Flight History
On January 14, 2016, at approximately 1405 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built Flightstar II, registration N82652, experienced an in-flight separation of its left wing and subsequently impacted wooded terrain near Wake, Virginia. The sport pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 for personal purposes. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Hummel Field Airport (W75) in Saluda, Virginia, around 1355, en route to New Quarter Farm Airport (92VA) in Gloucester, Virginia.
A witness reported observing the airplane at an altitude of about 1,200 ft above ground level, flying south toward Hartfield, Virginia, in what appeared to be normal operation. The witness then heard "a snap or a cracking sound" and saw the left wing fold upward. Within a second, the airplane entered a vertical counterclockwise spiral and descended straight down. Other witnesses described hearing the engine, a "loud pop," and then seeing the airplane with a broken left wing as it descended vertically.
Pilot Information
The 64-year-old pilot held a sport pilot certificate and a repairman certificate with an inspection rating for the accident airplane. He obtained his sport pilot certificate on October 7, 2010. The pilot was not required to hold a Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate and never had one. His logbooks, recovered from the scene, indicated a total flight time of 570.4 hours. Since January 19, 2013, he had logged 93.1 hours, of which 91.2 were in the accident airplane. In the 90 days prior to the accident, he flew 3.8 hours in the accident airplane.
Aircraft Information
The Flightstar II is a two-seat, externally-braced high-wing airplane with fixed tricycle landing gear. It is powered by a Rotax 582 engine in a tractor configuration driving a three-blade composite propeller. The airplane features an enclosed fiberglass cockpit and a conventional three-axis control system with ailerons, rudder, and elevator. It received a special airworthiness certificate on September 18, 1996. The pilot purchased the airplane on July 3, 2004.
Five days before the accident, on January 9, 2016, the pilot was landing at W75. A witness reported that after a good landing, as the pilot turned left, the right wheel "snapped" off, causing the airplane to stop quickly. Another witness observed rust on the landing gear and said the pilot described the landing as "not hard." A skid mark about 3 ft long was noted. During repair, the pilot and a witness found rust and a crack on the axle where the wheel had separated. After welding repairs, the pilot elected to fly the airplane back to its home base on the day of the accident.
The most recent condition inspection was completed by the pilot on January 2, 2016, 12 days before the accident, at which time the airframe had 311.1 total hours. Maintenance records showed that on November 11, 2012, at 217.2 hours, a "complete aircraft overhaul" was performed, including new wings, fuel tanks, propeller, fuel lines, bolts, and an instrument panel. The airplane flew about 94 hours between that overhaul and the last condition inspection.
The pilot's logbook noted flights in "very gusty" or "gusty" conditions on multiple occasions, including a December 27, 2015 flight where winds of 15 to 40 knots were encountered. The Flightstar II flight manual states: "DO NOT TAKE OFF IN WIND THAT EXCEEDS 15 KNOTS. (LESS IF GUSTY)."
On the morning of the accident, around 0730, a commercial pilot witness inspected the airplane in a hangar at W75. He observed the leading edge of the left wing and noted that "within 5 feet of the fuselage, the fabric appeared to be shrunken down and appeared to be too tight." He also described the area as "dented in."
Weather Conditions
At 1307, an automated surface weather observation at W75, about 3 nautical miles north of the accident site, reported wind from 240° at 9 knots gusting to 15 knots, clear skies, visibility 10 statute miles, temperature 12°C, dew point -3°C, and altimeter setting 29.98 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact
The accident site was at an elevation of 61 ft in heavily wooded terrain with trees about 75 ft tall. Broken branches were found at tree tops directly above the site. The wreckage was within a 30 ft by 30 ft area. No post-crash fire occurred. The aluminum tube, fabric, and fiberglass airframe was completely deformed.
The propeller remained attached to the engine crankshaft flange, which appeared undamaged. One propeller blade had separated and was found 20 ft away; the remaining two blades exhibited rotational damage, delamination, and splintering. The engine remained attached and partially buried. The engine was rotated manually via the propeller; no internal restrictions were noted, and compression and suction were observed on both cylinders. Spark plugs appeared normal with no abnormal combustion signatures. The carburetors functioned normally, and the float bowl contained residual fuel with no contamination.
An emergency ballistic parachute system was found partially discharged from its canister but had not been activated by the pilot. It was disabled by emergency personnel.
Flight control continuity was established for the rudder, elevator, and right aileron. Full control movement could not be verified due to cuts made by rescue personnel and impact damage. Examination of the left wing revealed several missing internal camber ribs and bent struts. A site search did not locate additional wing pieces. The left wing was reconstructed; the forward spar of the left wing was fractured about 4 ft outboard of the wing root and bent forward about 4 ft outboard of the fracture. Upward buckling deformation was present. The left metal leading edge skin had separated from the forward spar and was wrinkled. No bird strike residue or foreign debris was found.
Portions of the left wing were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for analysis. Detailed examination revealed buckling deformation at the upper aft side of the forward spar fracture and curving deformation consistent with the outboard end displacing upward and aft. Two distinct creases were found within the bend radius, spaced 5 inches apart.
Additional Information
An Adventure Pilot iFly 700 GPS was recovered from the wreckage. Despite a shattered screen and cracked case, the SD card was intact. Data from the card included 14 track logs, with the accident flight comprising 11 data points. The first point was near W75 at a GPS altitude of 75 ft and groundspeed of 43 knots. The track continued south at about 45 knots groundspeed, climbing to a final GPS altitude of 1,017 ft. The accident site was located about 1/4 mile south of the final recorded GPS point.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Richmond, Virginia, determined the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head, torso, and lower extremities. The manner of death was accident. The autopsy noted an enlarged heart with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, coronary artery bypass grafts, and a pacemaker with leads extending to the right heart. Toxicological testing by the FAA's Bioaeronautical Research Sciences Laboratory detected negative results for ethanol and major drugs of abuse. Atorvastatin (a cholesterol-lowering medication) and sotalol (an antiarrhythmic) were found; both are not considered impairing.