Accident Details
On April 22, 2014, at 1055 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Crow model Mustang II airplane, registration N48MK, sustained substantial damage while landing at Cochran County Airport (F85) near Morton, Texas. The commercial pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local test flight, which had departed F85 about 0945.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that the airplane had recently received an experimental airworthiness certificate and that the accident occurred during the third flight test. He stated that no anomalies were found during the preflight inspection or before takeoff engine run-up. After an uneventful takeoff, he proceeded to a nearby practice area where he completed basic flight maneuvers and measured cruise performance parameters before returning to the airport for a full-stop landing. Upon returning, the pilot chose to land on runway 22 (2,710 feet by 60 feet, asphalt) because it was longer and wider than the second runway and the prevailing wind from the south-southwest favored either runway. The pilot stated that the airplane bounced after a hard landing and veered off the left side of the runway before he could regain control. The airplane subsequently nosed-over after encountering soft terrain alongside the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. He added that he had accumulated about 3 hours of flight time in the accident airplane when the event occurred.
Weather Conditions
The nearest weather reporting station (MNST2), located about 0.3 miles northwest of the accident site, reported at 1055: wind from 162 degrees at 10 knots, gusting 16 knots; temperature 20 degrees Celsius; dew point 9 degrees Celsius; and an altimeter setting of 30.21 inches of mercury.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident wreckage examination by Federal Aviation Administration inspectors established flight control continuity from the cockpit controls to the respective flight control surfaces. The rudder/brake pedals had been displaced upward into the lower instrument panel; however, actuation of the individual brake pedals resulted in proper operation of the wheel brakes. The examinations revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.