History of Flight
On July 29, 2013, at 1446 central daylight time, an amateur-built Campbell RV-6A, N914ES, collided with terrain during a landing approach to runway 36 at Starke County Airport (OXI), Knox, Indiana. The private pilot, who was also the registered owner, was fatally injured. The flight was operated under Part 91 as a personal flight, originating from Richard Downing Airport (I40), Coshocton, Ohio, at 1250 with an intended destination of OXI. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
The airplane was part of a group of five aircraft that originally departed the Fredericksburg, Virginia, area. According to other pilots in the group, the plan was to land at OXI, stay overnight, and continue to the EAA AirVenture fly-in. The accident airplane was the fourth in the group; three had already landed. Those pilots observed the accident airplane fly overhead on a left crosswind leg but did not witness the remainder of the approach. The fifth airplane's pilot and passenger noted that the accident pilot's radio transmissions on the common traffic advisory frequency seemed unusual, with the pilot fumbling for words, which was not typical. A witness reported seeing the airplane level in the traffic pattern, then roll left and dive into the ground.
Flight track data from a handheld GPS showed the airplane departed Shannon Airport (KEZF) at 0955, stopped at I40 for about 20 minutes (where all five airplanes were fueled), then departed I40 at 1246. The airplane passed over OXI at about 1,300 feet msl, made a left turn south, and began descending. About 0.36 nautical miles southwest of the runway 36 approach end, it initiated a descending left turn toward the runway. The turn continued until the data ended, with the last recorded position 0.3 nautical miles at 193 degrees from the runway threshold, altitude 806 feet msl, coinciding with the wreckage location. The final seconds showed increasing turn rate (about 900 degrees per minute), descent rate (about 1,300 feet per minute), and decreasing groundspeed (about 54 knots).
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating and a third-class medical certificate issued November 21, 2012, with a corrective lenses limitation. His logbook showed 1,826 total flight hours as of April 25, 2013. His most recent flight review was completed February 1, 2012.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was an amateur-built RV-6A, a low-wing, two-place, single-engine monoplane with tricycle landing gear, primarily aluminum construction. It was issued an FAA experimental airworthiness certificate on August 4, 1994. The engine was a 150-horsepower Lycoming O-320-E2G, serial number L-47414-27A, manufactured July 1977.
Meteorological Information
Weather at OXI at 1455: wind from 30 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 4,100 feet agl, broken clouds at 4,800 feet agl, temperature 22°C, dew point 13°C, altimeter 30.14 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted a cornfield about 0.30 nautical miles south-southwest of the approach end of runway 36. The wreckage was upright, facing about 120 degrees. Impact damage indicated a near wings-level attitude with the nose pitched down about 60 degrees. The forward fuselage was crushed rearward and upward; the engine and firewall partially separated. Wing leading edges were crushed rearward and upward, consistent with a 60-degree nose-down attitude. Wings, aft fuselage, and tail surfaces remained attached with little damage to the aft fuselage.
Flight control continuity was established: elevator and rudder from cockpit to surfaces; right and left aileron continuity from control sticks to ailerons. A broken rod end on the push rod connecting the right and left control sticks was consistent with impact damage. Flap torque tube linkages were broken, also consistent with impact.
The engine rotated freely; suction and compression were confirmed on all cylinders. Left magneto was broken from its mount but produced spark on all leads; right magneto remained attached and also produced spark when rotated. The carburetor was fragmented. No evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation was found.
Medical and Pathological Information
The pilot had complained of chest pain two days before the accident, attributed to a pulled muscle; the pain resolved before the flight, but he had not seen a physician. Witnesses reported the pilot was "fumbling for words" during radio transmissions prior to the crash. Autopsy identified hypertrophy of the left ventricular wall, moderate to severe coronary artery disease (50% stenosis of left main and left anterior descending arteries), and small areas of myocardial fibrosis, but no evidence of recent heart attack or acute natural disease. The pathologist determined the cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma. Toxicology detected no carbon monoxide, medications, drugs, or ethanol. The autopsy addendum noted that while no acute ischemic changes were found, interstitial fibrosis was consistent with prior ischemia, and cardiac hypertrophy is associated with arrhythmias. It stated that it "appears possible" that the pilot suffered a cardiac arrhythmia prior to the accident, given his fumbling words on the radio.