Accident Details
On March 24, 2016, about 0748 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Harmon Rocket II, registration N729PS, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Cheraw, South Carolina. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which departed Cheraw Municipal Airport (CQW) about 0710.
Witness Observations
Witnesses observed the airplane flying at or near treetop height at several locations in and around the town of Cheraw. One witness, working alongside the Pee Dee River, reported that just before the accident, the airplane was flying along the river about treetop level when it struck a power line.
Flight Data Recorder Analysis
An electronic primary flight display and engine monitor system were recovered and examined. The downloaded GPS data revealed a low-level flightpath consistent with witness statements. During the 7 minutes before the accident, the airplane overflew an airport and the Pee Dee River at altitudes as low as 50 ft above ground level. The engine monitor data did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions.
Pilot Information
According to FAA records, the pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single- and multi-engine land and a flight engineer certificate. His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued February 25, 2016, at which time he reported 13,289 total hours of flight experience and 31 hours in the previous 6 months. A witness reported that the pilot had accrued about 35 hours in the accident airplane make and model.
Aircraft Information
The tandem, two-seat, low-wing, fixed tailwheel airplane, serial number 414, was assembled from a kit and issued an FAA experimental airworthiness certificate on January 21, 2016, which also marked its most recent condition inspection. It was powered by a 250-horsepower Lycoming O-540 engine and equipped with a Hartzell two-blade, fixed-pitch propeller. At the time of the condition inspection, the airframe had 0 hours of operation and the engine had accrued 590.5 hours since major overhaul. Additional maintenance was performed on March 8, 2016, due to a propeller strike; at that time, the airframe and engine had accumulated 12 hours since the condition inspection.
Weather Conditions
The recorded weather at CQW about 3 nautical miles west of the accident site at 0755 included wind calm, visibility 5 miles in mist, and a clear sky.
Wreckage Examination
Examination of the accident scene revealed that two power line cables were severed about midspan between two towers, one on each side of the Pee Dee River. The airplane came to rest on a wooded island about 150 yards north of the power line crossing and about 50 yards west of the river bank. Damage to the surrounding trees was consistent with a near-vertical descent. The airplane came to rest in a nose-down, inverted attitude. The upper surface of the engine cowling and canopy were crushed; both wings exhibited leading edge damage consistent with several tree impacts; the left main landing gear was separated at the fuselage; and the empennage was partially separated, bent upward and forward with severe crushing. One section of power line cable was found next to the fuselage, and another was found wrapped around the engine cowling. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the control stick and rudder pedals to the ailerons and rudder, and from the control stick through an overload fracture in the push-pull tube to the elevator. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions were found.
Engine and Propeller Examination
The engine crankshaft was fractured in overload just aft of the flywheel. The flywheel, propeller, spinner, and hub remained attached and were found near the rear of the main wreckage. The propeller exhibited gouge marks in the leading edge consistent with the diameter of the power line, as well as scrape marks on the leading edge and rear of the blade consistent with cable impact. Both blades showed s-bending.
Autopsy and Toxicology
The Chesterfield County Coroner's Office performed an autopsy, which listed the cause of death as "multiple blunt force injuries." The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory performed toxicology testing. The report revealed cyclobenzaprine, norcyclobenzaprine, and diclofenac in blood and urine; 0.004 µg/ml zolpidem in blood and 0.005 µg/ml in urine. Cyclobenzaprine (whose metabolite is norcyclobenzaprine) is a prescription muscle relaxant with potentially impairing effects; the laboratory could not determine the amount present. Diclofenac is a prescription analgesic not considered impairing. Zolpidem is a potentially impairing prescription sleep aid with a therapeutic range of 0.025 to 0.30 µg/ml.