Accident Details
On November 24, 2014, at approximately 1245 mountain standard time, an experimental homebuilt Ross Vans Aircraft RV-3, registered as N625ZH, sustained substantial damage after crashing shortly after takeoff from Las Cruces International Airport (LRU) in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The pilot, who was also the owner and operator of the aircraft, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and the intended destination was Dona Ana County Airport (5T6) in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
Witness Accounts
Two Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors examined the accident site and interviewed multiple witnesses, who provided consistent accounts. One witness reported observing the pilot from the time he entered the aircraft until the accident. According to this witness, the pilot performed a normal engine run-up before takeoff, then taxied onto the runway, stopped, applied full power, and lifted off within about 800 feet. Immediately after takeoff, the aircraft entered a steep climb, and the wings began to "shutter." The airplane then made a 90-degree left turn onto crosswind. When the pilot leveled the wings, they were "wobbling," and the aircraft was in a nose-high attitude without climbing. A subsequent 90-degree turn onto downwind saw continued wing wobbling. The witness believed the pilot was initiating another left turn to fly over the terminal when the aircraft stalled. The pilot recovered, leveling the wings, but then entered another left turn. At that point, the left wing "dropped into a spin and impacted the ground." The witness could see control movements during the steep bank turns. The aircraft's speed was approximately 65 knots from takeoff through the final turn, and the engine sounded normal throughout.
Another witness stated that the aircraft made 1 to 1.5 rotations during the spin before hitting a road in front of the airport's terminal building. There was no post-impact fire.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
A friend of the pilot reported that the pilot had purchased the aircraft two days before the accident and had no previous flight experience in an RV-3. The friend estimated that the pilot had flown the aircraft for about 4.0 hours since the purchase.
The pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on August 28, 2014, at which time he reported 1,000 total flight hours.
Weather and Toxicology
Weather recorded at the airport at 1335 included wind from 290 degrees at 7 knots, variable between 240 and 300 degrees, visibility of 10 miles, and clear skies.
Toxicological testing conducted by the FAA Accident Research Laboratory detected tetrahydrocannabinol (marijuana) in the lung and liver, but not in the blood. Tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (a marijuana metabolite) was detected in the liver (0.1325 µg/ml or µg/g), lung (0.0144 µg/ml or µg/g), and blood (0.003 µg/ml or µg/g).
An autopsy performed by the University of New Mexico Health Science Center on November 25, 2014, determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma.