History of Flight
On October 3, 2014, at about 0935 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Sonex Waiex, registration N461MM, was substantially damaged when it struck terrain approximately 10 minutes after departing from Flagler County Airport (XFL) in Palm Coast, Florida. The private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91.
The airplane was cleared for a northeast departure from runway 6 at 0926, which the pilot acknowledged. About three minutes later, the pilot was instructed to proceed on course and report clear of the Class D airspace. No further communications were received. Radar data showed the airplane turning left after takeoff, heading north, then west around 0933, then a northbound turn before radar contact was lost. The accident site was about one-quarter mile west-southwest of the last radar target.
A witness located about 2.5 miles south of the accident site reported seeing a white/silver single-engine airplane at about 1,000 feet above ground, flying north, when it experienced a sudden, complete loss of engine power. The airplane turned left, completed two circular patterns, and then disappeared from view. The witness did not hear engine noise or sounds of impact and assumed the pilot had made a successful emergency landing.
The pilot's son reported that when the pilot failed to meet a family member that evening, authorities were contacted. The pilot's car was found at his hangar at XFL with the doors open. The son believed the pilot had made a local solo flight, which he had not done previously. Radar and mobile phone data helped locate the airplane on October 4 in a tidal marsh near Pellicer Creek, about 13 miles north-northwest of XFL. The wreckage was recovered on October 9.
Pilot Information
The pilot was 77 years old and held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating issued in 1972. His logbook was not recovered. He reported 150 total hours of flight experience, with 5 hours in the accident make and model, on an insurance application dated February 12, 2014. No FAA medical certification records were found; he held a Florida driver's license. He did not hold any FAA mechanic or repairman certificates.
Aircraft Information
The single-engine, fixed-gear, all-metal, Y-tail, two-seat monoplane (serial number WO156) was built by the pilot from a kit purchased in September 2010. It received an FAA special airworthiness certificate as an experimental amateur-built airplane on January 15, 2013. The engine was an 80-horsepower AeroVee 2180 with a Sensenich two-blade wood propeller.
Maintenance logbooks were not located, and total operating hours and Phase I flight testing progress could not be determined. The pilot's son indicated the airplane was likely last flown when repositioned from Fort Pierce, Florida, to XFL about six months before the accident. Fueling records showed the pilot purchased 5 gallons of 100LL aviation gasoline on September 11, 2014. At recovery, the 16-gallon fuel tank was half full.
A friend of the pilot reported that the airplane had been experiencing fuel system issues since before its departure from Fort Pierce, including fuel leaks, requiring adjustments to the fuel metering system. The engine did not have a traditional carburetor; it used an AeroInjector with a throttle slide and a tapered needle valve for mixture control.
Wreckage and Impact
The majority of the airplane was buried in mud and water. The empennage and portions of both wings were visible depending on the tide. The rudder, stabilizers, and elevators remained attached and were relatively undamaged except for aft compression on the left stabilizer leading edge.
FAA inspectors examined the wreckage on October 17, 2014. All major airframe components were accounted for. The engine was separated from the airframe, and the cockpit and cabin areas were destroyed. Both wings were crushed aft and bent back to the fuselage. Control surfaces remained attached, but flight control continuity could not be confirmed due to impact damage.
The propeller was separated from the engine and showed no evidence of rotation. One blade was fractured near the hub; the other remained attached and undamaged.
The engine sustained significant impact damage. Valve covers and exhaust tubes were crushed and bent. The crankshaft could not be rotated due to impact and mud contamination, but all cylinder valves were intact and could be manually actuated. Disassembly revealed no anomalies. The AeroInjector was impact damaged; the fuel line was intact and the throttle valve was open, but the mixture position could not be determined. Ignition system components were mostly destroyed except for spark plugs, which were undamaged and free of contamination.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on October 10, 2014, by the Office of the District 23 Medical Examiner in St. Augustine, Florida, identified the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. The autopsy was limited due to the condition of the remains, and no natural disease was found.
Toxicological testing detected ethanol in muscle and liver, as well as n-butanol and n-propanol, but the samples showed putrefaction. Diphenhydramine, citalopram, and its metabolite were also detected in liver and muscle. A family representative stated the pilot was active and in good health, with no known medical conditions.