Accident Overview
On June 1, 2013, at approximately 1110 eastern daylight time, a Globe Swift GC-1B, registration N3715K, was substantially damaged during a collision with trees and terrain while performing a precautionary landing in a field near Oakhill Airpark (SC82), Williamson, South Carolina. The certificated private pilot and a pilot-rated passenger sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
Pilot and Passenger Information
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and pilot records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land and an airframe and powerplant mechanic certificate. His most recent application for a FAA third-class medical certificate was dated January 9, 2012. The pilot reported approximately 1,068 total hours of flight experience, of which 65 hours were in the accident airplane make and model.
The pilot-rated passenger held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane multi-engine land, airplane single-engine land, and instrument airplane. He also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine and instrument airplane, and an airframe and powerplant mechanic certificate with inspection authorization. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate application was dated July 19, 2012.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA and maintenance records, the airplane was manufactured in 1946 and initially registered as NC3322K. It underwent numerous modifications from its original configuration, including modified landing gear doors, an increased gross weight to 1,970 pounds, installation of control sticks, a sliding bubble canopy, Cessna 150 type seats, a revised occupant restraint system with 4-point harnesses, a Piper type pitot tube, installation of a Lycoming O-360-A1A normally aspirated 180-horsepower engine, and a Hartzell constant speed propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed on November 2, 2012, at which time the airplane had accrued 587 total hours of operation.
Flight History
The pilot performed a preflight inspection and engine run-up with no anomalies noted. He noted that the winds favored runway 10, back taxied to the runway, and began the takeoff. As the airplane reached climb speed, the pilot noted that the airplane operation "looked good." Then he realized that the airplane would not be able to climb above trees near the end of the runway and decided to perform a precautionary landing. He landed the airplane in a field, and during the landing rollout, the airplane impacted a tree.
According to the pilot-rated passenger, during the takeoff and climb, the engine was producing full power according to engine instruments and sound. He noted "no popping, rough running, or abnormal noises from the engine." The tail came up, and the main wheels left the ground in what appeared to be a normal departure. However, as the airplane passed approximately two-thirds of the usable runway, it was not gaining altitude at a normal rate and was not going to clear the trees. The pilot then aborted the takeoff, throttled back, and brought the airplane down in a field off the departure end of runway 10.
Meteorological Information
The recorded weather at Donaldson Center Airport (GYH), Greenville, South Carolina, located 10 nautical miles north of the accident site, at 1050 (about 20 minutes before the accident) included: winds 250 at 5 knots, 10 miles visibility, broken clouds at 2,300 feet, temperature 24°C, dew point 18°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.16 inches of mercury. At 1150 (about 40 minutes after the accident), the recorded weather included: winds 240 at 8 knots, 10 miles visibility, broken clouds at 2,700 feet, temperature 26°C, dew point 18°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.15 inches of mercury. Examination of other surrounding airports also indicated that the reported winds about the time of the accident were from the southwest at 8 to 9 knots and that approximately 20 minutes after the accident, they began to shift to approximately south-southwest. Approximately 2 hours after the accident, winds began to gust, and a pilot who departed the airport around that time noted that the wind "had been changing directions all morning" and that his airplane experienced "a severe change in wind direction on the takeoff roll."
Airport and Wreckage Information
Oakhill Airpark is an uncontrolled private-use airport with an elevation of 837 feet above mean sea level (msl). It has one runway oriented 10/28. Runway 10 is turf, in good condition, 2,400 feet long and 100 feet wide. Obstructions in the form of 50-foot-tall trees exist 1,000 feet from the departure end. The density altitude at the airpark at the time of the accident was approximately 2,307 feet msl.
According to the pilot-rated passenger, the vertical impact in the field was "significant," and forward momentum carried the airplane to a tree line where it impacted a tree. Examination by an FAA inspector revealed that the fuselage and wings were substantially damaged. The engine was displaced up and to the right by 20 degrees from its normal orientation. Engine mounts were bent and broken, the firewall was wrinkled and torn, the forward fuselage exhibited crush and compression damage, and the wings had multiple areas of impact, crush, and compression damage.
Weight and Balance
Weight and balance calculations using documents submitted by the pilot, occupant weights, and reported fuel at takeoff revealed that the airplane weighed about 1,850 pounds at takeoff. The manufacturer's maximum allowable gross weight is 1,970 pounds.