History of Flight
On September 27, 2015, about 1830 central daylight time, a Cessna 182A airplane, N3921D, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees and terrain near Lexington, Texas. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was registered to and operated by Austin Skydiving Center, Inc. under 14 CFR Part 91 as part of a skydiving operation. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from Lexington Airfield (TE75) about 1800.
A witness, one of the skydivers on the initial portion of the flight, reported that the climb to 10,000 feet was routine. After exiting, he landed uneventfully and observed the airplane overfly the runway northbound about 50 feet above ground level (agl). The airplane pitched up about 45 degrees, gained about 200 feet of altitude, then entered a left 45-degree banked turn. After completing about 90 degrees of the turn, the nose dropped and it immediately dove. The airplane entered a left spin, rotating about 180 degrees before impacting the ground. About 1.5 to 2 seconds elapsed from nose drop to impact.
A second witness heard the airplane for 5 to 10 seconds before seeing it approach from the north. The engine sounded loud, as if at full throttle. He saw the airplane nose down, descending toward a wooded area, appearing intact with both wings and tail visible, then it impacted the trees.
A third witness reported the accident occurred on the last or second-to-last flight of the day. The airplane approached the runway, leveled off about 100 feet agl, overflew the runway, then entered a left turn. Before completing the turn, it lost momentum and the nose dropped abruptly.
Another skydiver from the initial flight noted the takeoff and climb were not noteworthy. The airplane was refueled immediately before the accident flight.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land and instrument airplane ratings, issued November 1, 2014, and a first-class medical certificate with corrective lenses restriction, issued January 13, 2015. His logbook showed the most recent entry on September 25, 2015, with 862.0 total flight hours, including 846.2 hours in single-engine land airplanes and 605.5 hours in Cessna 182 airplanes. Of these, 780.8 hours were as pilot-in-command and 238.2 hours as dual instruction received. He held endorsements for complex and high-performance airplane operations. A colleague described him as a skilled pilot and felt safe flying with him.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a Cessna 182A, serial number 18234621, a single-engine, four-place design with fixed tricycle landing gear. It was powered by a 230-horsepower Continental Motors O-470-L engine (s/n 67911-7-L) driving a two-blade McCauley constant-speed propeller (model 2A34C203-C/G-90DCA-8, s/n 010632).
The most recent annual inspection was completed June 30, 2015, at tachometer time 4,178.3 hours. A tachometer failure at 4,200 hours led to installation of a Hobbs meter showing 0 hours. The most recent 100-hour inspection was September 24, 2015, with airframe total time about 4,282 hours and Hobbs meter indicating 82.7 hours.
The engine was overhauled in November 2011 at 3,058.7 hours and installed on the accident airframe November 30, 2014, accumulating 919.5 hours since overhaul. It was disassembled and inspected due to a propeller strike before installation. At the last 100-hour inspection, engine total time was about 4,124 hours with about 1,066 hours since overhaul. Propeller total time was about 1,116 hours.
Two modifications for skydiving were made: removal of right front and rear seats with installation of floor-level seat belt brackets for four additional occupants, and modification of the right cabin door for in-flight operation.
Meteorological Information
Weather at Giddings-Lee County Airport (GYB), about 15 miles south of TE75, at 1835: wind 120 degrees at 7 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear sky, temperature 27°C, dew point 19°C, altimeter 29.87 inHg.
At Caldwell Municipal Airport (RWV), about 15 miles northeast of TE75, at 1830: wind 110 degrees at 6 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear sky, temperature 27°C, dew point 18°C, altimeter 29.87 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted trees and terrain about one-quarter mile north-northwest of TE75, in a wooded area on the slope of an embankment surrounding a small pond. Tree breaks indicated a high angle of descent. A 6-inch diameter tree limb was partially severed, consistent with a propeller strike, at about 45 degrees relative to the horizon, matching an approximate 45-degree nose-down attitude. The airplane came to rest upright on the sloped embankment; all wreckage was confined to the impact point. All structural components were in relative positions of an intact aircraft.
The nose and forward fuselage were deformed and fragmented. The engine was dislocated aft into the firewall to about the leading edge of the wings. The cockpit was compromised and fragmented. The fuselage showed buckling near the aft cabin and baggage area. The empennage remained attached and appeared intact; rudder and elevators retained control continuity to the cockpit. Both cabin doors were separated and found adjacent to the fuselage.
The left wing was separated and found adjacent to the fuselage. The forward spar and wing strut showed cuts consistent with postaccident removal; the aft spar failed due to overload. The wing structure was deformed with aft crushing along the entire leading edge. The aileron and flap remained attached; control continuity confirmed to wing root.
The right wing remained attached, also deformed with aft crushing. The aileron control tube separated between bellcrank and surface due to overload; aileron cross-over cable separated inboard of wing root due to overload. Flap control continuity was confirmed to wing root.
The engine sustained impact damage. All six cylinders remained attached; internal continuity was confirmed through crankshaft rotation. Suction and compression were noted at all cylinders. Borescope examination revealed no anomalies. Upper spark plugs showed normal combustion signatures. The left magneto separated; right magneto remained and produced spark. The carburetor housing fractured; fuel screen intact and unobstructed.
The propeller separated due to hub fracture near the mounting flange. Both blades remained with the forward hub portion, found near the engine. The fracture surface indicated overstress due to impact. Propeller blades exhibited minor bending and twisting; one blade had minor scuffing about one-third span from root and over the outboard one-third.
No preimpact failure or malfunction was found during the postaccident examination.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office on September 29, 2015, attributed the pilot's death to blunt force injuries from the accident. The FAA CAMI toxicology report noted: no ethanol detected in vitreous; dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine, and doxylamine detected in liver.