What happened
On November 21, 2012, a Brian P North RAF SE5A Replica aircraft, registration N17SE, departed Front Range Airport (FTG) in Denver, Colorado, at approximately 1355 mountain standard time. The flight was conducted under visual meteorological conditions with a density altitude of 7,567 feet.
During the departure from Runway 26, witnesses observed the aircraft climbing at a slow rate. While on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the aircraft was seen attempting to climb with a high pitch attitude. Due to concerns regarding climb performance, the pilot requested to return to the airport for a full-stop landing. As the aircraft approached the turn to base, it entered a spiral descent and impacted a fallowed wheat field approximately 0.7 miles north of the Runway 26 threshold. A post-impact fire destroyed the aircraft. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained 1 fatal injury.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and the engine. The engine, a 100-horsepower Continental Motors O-200A, was inspected via borescope, and no abnormalities were found in the cylinders, pistons, or valves. The crankshaft and camshaft maintained mechanical continuity, and the rocker arms were functional. Spark plugs were found to be normal, though the #2 and #4 plugs were oil-soaked. The carburetor and oil filter showed no signs of metal deposits or mechanical failure, despite thermal damage from the fire.
Flight control continuity was confirmed for all surfaces, and the examination of the airframe and propeller did not reveal any anomalies that would have caused a pre-impact failure.
An autopsy of the pilot determined the cause of death was whole-body burns. Toxicology tests conducted by the FAA's Civil Aeromediment Institute detected zopiclone, a prescription medication for insomnia, in the urine and at trace levels in the blood.