Flight History
On August 21, 2015, at approximately 0730 central standard time, a Cessna 172 airplane, registration N8265B, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain under unknown circumstances near Martinsville, Illinois. The non-certificated pilot, who was the sole occupant and owner of the airplane, sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Casey Municipal Airport (1H8), Casey, Illinois, about 0700.
No witnesses were present, and no radio or distress calls were heard. Radar information was not available. A person at 1H8 reported seeing a grey pickup truck near the taxiway and an open hangar door; the truck was later identified as belonging to the pilot, and the hangar was where he stored the airplane. The pilot's nephew stated the pilot would normally fly early to check on his fields and that the pilot owned property near the accident site. The nephew also noted the pilot was taking prescription medications for an ongoing illness. Neither family member knew the reason for the flight.
Pilot Information
According to FAA records, the pilot did not hold a valid pilot certificate. He had been issued a third-class medical/student pilot certificate on March 24, 2003, which expired on March 31, 2005. The flight time reported on his medical application was 80 hours. No recent flight time records or logbooks were found, and no records indicated anyone else flew the airplane. Based on the tachometer, the pilot had flown the accident airplane about 0.8 hours in the previous 4 months.
Aircraft Information
The 1957 Cessna 172, powered by a Continental O-300 engine, was last registered by the pilot on April 30, 2015. The most recent annual inspection of the airframe and engine was completed on March 11, 2015, with no outstanding defects. At that inspection, engine time was 832.5 hours since major overhaul, and airframe total time was 3,750.1 hours. The previous annual inspection was in 2006. The airplane was flown about 6.3 hours between the 2006 and 2015 inspections and 0.8 hours after the last annual. The mechanic who performed the inspection noted he rarely saw the airplane fly and flew with the pilot once; the pilot did not mention being a student. On February 25, 2015, 5.5 gallons of fuel were added and drained for maintenance; on March 11, 36.1 gallons were added. Total fuel capacity was 42 gallons with 5 gallons unusable.
Weather Conditions
The nearest weather reporting facility, at Coles County Memorial Airport, Mattoon, Illinois, about 35 miles west, reported at 0753: clear skies, temperature 72°F, dew point 68°F, visibility 10 miles, and altimeter 30.12 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage was found in a mature bean field about 11.5 miles southeast of 1H8 the day after the accident. The initial ground scar indicated a nose-down attitude of about 30°. Ground scars showed the airplane skidded forward about 20 ft, bounced, impacted again, and came to rest inverted. Two tracks from the left main and nose landing gears extended about 294 ft on the crop before initial impact. The engine with propeller assembly separated from the airframe except for tachometer cables; the empennage partially detached except for control cables.
Examination revealed the cockpit roof crushed downward, the engine firewall crushed aft, and the cockpit floor crushed upward. The throttle, mixture, and carburetor heat knobs were full forward. The pilot seat was locked in the last seat rail hole. The airspeed indicator needle showed 80 mph. The empennage aft of the rear cabin window separated except for flight control cables. Both wings remained attached; left wing exhibited aft diagonal buckle and crushing; right wing leading edge crushed aft. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The right elevator trim actuator corresponded to about 5° nose-up trim. Wing flaps were retracted. The fuel selector was in the BOTH position, and no fuel was found in the compromised tanks; a smell of avgas was present. The engine examination showed a hole in the crankcase, valve train continuity, normal spark plugs, and normal magneto operation. The propeller remained attached; blades exhibited chord-wise scratches and polishing; one blade bent aft.
Medical and Toxicology
The 63-year-old male pilot did not hold a valid medical certificate at the time. He had a history of metastatic colon cancer, hypothyroidism, high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic pain, and anxiety, treated with multiple impairing medications. Autopsy documented blunt force injuries as cause of death; no evidence of metastatic cancer or significant natural disease was found. Toxicology testing by FAA detected alprazolam (129 ng/ml), codeine (26.4 ng/ml), diphenhydramine (159 ng/ml), fentanyl (3.6 ng/ml), oxycodone (428 ng/ml), oxymorphone (19.3 ng/ml), and ethanol (0.047%) in blood; ethanol was from postmortem production. Urine was positive for impairing medications and their metabolites. Non-impairing metoprolol was detected in liver.