History of Flight
On August 28, 2012, about 0949 central daylight time, an experimental Lee SQ-2000 airplane, N416, was substantially damaged during takeoff from Pierre Regional Airport (KPIR), Pierre, South Dakota. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight was originating at the time.
Two witnesses observed the left "gull-wing" entrance door open when the airplane was about 50 feet above the ground. The aircraft then entered a series of four up-and-down pitch oscillations. During the final pitch-down, the airplane impacted the runway at a steep descent angle.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The pilot, age 69, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. On October 5, 2011, he was issued a limited third-class medical certificate with the limitation that corrective lenses be worn while flying. At the time of the medical examination, he reported 330 hours of flight experience, with 2 hours in the last six months.
The accident airplane was a KLS Composites (Kit) SQ-2000, purchased by the pilot on December 25, 2001, and issued a special airworthiness certificate on March 18, 2004. In April 2012, the pilot completed installation of a Continental IO-360C engine. The pilot maintained detailed construction records, including notes on the "gull-wing" entrance doors. He wrote that the doors were easy to open in flight and that he had constructed a door lock clip to prevent inadvertent opening of the door closing mechanism. He also described the aircraft as very pitch sensitive.
Meteorological Conditions
At 0953, the KPIR automated weather observation system reported wind 090 degrees at 8 knots, clear sky, temperature 27°C, dew point 17°C, and altimeter 29.93 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact
Following impact with the runway, the airplane slid about 500 feet to the edge of the runway, where a postimpact fire ensued. During examination, the engine crankshaft rotated and compression was confirmed on all cylinders. Propeller impact with the runway resulted in shredding of over half the propeller's diameter. Flight control surfaces were accounted for, but control continuity could not be confirmed due to impact and fire damage. Examination of the airframe, engine, and propeller did not reveal any anomalies associated with a preimpact failure or malfunction.
Both "gull-wing" entrance doors separated from the airplane during impact and were not fire damaged. The left door showed a witness mark corresponding to the door closing mechanism in a "partially closed" position. Extensive fire damage to the fuselage surrounding the left door prevented further analysis of door failure.
Medical and Pathological Information
On August 30, 2012, an autopsy attributed the pilot's cause of death to blunt force injuries. Toxicology tests detected no carbon monoxide, cyanide, or drugs in the blood, and no ethanol in vitreous.