Accident Overview
On April 26, 2014, at approximately 1015 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur-built Glasair III aircraft, registration N911EX, was destroyed when it impacted terrain and was consumed by a post-crash fire. The accident occurred about 20 miles southeast of Young, Arizona. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a personal cross-country flight under visual flight rules (VFR) in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot, who held a private pilot certificate but was not instrument rated, was flying solo and sustained fatal injuries. No flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Lea County Airport (KHOB) in Hobbs, New Mexico, at approximately 0930, and was bound for Falcon Field (KFFZ) in Mesa, Arizona.
Pilot Information
The 68-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating and a third-class airman medical certificate issued on May 23, 2013, with the limitation that corrective lenses must be worn. According to FAA records, the pilot reported approximately 970 total flight hours, with 21 hours accrued in the six months preceding the accident. No personal flight records were discovered.
Aircraft Information
The Glasair III was an experimental amateur-built airplane completed in 1999. It featured retractable landing gear, a Lycoming IO-540 series engine, and a controllable-pitch propeller. The pilot was not the builder. An extensive conditional inspection had been completed three days before the accident on April 22, 2014, at which time the aircraft had accumulated 255 total flight hours. No airframe or engine logbooks were found and were presumed destroyed in the post-crash fire.
Weather Conditions
Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) were reported in the area of the accident. There was no record of the pilot obtaining an official weather briefing before departure. A synopsis of weather observations indicated broken cloud layers from 7,000 to 9,000 feet and at 13,000 feet, with tops at 18,000 feet. Winds were southwesterly gusting to 35 knots, and visibility occasionally ranged from 3 to 5 statute miles in light rain or snow showers. Near the accident time, Show Low (KSOW) reported visibility of 3/4 mile in snow with a ceiling of 100 feet, and a Beech 1900 executing a missed approach. Globe (San Carlos Apache Airport, P13) reported visibility greater than 10 miles with few clouds at 5,000 feet.
Communications
The pilot initially contacted Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) at 0951, reporting that he was trapped underneath an overcast in mountainous terrain with deteriorating visibility. Direct communication was lost shortly thereafter, and a relay was established via high-flying IFR aircraft. Over the next 25 minutes, at least 2 ground controllers and 17 aircraft participated in relaying messages. The pilot stated he was at 6,900 feet, had declared an emergency, had 3 hours of fuel, and was in marginal VFR conditions. He expressed a desire to land at Show Low but could not climb into clouds due to lack of instrument rating. The controller recommended Globe as the nearest VFR airport. The pilot acknowledged heading for Globe but requested assistance. The last radio contact occurred at 1013:58. Despite being given a discreet transponder code, N911EX never appeared on ARTCC radar.
Wreckage Examination
The accident site was located in remote, rugged mountainous terrain at approximately 5,000 feet elevation. The debris field, about 70 feet in diameter, lay on a steep west-facing slope leading to a narrow canyon. The airplane impacted a rock outcrop in a steep nose-low attitude with wings parallel to the terrain. After impact, the aircraft toppled over inverted with the tail pointing downhill. All major structural components and control surfaces were identified, but the wreckage was extensively burned, and control continuity could not be established. The engine crankcase was fractured, and the crankshaft, camshaft, and cylinders were liberated. The two-blade constant-speed propeller showed torsional twisting and leading edge gouging; one blade had its tip snapped off. Flight and engine controls, as well as navigation and communication equipment, were melted, precluding determination of their settings.
Medical Findings
A postmortem examination conducted by the Gila County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as multiple blunt force trauma, with the manner classified as an accident. Toxicology testing found Rosuvastatin in muscle and liver tissue; NTSB medical personnel concluded that medical issues were unlikely to have contributed to the accident.