History of Flight
On May 28, 2016, about 1515 Pacific daylight time, an experimental amateur-built VariEze, registration N80681, struck power lines and terrain near Santa Paula, California, after a total loss of engine power. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed by postcrash fire. The flight originated from Santa Paula Airport (SZP) about 1510 under visual meteorological conditions. Two witnesses observed the airplane at 200-300 ft agl, heard sputtering, then saw it descend behind a hill and reappear in a steep 45° left turn before hitting power lines. After impact, an explosion and fire were reported. A witness who spoke with the pilot after takeoff reported the pilot radioed that the engine had quit; no further communications followed.
Personnel Information
The 61-year-old pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate (single- and multi-engine land), flight instructor certificates (single- and multi-engine, instrument), and an airframe and powerplant mechanic certificate. He held a second-class medical certificate issued July 18, 2015, requiring corrective lenses. At that time, he reported 3,500 total flight hours, with 30 hours in the previous six months. His personal logbook indicated 2,525.8 total hours, with only 3.6 hours in the preceding six months.
Aircraft Information
The VariEze, serial number 1424, was manufactured in 1980 and powered by a Continental Motors O-200-X experimental reciprocating engine rated at 100 horsepower. A condition inspection was completed on May 1, 2016; no airframe total time was recorded at that inspection. Previous entries as of September 30, 2015, listed total airframe time at 2,576.0 hours and total engine time at 324.3 hours. A zero-time engine had been installed new on March 18, 2003, assembled from new Continental parts, including a crankshaft from A.E.R.O., Inc. shipped in December 2002. The engine was installed in May 2003.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was in a rural area of Santa Paula, near a road and open field with furrowed rows, adjacent to a lemon orchard where the airplane came to rest. Initial impact was with power lines about 75 ft tall, approximately 162 ft south of the main wreckage. A debris path extended from the power lines on a magnetic heading of 325°, and the airplane came to rest on a heading of 140°, consumed by fire. All major components were accounted for, and flight control continuity was established. The engine showed extensive thermal damage. It was equipped with a Light Speed Engineering electronic ignition system; magneto, mechanical fuel pump, starter, and vacuum pump mounting pads were blanked off. The ignition harness was thermally damaged. The throttle cable arm was secured, but the mixture arm could not be tested due to heat damage. Internal timing was compromised due to mechanical damage to the crankshaft cluster gear and camshaft gear. Spark plugs from cylinders 1, 2, and 4 were oil-contaminated; cylinder 3 was dry with normal combustion signatures. The oil pump had scratches on its cavity walls, and gear teeth showed pitting. The oil filter element had turned to ash. All four cylinders were intact but thermally damaged; valves and rocker arms were intact. Piston rings and pins showed no damage. Connecting rods and caps for cylinders 1, 2, and 4 were normal, but No. 3 rod bearings had surface pitting. The engine rotated fully in one direction but bound in the opposite. The crankcase was separated, and the data plate was unreadable. Main bearings on the left half were dark and pitted; right half bearings were normal. Crankshaft journals were dark and discolored at rear and center positions. The crankshaft cluster gear and camshaft gear exhibited mechanical damage; the camshaft appeared normal.
Medical and Pathological Findings
Postmortem examination by the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office determined the cause of death as thermal injuries due to the aircraft accident. FAA toxicology on the pilot was negative for carbon monoxide, volatiles, and drugs; a cyanide screen was not performed. Elevated glucose levels were detected in vitreous (21 mg/dL) and urine (519 mg/dL), and hemoglobin A1C was 5.6% in cardiac blood.
Tests and Research
The crankshaft, camshaft drive gear cluster, main bearings, and camshaft with gear were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory. The crankshaft was intact but discolored at bearing locations, consistent with thermal damage. The camshaft drive gear ring exhibited nine consecutive fractured gear teeth; large pieces of eight teeth were recovered from the oil sump. Optical examination revealed fatigue progression beach marks on the fracture surfaces of teeth 1, 2, and 3; the remaining fractures were consistent with overstress. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed fatigue initiation near the tooth base, about 0.025 inches outboard of the root diameters for teeth 1 and 2.