10,000 feet agl. About 45 nautical miles later, an overcast to broken ceiling was reported at 700 feet agl with an overcast ceiling at 11,000 feet. The ceiling then lifted to a broken ceiling at 2,300 feet and 5,500 feet. At 11 nautical miles from the accident site, there was a broken ceiling at 700 feet and an overcast ceiling at 1,200 feet. The pilot was not instrument-rated, and the airplane was not equipped for instrument flight.
Pilot Information
The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute performed forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot. Results were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol. Paroxetine was detected in blood and urine; rosuvastatin was detected in liver and blood. Paroxetine is an antidepressant that may impair mental or physical ability for hazardous tasks. Rosuvastatin is for high cholesterol. The pilot was also reported to be a diabetic under treatment by a personal physician. His medications and medical condition had not been reported to the FAA in accordance with 14 CFR 61.303.b.4. It could not be determined to what extent the pilot’s medication use interfered with his operation of the airplane.
Flight Data
An on-board Lowrance Airmap 2000C was downloaded and contained the accident flight’s data track. The device does not record time, airspeed, or altitude, only position. The track began at KLBT and flew northwest until southwest of Charleston, West Virginia, where it made several turns, some near 180 degrees. Weather at Charleston during that time showed few clouds at 1,200 feet, a broken layer at 2,300 feet, and an overcast layer at 5,500 feet. It is unknown if the maneuvering was to remain in visual meteorological conditions or to descend through clouds. The track continued toward Pomeroy, Ohio, where a right turn was followed by a left turn. Continuing northwest, the pilot made a left turn, and the track stopped where the wreckage was discovered. The accident site was about 58 nautical miles south-southeast of KVTA, which was at least 363 nautical miles from KLBT based on a previous flight.