Accident Summary
On June 5, 2013, at approximately 1005 eastern daylight time, a Maule BEE DEE M-4, registration N9807M, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from a private turf runway near Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight.
Pilot Information
The pilot, aged 70, held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane, issued April 17, 2004. A third-class airman medical certificate was issued June 21, 2011, with the limitation "Must Wear Corrective Lenses." According to a review of the pilot's logbook, he had 1,036.7 total flight hours, of which 421.1 were in the accident aircraft make and model, and 15.2 hours within the preceding 90 days.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was issued an airworthiness certificate on November 5, 1965, and was registered to the pilot on May 30, 1995. The airframe had 1,116.2 hours total time at the most recent annual inspection on November 16, 2012, and the tachometer indicated 1,164.74 hours at the time of the accident. It was equipped with a Continental Motors IO-360-A5B engine, rebuilt on January 31, 1997, and installed on the airframe on June 9, 1997, with 463.41 hours since factory rebuild. The propeller was a 2-bladed McCauley D2A34C67-P.
Meteorological Conditions
The 0953 recorded weather observation at Martha's Vineyard Airport (MVY) included wind from 100 degrees at 5 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 19°C, dew point 5°C, and barometric altimeter 30.19 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Examination
The airplane came to rest against several trees in a nose-down, near-vertical attitude. Tire tracks, similar in dimension to the accident airplane, were found in the grass bordering the turf runway. The tracks led to a windsock with a steel pole 1 inch in diameter lying in the grass, and continued a short distance past it. The grass under the pole was not discolored. The airplane came to rest about 300 feet from the windsock. The wing fuel tanks were intact with an undetermined amount of fuel; no water was found in a sample. Grass longer than that on the runway was located in the tailwheel assembly. Examination of the right elevator revealed a puncture approximately 1 inch wide and 3.5 inches long, consistent with the dimensions of the steel pole. The engine was examined and no abnormalities were found that would have precluded normal operation. However, an examination by a representative of the pilot's estate revealed an orange-colored substance similar to lock-tite within the engine-driven fuel pump.
Additional Findings
The airplane was equipped with a stall warning system consisting of a red indicator light marked "STALL WARNING." Examination of the light bulb and filament could not conclusively determine if the light was illuminated before impact. The Maule M4-210 Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) stated that the electric stall warning system lights at approximately seven mph above stalling speed, but did not contain procedures for stall or spin recovery, nor did it specify altitude lost during recovery. Other Maule AFMs included a recovery procedure for inadvertent spins. Forensic toxicology tests on the pilot showed no ethanol or drugs.
Probable Cause
The report does not provide a stated probable cause.