History of Flight
On May 5, 2013, about 0900 central daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235 airplane, N82509, was substantially damaged during an in-flight collision with terrain near Lamar, Missouri. The pilot initially survived the accident, but subsequently died at a local hospital. The airplane was registered to and operated by Kevin Kingsley LLC under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was not operated on a flight plan. The flight originated from Lamar Municipal Airport (LLU), Lamar, Missouri, about 0855.
The operator reported that the pilot was demonstrating proficiency in the airplane and in aerial application operations. The pilot completed about seven takeoffs and landings without any apparent difficulty. The airplane was then loaded with approximately 90 gallons of water for practice aerial application passes to a wheat field adjacent to the airport. The pilot departed and completed one pass from south to north. After completing the pass, the airplane pitched up and rolled into a bank before it descended and impacted the ground.
A second witness observed the pilot perform several takeoffs and landings, noting they went "fairly well." During the subsequent aerial application demonstration, the pilot made one pass toward the north. As the airplane exited the field, the sound of the engine increased as if the pilot had increased power. The airplane turned slightly to the east, followed by a left turn toward the west. During the turn, the nose dropped and the airplane descended straight down toward the ground. The airplane appeared to rotate about one-half turn in a spiral during the descent. The airplane impacted an agricultural field about one-half mile north of the airport.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land and instrument airplane ratings, and a flight instructor certificate with a single-engine airplane rating, most recently renewed on December 22, 2012. He was issued a second-class medical certificate without limitations on December 5, 2012. According to his logbook, his most recent flight review was completed on August 11, 2012, in a Cessna 172. The logbook included a high-performance airplane endorsement dated March 21, 2008, and a tailwheel endorsement dated July 19, 2006.
The pilot had logged 1,681 hours total flight time. The last logbook entry appeared dated February 29, 2013, though that was not a leap year. He had about 76 hours in Air Tractor AT-301 airplanes, each flight associated with agricultural operations. The logbook contained about 150 hours in Cessna 206 airplanes, also associated with agricultural operations. No entries were found for a Piper PA-25 airplane.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a 1977 Piper model PA-25-235, serial number 25-7756045. It was a low-wing, single-place, single-engine airplane with fixed conventional (tailwheel) landing gear. The engine was a 260-horsepower Lycoming O-540-G1A5, serial number L11782-40. The airplane held a restricted category airworthiness certificate for pest control operations, issued in February 1977. Maintenance logbooks indicated a 100-hour inspection on April 18, 2013, at a tachometer reading of 1,140 hours, and an annual inspection on November 27, 2012, at 1,055 hours. No outstanding maintenance issues were recorded.
Meteorological Information
The Atkinson Municipal Airport (PTS) AWOS, about 20 miles west of the accident site, reported at 0855: calm wind, visibility 1.5 miles, overcast ceiling at 400 feet agl, temperature 7°C, altimeter 30.09 inches of mercury. The dew point was not recorded. The Joplin Regional Airport (JLN) ASOS, about 22 miles west-southwest, reported at 0853: wind from 330° at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, broken clouds at 900 and 2,300 feet, overcast at 3,300 feet, temperature 8°C, dew point 6°C, altimeter 30.10 inches. A witness recalled local conditions as broken clouds about 1,500 feet agl with a light northwest wind.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest upright in an agricultural field about one-half mile north of the airport, oriented approximately 050° magnetic. The nose, forward fuselage, and both wings sustained impact damage. Both main landing gears collapsed; the empennage appeared intact. All flight controls remained attached, and control continuity was confirmed from each surface to the cockpit. The engine remained secured to its mount, but the mount and firewall partially separated from the airframe. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft. Internal engine continuity was confirmed through crankshaft rotation; cylinder compression was obtained. Ignition spark was obtained from the left magneto; the right magneto was not equipped with an impulse coupling. No anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction were observed.
Medical and Pathological Information
The pilot initially survived and was transported to Barton County Memorial Hospital. Records indicated he lost vital signs before arrival and never regained a pulse; he was pronounced dead at 1004, about one hour after the accident. An autopsy conducted on May 7, 2013, revealed blunt trauma to the head, chest, abdomen, and extremities, and moderate to severe coronary artery disease. The death was attributed to cardiac arrhythmia secondary to myocardial ischemia due to coronary atherosclerosis, with the manner of death deemed "probably natural." The FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute toxicology report was positive for Lidocaine in blood and urine, attributed to postaccident resuscitation efforts; testing was negative for all other substances.