Accident Overview
On December 2, 2012, at an unspecified time, an experimental amateur-built Cassutt Sport Racer, registration N9CA, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain while on approach to Collegedale Municipal Airport (FGU) in Collegedale, Tennessee. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane had departed FGU around 1600.
A line worker at the airport reported providing a radio check to the pilot around 1600 and observing a normal departure from runway 21. No further radio transmissions were heard from the pilot, and the airplane had not returned by the time the worker left at about 1730. An alert notice was issued the following day after the airport manager noticed the pilot's car still parked at the airport. The wreckage was located by local authorities on December 4, 2012, in a wooded area approximately one-quarter mile north of the runway 21 threshold.
Pilot Information
The pilot, aged 82, held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating and a repairman experimental aircraft builder certificate for the accident airplane. No pilot logbooks were found after the accident, preventing determination of total or recent flight experience or time in the accident make and model. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical records indicated that the pilot applied for a third-class medical certificate in April 2004, reporting 400 total flight hours. The application was deferred due to a history of severe heart disease with bypass surgery in 1998. Reported medications at that time included an anticoagulant and several high blood pressure medications.
The pilot's daughter stated that a friend indicated the pilot had emailed prior to the flight, saying he intended to practice takeoffs and landings. She noted that her father did not fly long distances and never flew at night, and that although he had health issues, he would not fly when feeling unwell. She reported that he sounded well and said he felt "ok" before the flight.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was an experimental amateur-built, single-seat, single-engine aircraft of wood, tube, and fabric construction. It was powered by a Continental Motors Inc. C85, 85-hp reciprocating engine. The airplane was registered to the pilot in May 1972 and issued an FAA airworthiness certificate in October 1991. No maintenance logbooks were recovered, so the aircraft's maintenance history could not be determined.
Accident Site and Wreckage
The accident site was among trees with several inches of standing water and mud. Broken tree branches were found near the wreckage and extended northwest from it. The airplane came to rest inverted on an approximate northeast heading. First responders noted no fuel odor or fuel sheen in the standing water.
Examination by an FAA inspector revealed both wings still attached to the fuselage, with the right wing showing damage consistent with tree impact. The wooden wing spar was cracked. The empennage had crush damage and was bent about 45 degrees to the right just forward of the horizontal stabilizer. The vertical stabilizer, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and elevator remained attached. Both blades of the two-bladed wooden propeller were fractured near the hub. The fuselage fabric was cut to examine the flight control system; control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to all flight control surfaces.
The carburetor was separated from the engine. The gascolator remained attached and intact, containing no fuel, water, or contamination. The single fuel tank, located aft of the engine, and fuel lines showed continuity. The drain plug removed from the tank revealed no evidence of fuel. The fuel tank cap was secure. Engine control continuity was confirmed. Spark plugs exhibited normal wear, the engine rotated freely by hand, and compression was established on all cylinders. The magneto impulse coupling was heard engaging during rotation.
A Garmin 296 handheld GPS was removed and sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory. It powered on normally but contained no track log data for the accident date or correlating to the accident flight.
Weather
The 1553 weather observation at Lovell Field Airport (CHA), Chattanooga, Tennessee, about nine miles west of the accident site, reported wind from 170 degrees at 9 knots, visibility 10 miles, broken clouds at 5,500 and 25,000 feet, temperature 21°C, dew point 9°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.23 inches of mercury. Visual flight rules (VFR) conditions generally prevailed throughout the evening and the next day.
Medical and Toxicology Findings
An autopsy performed by the Hamilton County Medical Examiner listed the cause of death as "multiple blunt force injuries." The autopsy revealed a significantly enlarged heart with a mechanical mitral valve, and coronary artery disease including 90% occlusion of the left anterior descending, circumflex, and right main arteries. The three bypass vessels were completely occluded. Old scarring was present in the left ventricle, but no evidence of a new heart attack.
Toxicological testing by the FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory detected several medications: carvedilol and losartan (blood pressure/cardiovascular); fluoxetine and norfluoxetine (antidepressant); dextromethorphan (cough); diphenhydramine (sedating antihistamine); promethazine (sedating anti-nausea); and warfarin (anticoagulant). The diphenhydramine level (0.109 ug/ml) was within the normal therapeutic range, while promethazine (0.133 ug/ml) exceeded the normal therapeutic range (0.0060 to 0.0990 ug/ml). Both diphenhydramine and promethazine carry warnings that they may impair mental or physical ability for hazardous tasks.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the accident. No probable cause was determined from the available information.