History of Flight
On May 30, 2016, an experimental amateur-built Storch FI-156 airplane, registration N429BB, crashed in a wooded area near Fordsville, Kentucky. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed by impact and a postcrash fire. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, with visual meteorological conditions prevailing. No flight plan was filed. The flight originated about 1133 central daylight time from Rough River State Park Airport (2I3), Falls of Rough, Kentucky.
According to a friend who was also a pilot, earlier that day the accident pilot flew from Owensboro-Daviess County Airport (OWB) to 2I3, landing about 0945. The friend met him there, and they ate at a local restaurant. After preparing to depart, the friend heard the accident pilot perform an engine run-up with normal magneto drops. After takeoff, the accident pilot turned to a heading of 315°, and the friend lost sight of the airplane when it was about 1.5 miles away. The friend departed in his own airplane and attempted to contact the accident pilot via radio but received no reply. He then landed at Ohio County Airport, Hartford, Kentucky.
The friend indicated that the accident pilot might have intended to fly to a nearby ultralight airstrip before returning to OWB. When the airplane did not arrive by sunset, law enforcement was contacted. A search was initiated, and the wreckage was located on June 1, 2016, about 6.7 nautical miles west-northwest from 2I3. Review of radar targets below 10,000 feet mean sea level between 1030 and 1230 revealed no targets associated with the accident flight.
Personnel Information
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot, age 70, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single- and multi-engine land, instrument airplane, and glider, and a sport endorsement for airplane single-engine sea. His most recent medical certificate was a special issuance third-class medical certificate dated December 22, 1998, requiring corrective lenses and valid for 15 months. At the time of the accident, the pilot was exercising sport pilot privileges and was not required to hold a medical certificate. A friend estimated the pilot's total flight time at about 3,500 hours, with about 6 hours in the accident airplane.
Aircraft Information
The two-place experimental amateur-built airplane was manufactured in 2012. It was powered by a Rotax 912 ULS engine driving a Tennessee Propellers, Inc., 72-48 fixed-pitch propeller. It was equipped with fixed leading-edge slats spanning nearly the entire length of each wing and manually-operated fowler flaps. The previous owner reported a stall speed of 20 mph. A condition inspection was completed on February 15, 2016, at an airplane total time of 105.8 hours. The pilot purchased the airplane on May 28, 2016. A pre-purchase inspection found no unairworthy items; at that time, airframe and engine total times were 110 and 220 hours, respectively.
Meteorological Information
The 1158 automated surface observation at Godman Army Airfield (FTK), Fort Knox, Kentucky, about 35 nautical miles from the accident site, reported wind from 350° at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 28°C, dew point 16°C, and altimeter setting 30.04 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane crashed in a heavily wooded area. A postcrash fire consumed most of the airplane and damaged the surrounding area. Treetop damage was not detected outside the immediate impact area, and no bird remains were noted. The airplane came to rest upright, with the engine detached and lying about 3 to 4 feet to the left of the firewall. All components necessary for flight remained attached or were found near the main wreckage. Extensive thermal damage precluded determination of switch positions and instrument readings. Pre-impact engine control positions could not be determined due to engine separation. The flaps were found retracted.
Examination of flight controls for roll, pitch, and yaw revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction; the pitch trim was set to mid-travel. The engine was recovered and examined by a representative of the engine manufacturer with FAA oversight. Due to extensive heat damage, crankshaft rotation could not be performed, and the flywheel could not be removed. A limited examination of the power section revealed no anomalies. The fuel, ignition, and lubrication systems sustained heat damage but showed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The majority of the wood propeller was consumed by fire, leaving about 10% of the hub area; mounting hardware was in place and secured.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Louisville, Kentucky, determined the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. The autopsy noted a large transmural scar of the anterolateral left ventricle wall and that ischemic/atherosclerotic coronary artery disease was a significant factor contributing to the pilot's death. Medical records indicated the pilot had undergone 4-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting and had a history of hypertension and high cholesterol. The examination for natural disease was limited by the extent of injury. Toxicological testing by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory detected no ethanol in submitted muscle and brain specimens and no tested drugs in the muscle specimen.