History of Flight
On June 28, 2015, about 1204 Pacific daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Great Lakes 2T1A-E, registration N7LM, collided with terrain near Corona, California. The owner had lent the airplane to the pilot, who operated it under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight, a local personal trip, departed Corona about 1150. Visual meteorological conditions were present, and no flight plan was filed.
A nearby resident heard a thud and investigated, finding the airplane crashed inside a fenced area surrounding a cell phone tower. The passenger was outside the airplane and asked for help. First responders transported the passenger to the hospital.
Passenger and Witness Accounts
The passenger stated the takeoff was uneventful and the pilot flew for sightseeing. During a turn, the airplane shook violently; the pilot apologized and said it would not happen again. About one minute later, the shaking recurred, the engine stopped, and the passenger heard no sound from it. The passenger believed the propeller stopped and the airplane went nose down into the ground.
A relative of the passenger, who was at the departure airport, reported that the pilot had just completed a 25-minute flight with another relative. He took videos of both takeoffs. The pilot had worked on a GoPro camera that had stopped intermittently during the first flight. The relative also noted that the airplane's fuel gauge, normally hanging from the upper wing, had been removed before these flights. He did not see the pilot perform any preflight activities.
Personnel Information
The 55-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating and a third-class medical certificate issued June 13, 2014, with no limitations. His aeronautical experience, obtained from FAA medical records, showed a total time of 478 hours, with 15 hours in the previous six months.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was an experimental amateur-built single-engine biplane, built in 1979. Its logbooks indicated a total airframe time of 106.39 hours at the most recent condition inspection on March 27, 2015. The tachometer read 109.99 at the accident scene. The engine was a Fairchild Range 6-440-C5 with 106.39 hours since major overhaul. The propeller was an Aeromatic 220.
Wreckage and Impact
Investigators from the NTSB and FAA examined the wreckage on June 28, 2015. The first identified point of contact was a tree with broken limbs, which contained the separated left aileron. The tree was next to a chain link fence surrounding a compound with a small building, electrical boxes, and a cell phone tower disguised as a tree. The airplane came to rest in the middle of the compound, nose on the ground and tail up against the tower.
The wings were severely crushed and distorted around the cabin. One of the two wooden propeller blades separated near the hub, with the wood splintered. The center wing top section, containing the fuel tank, was almost vertical over the engine. The tank was not breached; the fuel filler cap was in place, no fuel odor was present, and there were no signs of leakage. Probing through the filler neck revealed no fuel.
Video Review
A GoPro Hero 4 camera with a wrist remote was recovered and sent to the NTSB for data extraction. The video showed the entire flight. The camera was mounted to a wing strut, providing a rearward view of the front seat passenger and rear seat pilot, as well as the left aileron, rudder, elevator, and occasionally the pilot's hands on the control stick.
Two recording files covered the accident flight. The first file, 3 minutes and 3 seconds, began at 11:50:23 as the pilot activated the camera. The airplane was taxiing near a hold short line, then took off and maneuvered. The file ended with the airplane in near level flight, the departure airport visible off the left wing.
The second video began at 11:58:09 and recorded various turns. Six minutes in, a noticeable decrease in engine power was audible during a steep left turn. One second later, the nose dropped sharply, and the airplane departed controlled flight. The pilot reacted with up elevator, right rudder, and left roll aileron. Within 5 seconds, the airplane leveled and pulled out of the descent. The elevator remained in a nose-up command throughout recovery. After recovery, all control surfaces returned to neutral. Five seconds later, the engine sound changed slightly and appeared to regain power; the pilot spoke and the passenger laughed.
The airplane had lost altitude and did not regain it significantly. It began a moderately banked left turn with increasing up elevator. Ten seconds after the engine sound increased, a decrease was heard. Two seconds later, the airplane continued in the left bank; the camera shook consistent with airframe buffet. One second after buffet onset, the airplane departed controlled flight again. The elevator commanded pitch-up, and the airplane rolled sharply left, reaching a bank angle of almost 90°. The engine sound was not nominal. The airplane descended quickly, rolling left and right repeatedly until ground impact. The camera broke free and came to rest at 12:04:40.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner determined the pilot's cause of death as blunt impact injuries to the head. The autopsy noted 50% narrowing of two coronary arteries but no focal lesions in the heart muscle. The FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team tested specimens; no carbon monoxide or volatiles were found. Cyanide tests were not performed. Diphenhydramine was detected in urine but not in blood. Diphenhydramine is a sedating antihistamine with FDA warnings about impairing hazardous tasks.
Tests and Research
The NTSB examined the wreckage on July 14, 2015. The examination revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airframe or engine.