History of Flight
On January 14, 2016, about 1610 central standard time, a Piper PA-22-108 airplane, N4751Z, impacted terrain near Garden City, Texas. The airline transport rated pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The pilot was operating the airplane under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane departed from Midland Airpark, Midland, Texas, about 1545, en route to Edwards Lucian Wells Ranch Airport, a private airport near Big Spring, Texas.
An employee of the pilot stated that the pilot planned to fly to show the airplane to a friend, the owner of the destination airport. A witness at the departure airport saw the pilot start the engine about 1530 but did not see the airplane take off. The destination was about 27 nautical miles east of Midland. Family members reported the pilot missing the following day, and an alert notice was issued. The airplane was located by law enforcement via cell phone ping and a Civil Air Patrol pilot. The accident site was about 8 nautical miles southwest of the intended destination and 6 nautical miles south of the direct route. There were no known witnesses. Radar data for the accident flight were not found.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 73, held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane multi-engine land, airplane single-engine land, and rotorcraft-helicopter, as well as a Learjet type rating. He also held a flight instructor certificate with a single-engine airplane rating, which expired on December 31, 1987. On June 1, 2015, he was issued a third-class medical certificate with the limitation: must have available glasses for near vision. He reported 5,342 total hours and 0 hours in the preceding six months. A logbook review showed 5,345.8 total hours, with 3.2 hours in the accident airplane. He logged 6.2 hours in 2011, 4.4 hours in 2015, and no entries from 2012 to 2014. On October 25, 2015, he completed a flight review in a Cessna 206, and on December 13, 2015, he flew the accident airplane with a flight instructor, practicing stalls, steep turns, and landings.
Aircraft Information
The Piper PA-22-108 Colt, serial number 22-8307, was a two-place, high-wing, tricycle landing gear airplane manufactured in 1961, constructed of metal tube and fabric. It had one 18-gallon fuel tank in the left wing and was powered by a Lycoming O-235-C1B engine rated at 108 horsepower, driving a two-blade fixed-pitch metal propeller. The airplane was sold to the pilot on November 30, 2015. On January 5, 2016, the FAA suspended its registration due to improper paperwork. Maintenance logbooks showed an annual and 100-hour inspection completed on January 23, 2015, at a tachometer time of 3,501.92 hours; the tachometer at the accident site read 3,517.59 hours.
Meteorological Information
At 1615, the automated weather station at Big Spring McMahon-Wrinkle Airport, about 16 miles northeast of the accident site, recorded wind from 230° at 15 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear sky, temperature 63°F, dew point 23°F, and altimeter 29.74 inches of mercury. Other nearby stations reported clear skies, visibility 10 miles, and west wind less than 20 knots. There was no evidence the pilot received a weather briefing. No pilot reports, convective activity, significant surface wind, or low-level wind shear hazards were found. An AIRMET for moderate turbulence below 10,000 ft was active.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The main wreckage came to rest in flat terrain with mesquite trees, adjacent to a caliche pit surrounded by large dirt piles. The pit was about 35 ft deep. The initial impact point was on the west side of a dirt pile on the pit's eastern boundary. The debris field extended 100 yards east on a heading of 065° magnetic. The engine was found 30 yards from the initial impact, and the main wreckage 10 yards beyond. The farthest debris was a piece of windscreen. Impact marks on the dirt pile corresponded to the landing gear spacing. A line of white paint chips 26 ft long was found, with red and green lens pieces at the ends. The propeller was detached, partially embedded, with chordwise scratches, leading edge gouges, polishing, and S-shape bending. The spinner was crushed, and mounting bolt holes elongated.
The engine was inverted with separated components; neither magneto produced spark due to internal damage. No preimpact anomalies were found. The main wreckage (wings, fuselage, empennage) was upright but impact-damaged. Control cables were continuous except where cut for extraction. The pitch trim jackscrew was neutral. No flaps were installed. Landing gear components were separated. The fuel selector was in the "ON" position. The amount of fuel on board could not be determined. The ELT was separated and in the "ON" position. Cockpit instruments were damaged; the altimeter Kollsman window was set to 29.92. The communication radio was tuned to 122.8 MHz, the navigation radio to 114.8 MHz (Midland VOR). A damaged cell phone was found; its ping was used to locate the wreckage. An unfolded San Antonio VFR Sectional chart showing the route was found nearby.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy attributed the cause of death to visceral injuries due to blunt impact trauma. Toxicological testing revealed the presence of amlodipine, a prescription medication for high blood pressure, which the pilot had reported to the FAA. Other substances were negative.