History of Flight
On February 23, 2014, about 1800 mountain standard time, a Sabrena Dragonfly, N7745C, impacted terrain at the Ak-Chin Regional Airport (A-39), Maricopa, Arizona. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from A-39 at an unknown time.
Witnesses reported that after uneventfully releasing a tandem glider, the pilot descended to about 30 feet above the ground and dropped the tow line. The airplane then pitched up abruptly until about 200 feet above the ground, on what appeared to be a downwind for the runway. The nose temporarily leveled off before pitching up a second time. The airplane appeared to stall; the left wing dropped and the airplane spun about 2-3 revolutions before impacting the ground in a nose-low attitude.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 53, held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land issued September 18, 2009, and a limited third-class airman medical certificate issued October 22, 2013, with the restriction that he must have glasses available for near vision. The pilot's logbook was not recovered. During his most recent medical examination, he reported 763 total flight hours, 47 of which were within the six months prior to the exam date.
Aircraft Information
The two-seat, high-wing, pusher-configured airplane, serial number 072403, was manufactured in 2007. It was powered by a Rotax 912S, 100 horsepower engine, and equipped with three IVO propeller blades. The airplane's maintenance logbooks were not located. However, a sticker for the engine and propeller's annual inspection dated September 13, 2013, with a recorded tachometer reading of 235 hours and an airframe total time of 553 hours, was recovered.
Meteorological Information
The nearest weather reporting station was at Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ), about 8 miles east of the accident site. At 1755, the weather was reported as wind from 20 degrees at 3 knots, clear skies, visibility 10 statute miles, temperature 23°C, dewpoint -6°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.93 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest in a nose-low attitude between the runway and taxiway. The cabin area sustained heavy crush damage. Both wings were still attached to the fuselage; the left wing rested flat on the ground and sustained an upward bend just outboard of midspan. The right wing came to rest in the air above the left wing, with the aileron separated from the outboard-most attachment points. Emergency personnel reported that the right wing had originally been resting on the ground; they raised it to provide medical attention to the pilot. The fuselage tubing connecting the cabin to the empennage was fractured just aft of the cabin area. The empennage was mostly intact and sustained minimal damage.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on the pilot on February 25, 2014, by the Ak-Chin Police Department concluded that the cause of death was blunt force injuries. The FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute performed forensic toxicology. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were detected in the urine; pseudoephedrine was also detected in the blood. Carbon monoxide and ethanol were not detected, and testing for cyanide was not performed.
Tests and Research
Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine was conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector and a representative from the airplane kit manufacturer. Initial examination revealed that the airframe was heavily twisted. The airframe tubing sustained numerous fracture separations consistent with structural overload. Control continuity was established throughout the airframe with no anomalies noted. The ballistic recovery parachute system was intact, and the handle was partially dislodged from the stowed position. The five-gallon fuel tank was found ruptured and empty.
The engine was found mostly intact. Of the three propeller blades, two were intact and one was separated about 7 inches from the hub. The spark plugs were removed; they all showed similar wear patterns and no indications of misfiring. The engine was manually rotated by the propeller; it rotated smoothly with no anomalies noted.