History of Flight
On May 4, 2014, at approximately 1359 Pacific daylight time, a Boeing E75, registration N68828, was destroyed when it struck runway 21R during an aerial demonstration at Travis Air Force Base (SUU) in Fairfield, California. The commercial pilot and owner sustained fatal injuries. The exhibition was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, with visual meteorological conditions and no flight plan filed.
The pilot was one of several civilian performers at the two-day "Thunder Over Solano" open house. Practice occurred on May 2, and the public event on May 3 and 4. The pilot flew two demonstration aircraft: a North American P-51 and the accident airplane. All flights before the accident were uneventful.
The accident happened during a "ribbon-cut maneuver," where a ribbon was suspended about 20 feet above the runway between poles held by ground crew. The planned maneuver consisted of three passes: the first two upright (no ribbon contact) and the final pass inverted, cutting the ribbon with the vertical stabilizer. The first two passes were successful, but on the third pass the aircraft was too high and missed the ribbon. The pilot then initiated a fourth pass, rolling inverted after aligning with the runway. The aircraft contacted the runway before reaching the ribbon, slid inverted between the ground crew, and stopped a few hundred feet beyond them. A fire started as the aircraft stopped, and the pilot did not exit, sustaining fatal injuries.
Personnel Information
The 77-year-old pilot was a well-known air show performer in the western United States. He held a commercial pilot certificate with single- and multi-engine and instrument ratings and was authorized to fly several experimental aircraft. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued in June 2013, at which time he reported 11,400 total civilian flight hours.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was manufactured in 1944 and first registered to the pilot in 1982. It was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney R-985 series engine. The fuselage and empennage had a steel tube structure covered with synthetic fabric, while the wings were primarily wood covered with the same fabric. It had two tandem cockpits enclosed by a single canopy. The canopy, designed by the pilot with assistance from Serv Aero, was a modified version of a Varga canopy installed in November 1985. It was intended to improve airflow over the elevator and rudder and provide cockpit comfort. The canopy had one fixed right panel and two movable panels (top and left), requiring about 18 inches of clearance to open fully.
The main fuel tank was a 47-gallon aluminum unit mounted in the center section of the upper wing, with a central filler neck. A 3-gallon aluminum header tank was mounted forward of the cockpit, and an oil tank for smoke generation was below and aft of the header tank.
Weather and Airport
At 1358, the automated weather observation at SUU reported wind from 240 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 21, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 18,000 feet, temperature 22°C, dew point 12°C, and altimeter setting 29.99 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact
The aircraft impacted runway 21R, leaving ground scars from the rudder/vertical stabilizer, upper wing, and propeller. Initial contact was with the right wing, followed by the tail about 7 feet later, then the left wing, and finally the propeller. The first tail strike was about 45 feet right of the runway centerline and 380 feet beyond the threshold. The aircraft traveled about 740 feet inverted before stopping near the left edge of the runway on a magnetic heading of about 140 degrees, approximately 13 seconds after initial contact.
Most of the fuselage fabric was damaged or consumed by fire. The right wing and cockpit furnishings were almost completely consumed. The left wing and rudder deformed on impact but did not compromise the cockpit volume. The fuel system was fire-damaged; no crashworthiness provisions were found. The canopy opening was restricted due to partial collapses of the upper wing and tail, making it impossible to fully open. The canopy had no emergency egress provisions.
Communications and Emergency Response
During the air show, the air boss controlled the airspace and communicated with pilots via radio, while the air traffic control tower (ATCT) maintained coordination. At 1357:56, the air boss transmitted to dispatch emergency trucks. The ATCT assumed control of the airspace at 1358:14. The first ARFF vehicles entered the runway about 3 minutes 45 seconds after the initial accident notification.
Medical and Pathological Information
The pilot's family reported no known physical or mental health issues. The cause of death was extensive thermal injury, with no evidence of blunt force trauma. Toxicology testing detected amlodipine, cetirizine (below quantifiable), and diphenhydramine within therapeutic range.
Fire and Survival Aspects
Fire became visible as the aircraft stopped, initially appearing as a pool fire, then rapidly engulfing the right side and completely consuming the aircraft within about 1 minute 32 seconds. The fire was knocked down approximately 6 minutes 38 seconds after ignition and extinguished after about 9 minutes. After the fire, the pilot was found lying on his back on the upper canopy frame, with the canopy top resting on the runway. The left side canopy panel was unlatched but closed. It could not be determined when the pilot unfastened his restraint. He was not wearing a helmet or thermal protection.