History of Flight
On July 3, 2015, about 1545 central daylight time, a Cessna 172 airplane, N62681, impacted terrain near Bartlett, Illinois. The airplane was destroyed and the private rated pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Fox Flying Club, Inc., under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the airplane was not on a flight plan. The local flight originated from DuPage Airport (DPA), West Chicago, Illinois, about 1510.
The pilot, a member of the flying club, flew to Schaumburg Regional Airport (06C), about 8 miles northeast of DPA. During the inbound flight back to DPA, the pilot contacted the tower and reported a problem with the rudder. He declined any assistance. Shortly thereafter, the airplane disappeared from radar, and the pilot did not respond to further radio calls. The accident site was located in a vacant field in a forest preserve area.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating and a third-class medical certificate issued on July 2, 2015, with the restriction: "must have available glasses for near vision." The medical certificate listed the pilot as 255 lbs and 69 inches tall. The pilot reported 225 total flight hours, with 5 hours in the previous six months.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 172 is a high-wing, single-engine airplane with fixed-tricycle landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-320 engine and a fixed-pitch propeller. The last annual inspection was completed on March 2, 2015, with an airframe time of 9,800.9 hours and a tachometer reading of 3,315 hours.
Meteorological Information
At 1552, the automated weather observation at DuPage Airport, about 5 miles from the accident site, recorded wind from 300 degrees at 5 knots, 10 miles visibility, few clouds at 5,000 ft, temperature 79°F, dew point 55°F, and barometric pressure 29.93 inHg.
Communications and Radar Information
After departing Schaumburg, the pilot contacted DuPage tower, reported inbound, and stated he had a rudder problem, wanting to stay out for a minute. The controller asked if he needed assistance; the pilot replied he "didn't think so, just let me play a little bit, here." About a minute and a half later, the controller asked his intentions and said he had lost him on radar. The pilot did not respond to further calls.
Radar data showed the airplane tracking northwest from Schaumburg, then southwest toward DPA, completing about three-quarters of a figure-eight pattern before disappearing from radar at about 1,900 ft MSL (approximately 1,200 ft AGL).
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage and ground scars were consistent with a left wing, nose-down impact. The main wreckage included both wings, fuselage, and empennage. The cabin was largely destroyed; both wings remained attached, with impact damage to the right wing leading edge. Fuel tanks were breached. The empennage remained attached with impact damage. No post-crash fire occurred.
The engine separated from the fuselage; the propeller remained attached, with one blade twisted and curled past 90 degrees, and the other slightly twisted. Rudder control cables were connected to the rudder horn but had separated at the rudder/brake control assembly due to overload. Control continuity for elevators was established to the forward cabin. Aileron cables separated at the wing roots. The flap actuator measured about ¼ inch, corresponding to flaps retracted.
Engine examination revealed continuity, compression and suction in each cylinder, and spark from the right magneto. Sparkplugs showed light-colored deposits except for the oil-soaked number four-bottom plug. No pre-impact abnormalities were noted.
Two orthopedic shoes with coil springs in the heels were found at the site.
Medical and Pathological Information
The autopsy determined the cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries. Toxicological testing detected ethanol (27 mg/dL) in muscle but not in the brain, likely from a source other than ingestion (putrefied). Tests also found Atenolol, Colchicine, Diphenhydramine, and Losartan in kidney and liver tissues.
Atenolol is used for high blood pressure; Colchicine for gout; Diphenhydramine as an antihistamine and sleep aid; Losartan for high blood pressure and related conditions.