History of Flight
On March 23, 2014, about 1330 eastern daylight time, a Dehavilland DHC-1, registration N540FM, impacted mountainous terrain near Vonore, Tennessee. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight was operated by the pilot under day visual meteorological conditions; no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from French Lick Municipal Airport (FRH) in French Lick, Indiana, and was destined for Franklin County Airport (18A) in Canon, Georgia.
Earlier that morning, at 0639, the pilot requested a visual flight rules weather briefing from Lockheed Martin Flight Service for a route from Watertown, Wisconsin to Augusta, Georgia, at altitudes between 3,000 and 6,000 feet above mean sea level. The briefer reported widespread weather, including severe weather from southern Kentucky to the destination, and stated that VFR flight was not recommended from southern Kentucky through Tennessee into north Georgia. An Airmet for mountain obscuration was in effect until 1400. The pilot indicated he might only fly as far as Kentucky and spend the night.
The pilot landed at FRH about 1039 and purchased 30.8 gallons of aviation fuel. The flight departed at 1209. When the pilot did not arrive at the destination, a Federal Aviation Administration Alert Notice was issued. The wreckage was located the following morning, March 24, 2014, on the side of a mountainous slope within the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, at coordinates 35.465833, -84.010278, at an elevation of about 2,222 feet msl, approximately 100 feet below a ridgeline. There were no known witnesses.
Pilot Information
The pilot, age 59, held an airline transport pilot certificate with multi-engine land, single-engine land, and flight engineer ratings, and an FAA first-class medical certificate dated November 4, 2013. He reported 16,000 hours total flight time, including 500 hours in the preceding six months. He was required to have glasses available for near vision. The pilot had a DUI arrest on May 16, 2011, with a portable breath test alcohol level of 0.126%. The FAA determined this was his only alcohol conviction, and he was found eligible for medical certification but cautioned about further alcohol offenses.
The pilot purchased the airplane in July 1991. A logbook found in the wreckage showed flights from October 2006 to March 11, 2014, many for cross-country, airshows, and airshow practice. At the time of the accident, he was employed as a chief pilot for Delta Air Lines.
Aircraft Information
The low-wing, tailwheel-equipped, tandem-cockpit Dehavilland DHC-1 (Super Chipmunk) was manufactured in 1947. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-540-D4A5 engine rated at 260 horsepower, with a Whirl Wind 400C three-bladed constant-speed propeller. The maintenance logbook noted the engine serial number as "EXPERIMENTAL." The airplane was not certified for instrument flight rules. The tachometer read 1859.0 hours, corresponding to a total aircraft time of 3,609.7 hours. The last annual inspection occurred on March 1, 2014, at 3,603.6 hours.
Meteorological Information
The closest weather observation facility was McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Alcoa, Tennessee, about 20 nautical miles north. At 1324 (about six minutes before the accident), the observation included scattered clouds at 1,700 feet AGL, a broken ceiling at 5,000 feet, wind variable at 5 knots, visibility 10 statute miles or greater, temperature 9°C, dew point 5°C, and altimeter 30.13 inHg. At 1336 (about six minutes after), conditions were similar with scattered clouds at 1,900 feet, broken ceilings at 2,800 and 5,000 feet, wind from 320° at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, temperature 10°C, dew point 4°C, and altimeter 30.13 inHg.
A local resident in Robbinsville, North Carolina, about 13 nautical miles southeast, reported heavy fog and rain in the mountains that afternoon, with mountain tops not visible until about 1530–1600. An NTSB meteorologist examined visible satellite imagery from 1345 that showed a band of overcast cloud cover along the Tennessee-North Carolina border including the accident site. Infrared imagery indicated cloud top temperatures around -1°C. A NAM model sounding for 1400 suggested a saturated layer centered at 3,400 feet msl, with a broken cloud layer as low as about 2,650 feet msl. Regional weather radars could not detect low-level precipitation. No pilot reports were available below 8,000 feet msl in the region.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was found upright with a debris path oriented at about 300 degrees. Damage to broken trees indicated a near-level aircraft attitude at impact. There was no evidence of fire. The engine controls were found in the full forward positions. All major structural components were within the main wreckage area. The pilot was strapped into the rear cockpit seat, wearing an undeployed parachute.
The empennage remained attached; leading edges of the horizontal stabilizers showed aft crush damage. Control cable continuity was established for elevator and rudder. Both wings were crushed forward to aft, with leading edge damage consistent with tree impact in a near-horizontal attitude. Outboard wing sections were severed but accounted for. Aileron control continuity could not be established due to fragmentation. Both wing fuel tanks were ruptured with no residual fuel; caps were secure.
The engine was rotated manually; continuity and compression were confirmed on all cylinders. No pre-impact anomaly or malfunction was observed. The propeller remained attached; blades were splintered and broken at various spans. The propeller governor control arm was near full increase rpm position; the oil screen was unobstructed. The fuel injector servo was fractured, but internal components showed no damage. The fuel flow divider and injector nozzles were unobstructed. The engine-driven fuel pump was impact-damaged but no internal damage was noted. Spark plug electrodes showed normal wear. Oil was present; the suction screen was free of debris.
Medical and Pathological Information
A postmortem examination performed on March 25, 2014, listed the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Forensic toxicology testing by the FAA CAMI laboratory was negative for carbon monoxide, ethanol, and drugs. Cyanide testing was not performed.