History of Flight
On June 13, 2014, about 1303 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built 2/3 P-51B/C Mustang, N51BM, impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Marion County Airport (MAO), Marion, South Carolina. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local and personal flight, conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot's wife reported the pilot had planned to perform taxi tests that day but did not intend to fly. During preflight, she observed him sump the fuel tank and activate the fuel pump. After starting the engine, he taxied to the end of runway 22 and waited 5 to 6 minutes for another airplane to depart. He then accelerated down the runway, became airborne about midfield, and retracted the landing gear. As the airplane climbed, it made a sharp left turn and entered a nose dive before disappearing behind trees. Shortly after, she heard impact. The engine sound was smooth and continuous through takeoff and climb. Another witness observed an engine run up check, then a shallow climb to the south. The airplane momentarily disappeared from view, then reappeared in a nose-low attitude from about 1,000 feet above ground level and dove straight into the ground. The witness saw no interruptions in power; the engine appeared to run normally.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 64, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land, issued July 26, 1986. His logbooks were not recovered. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued February 2, 2014, at which time he reported 3,933 total flight hours and 22 hours in the previous 6 months. He reported no medical conditions or medications. The certificate carried the limitation "must have available glasses for near vision." According to his wife, the pilot had about 350 total flight hours in the accident make and model.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was powered by a Ranger 6-440C-5 Series inverted, in-line, 200 horsepower, air-cooled engine with a 4-blade wooden propeller. Its airworthiness certificate was issued September 1980. The pilot had owned the airplane since May 2002. Logbooks were not recovered, but a mechanic who performed owner-assisted inspections provided records. The most recent annual inspection was completed May 15, 2013, at 786.4 hours total time. A recently-overhauled engine was installed and inspected July 12, 2012, after a gear-up landing.
Meteorological Information
The 1315 weather observation at MAO included wind from 270 degrees at 8 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, broken clouds at 4,700 and 5,000 feet, temperature 30°C, dew point 17°C, and barometric altimeter 29.87 inches of mercury. Density altitude was calculated as about 2,150 feet.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest in a cornfield about one mile southeast of MAO. All major structural and flight control components were accounted for. An initial impact point was identified by broken corn stalks. The empennage was connected to a portion of the fuselage, oriented on a 258-degree magnetic heading. Both wings had aft crush damage along leading edges; wing roots were covered with a black residue resembling oil. All four propeller blades separated from the hub; two were in the debris path, one about 80 feet from the main wreckage, another about 6 feet. Both ailerons were impact-separated at a bell crank connecting to the control stick. Wing flap control tubes were traced from cockpit to flaps, which could be manipulated by hand. A clevis rod connecting control tubes to the flap handle separated from the turnbuckle body, showing shear damage to internal threads. NTSB materials lab examination confirmed mechanical overloading. Safety wire showed overload damage. Elevator, rudder, and aileron control continuity was traced from cockpit to control surfaces.
Aluminum fuel tanks were breached; odor of fuel was present. Fuel strainer screens were free of contaminants. Fuel line continuity was traced from wing tanks through the fuel selector to the engine line, which had overload separation. The fuel selector rotated freely. The carburetor was not recovered.
Due to impact damage, the engine crankshaft could not be rotated; internal drive continuity could not be established. The right magneto had impact damage but primary leads were secured and continuous to right spark plugs. Left magneto was also damaged; several primary leads were severed. The throttle linkage was intact and operable through full range. A portion of oil hose remained connected to the oil pump and reservoir, which was breached. An oil sample from the crankcase appeared clean and free of contaminants. The crankcase had evenly distributed oil; no damage other than shaft bend. Despite a large breach in the oil reservoir, internal engine components showed no indications of lubrication distress, overheating, or oil starvation. No evidence of internal scoring consistent with catastrophic engine failure.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy at the Medical University of South Carolina listed the pilot's cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Forensic toxicology by the FAA detected Zolpidem (Ambien) in the pilot's liver and urine. Testing was negative for ethanol. Medical records from his primary care physician indicated a history of non-insulin-dependent diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and significant heart disease including arrhythmias, coronary artery disease, and valvular disease. In 1998, he was hospitalized for angina after failing an exercise stress test; cardiac catheterization revealed stenosis of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery. He had gallbladder surgery in 2003. He had quarterly visits to his PCP for many years. Neither these visits nor his diabetes or heart conditions were reported on FAA medical applications. His most recent PCP visit was February 27, 2014, three weeks after his last FAA medical exam. His medication list at that time included nitroglycerin, Mag-oxide, metformin, Atacand, Lipitor, aspirin, and Ambien. A laboratory test showed fasting blood sugar of 196 mg/dl and Hemoglobin A1C of 9.4%. No stress tests or evaluations of coronary artery disease status from the prior three years were present.