History of Flight
On April 19, 2014, at approximately 1410 eastern daylight time, a Nanchang CJ-6A single-engine airplane, registration N594T, was involved in an off-airport forced landing near Flushing, Michigan. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The aircraft, registered to Haywards Aviation of Vassar, Michigan, was operated by a private individual under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 for a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed. The flight had departed Tuscola Area Airport (CFS) in Caro, Michigan, around 1350, destined for Maple Grove Airport (65G) in Fowlerville, Michigan.
A witness reported hearing the engine sputter and observing the propeller slow as the airplane began descending toward an open field with the landing gear extended. Another witness saw the airplane flying eastbound at low altitude when it suddenly dropped and impacted terrain in a nose-down attitude of about 45 degrees.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 63, seated in the front seat, held a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot certificate issued March 29, 2010, with a rating in airplane single-engine land. He also held a restricted FAA third-class medical certificate issued May 24, 2013, with a limitation to wear corrective lenses. Based on partial logbooks and FAA documents, his total flight experience was estimated at 1,525 hours, including about 145 hours in the Nanchang CJ-6A. In the previous 90 days, he logged about 13 hours, all in the accident airplane.
The pilot-rated passenger, age 49, seated in the rear seat, held an FAA private pilot certificate issued July 15, 2000, with ratings in airplane single-engine land and rotorcraft helicopter. He held a restricted FAA third-class medical certificate issued February 28, 2013, requiring corrective lenses for distant and near vision. His personal logbooks were not available; FAA documents indicated total flight experience of 300 hours as of February 28, 2013. No record showed any previous experience in the accident airplane or similar type.
Aircraft Information
The low-wing, retractable tricycle landing gear, single-engine airplane, serial number 3632009, was built in China in 1983 by Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation as a military pilot trainer with two tandem cockpits. It was powered by a 285-horsepower Zhuzhou Huosai HS6A 9-cylinder carbureted radial engine driving a Huosai JD61 two-blade controllable-pitch propeller. Maximum takeoff weight was 3,087 pounds. Imported to the United States, it received an FAA experimental exhibition airworthiness certificate in 2002.
Maintenance records showed a satisfactory annual condition inspection on February 13, 2014, with an aircraft total time of 2,737 hours and 572 hours since engine overhaul. Engine and propeller total times could not be determined.
Meteorological Information
The nearest official weather station, KFNT in Flint, Michigan, located 10 miles southeast of the accident site, reported at 1353: wind 080 degrees at 10 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 12°C, dew point -1°C, and altimeter 30.43 inches of mercury. The carburetor icing probability chart from FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 indicated a probability of icing at glide/cruise power under those conditions.
Communications and Radar
No record showed any radio contact with FAA air traffic control from N594T. No witnesses reported hearing transmissions. A postaccident review of FAA radar data showed a primary-only target first appearing southwest of CFS at 1353:15.6, with no transponder reply or Mode-C altitude. The track was inconsistent, dropping off three times; the last return was at 1409:35.7 near the accident location.
Wreckage and Impact Information
FAA inspectors reported the airplane struck an agricultural field on an easterly heading. Initial ground scars were about 200 feet west of the north-south boundary road and 400 feet south of the east-west road. The field measured about 3,000 feet north-south and 2,500 feet east-west, with no obstructions. The field was deemed an adequate emergency landing area.
There was evidence of adequate fuel onboard with a slight postimpact fuel spill, but no fire. The airplane came to rest upright, nose oriented about 30 degrees right of the eastbound ground scars. Main landing gear scars were 10 feet 4 inches apart, 3-4 inches deep, extending 19 feet. A 15-foot crater from nose gear, propeller, and engine cowling was 24 inches wide, 7 inches deep initially, ending 11 inches deep.
All parts remained attached or partially attached. Rudder, elevator, and aileron flight control continuity was confirmed. Nose gear was extended but collapsed aft. Engine and mount were displaced down and slightly left. Flaps were retracted. Both propeller blades showed chordwise smearing in dirt; one blade bent aft 45 degrees, the other slightly bent. Damage was consistent with some rotation at impact but no significant engine power.
A VFR sectional chart was open by the front pilot's left knee. Cockpit controls: propeller control mid-range, fuel valve ON, carburetor heat ON, throttle full forward, mixture lean, magneto switch BOTH, flaps UP. In-line fuel screen clean. Spark plugs normal. Oil present with no contamination. Main landing gear partially separated and displaced aft.
The Garmin GTX320A transponder had minor damage, power switch in ALT, not fully inserted in tray. Header tank contained about 1.5 pints of fuel. Fuel lines and flapper valves showed normal wear. Header screen had debris including rivet pieces and drill shavings on tank side; engine feed side clean. Carburetor and engine-driven fuel pump impact-damaged and not examinable. No fuel in line from fuselage to pump or carburetor.
Examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions precluding normal operation.
Survival Aspects
The front seat had a five-point lap belt and shoulder harness. The latch was not fastened at impact; the pilot was ejected from his seat and impacted the instrument panel but remained in the cabin. The rear seat lap belt and harness latch was fastened, but the metal shoulder harness fitting fractured and separated on impact. The rear occupant remained restrained by lap belt but impacted the rear instrument panel due to harness failure. Crash damage to cockpit structures was minimal, providing a protective shell around occupants.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies were performed on both occupants. Toxicology for the pilot showed no carbon monoxide or ethanol; citalopram, N-desmethycitalopram, and oxymetazoline were detected. The pilot had reported treatment for high cholesterol and high blood pressure but not depression or PTSD or citalopram use; however, no evidence suggested psychiatric disease played a role. For the pilot-rated passenger, no carbon monoxide, ethanol, or listed drugs were detected.
Tests and Research
Seat belt and harness systems were examined. The rear harness components showed bending not seen in front. The front latch operated correctly with normal wear. It could not be determined if the front latch was unfastened, fastened and failed, or separated on impact. The front shoulder harness bracket was relatively undamaged; the rear bracket fractured due to tensile overloading, as shown by scanning electron microscopy. The restraint manufacturer, Racers Choice, Inc. (RCI), discontinued the system in 1999 and required recertification every two years per SFI 16.1; no recertification record was found.
Non-volatile memory devices were examined. A Garmin Aera 560 GPS extracted 58 sessions with 10,001 data points from June 5, 2013, to April 19, 2014, but the accident flight was not captured. A Lowrance AIRMAP 2000 GPS showed multiple flights but not the accident. A Shadin Microflo Fuel Flow Indicator required manual fuel entry; data showed fuel used and remaining but no other useful information.