History of Flight
On March 31, 2015, at about 1540 central daylight time, a CH601XL light aircraft, registration N623HS, collided with trees during takeoff from a private airstrip in Pleasanton, Kansas. The pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post-impact fire. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight and was originating at the time of the accident, destined for Johnson County Executive Airport (KOJC) in Olathe, Kansas, where the aircraft was based. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Two witnesses, the airport owner-manager (a retired airline pilot and flight instructor) and an airplane mechanic, observed the airplane lift off runway 34 in a nose-high attitude. They were unsure if the tail section contacted the runway. They stated the airplane appeared to be "behind the power curve" and "flying in ground effect." There was a slight right crosswind from about 020 degrees at less than 5 to 7 knots. The airplane drifted left of the extended runway centerline and collided with the tops of trees at the end of the runway, then fell to the ground inverted and caught fire. The witnesses believed the pilot did not see the approaching trees due to the high angle of attack.
Crew Information
The pilot, age 67, occupied the left seat. He held a sport pilot certificate and a private pilot certificate with a glider rating. He was operating under his Kansas driver's license in lieu of an FAA medical certificate. A portion of his logbook was recovered but the dates of the recorded flights could not be determined. According to an insurance application dated October 21, 2014, he estimated his total flight time as 529 hours, with 327 hours in the CH601XL and 25 hours in the previous 12 months.
The pilot-rated passenger, age 57, occupied the right seat. He held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine, multiengine, and instrument ratings. His last FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on April 6, 2005, with the restriction: "Must have available glasses for near vision." At that time, he estimated his total flight time as 1,800 hours.
Aircraft Information
N623HS (serial number 601-026S) was a model CH 601XL Zodiac manufactured in 2006 by the Aircraft Manufacturing and Development Company (now Zenith Aircraft Company) of Mexico, Missouri. It was a light, all-metal, 2-place low-wing monoplane. The aircraft was powered by a Continental O-200-A engine (serial number 256198) rated at 100 horsepower, driving a wood, 2-blade, fixed-pitch propeller. Part of the maintenance logbook was recovered, indicating the last annual inspection was performed on April 9, 2014, at an airframe time of 306 hours.
Meteorological Information
Weather recorded at Johnson County Executive Airport (KOJC), 41 miles north of the accident site, at 1529 CDT: wind 110° at 7 knots; visibility 10 miles; sky clear; temperature 24°C; dew point 1°C; altimeter 29.94 inches of mercury.
Aerodrome Information
The accident site was a private airstrip owned by Clarence Easley, located about 2 miles northwest of Pleasanton. The airstrip is situated at an elevation of about 1,020 feet msl and has one grass runway, 16-34, aligned on magnetic headings of 165 and 345 degrees. The runway is approximately 2,450 feet long and 80 to 120 feet wide. It was in good repair and dry at the time of the accident. The airstrip does not appear on the Kansas City Sectional Chart.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Evidence at the accident site was consistent with the airplane striking the tops of 50-foot trees about 150 feet off the end of runway 34 and impacting terrain in an inverted attitude on a magnetic heading of 085 degrees. The terrain sloped upward about 15 degrees from the runway. All airplane structure was accounted for, and control cables were still attached to the control surfaces, terminating in the cockpit area.
The engine remained partially attached to the airframe, lying next to a tree. The exhaust and induction systems, starter, alternator, and magnetos were impact and thermally damaged. The wooden propeller hub remained attached to the flange; both blades were shattered, consistent with high rotation at impact. Top spark plugs were removed, and cylinder combustion chambers inspected with a lighted borescope showed no anomalies. Valve covers were removed; cylinder domes exhibited thermal damage. Cylinder 4 had oil residue in the overhead area. Spark plugs had worn electrodes and dark combustion deposits.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies on both occupants attributed death to thermal injuries, with large amounts of soot found in the upper and lower airways. The pilot's autopsy noted evidence of a healed myocardial infarct, "marked atherosclerosis involving all three coronary arteries and the aorta," and "multifocal healed infarcts and stigmata of a remote coronary artery bypass graft procedure."
Toxicology tests on the pilot detected various drugs: Carvedilol (Coreg) in urine and heart blood; Minoxidil in urine; Naproxen in urine; Ramipril in urine; Rosuvastatin in heart blood and urine; and Tamsulosin (Flomax) in heart blood and urine. Carbon monoxide was not detected in heart blood, and ethanol was not detected in vitreous humor. Glucose was 119 mg/dl in vitreous fluid and 229 mg/dl in urine.
Toxicology on the passenger detected Azacyclonol in blood and urine; Oxymetazoline in urine; Fexofenadine (Allegra) in urine, liver, and heart blood; and 32 percent carbon monoxide saturation in blood. No ethanol was detected in vitreous humor.