Accident Details
On September 3, 2016, about 1900 central daylight time, a Bellanca 7ECA airplane, registration N787MW, impacted the Trinity River while performing low-altitude aerobatic maneuvers near Moss Hill, Texas. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from a private airstrip in Cleveland, Texas, at an undetermined time.
Witness Observations
Witnesses reported seeing the pilot conducting "flybys" and "tricks" in the area. One witness observed the airplane completing "flips and spins" for about 10 minutes before the accident. Ground-based video footage captured the airplane flying over the river at low altitude. The airplane pitched up and entered a steep climb. As it reached the top of the climb, it yawed to the left and entered a nearly vertical descent with a gradual left turn. Shortly before impacting the river, the left turn reversed abruptly into a right, descending turn. The airplane struck the river in a nearly vertical, nose-down attitude and came to rest inverted and partially submerged.
Pilot Information
The pilot's initial logbook entry was dated March 14, 2015, described as an "orientation flight" conducted in the accident airplane. Primary flight training was completed in the accident airplane, as well as in Cessna 152 and 172 airplanes. The pilot received a private pilot certificate on July 13, 2015, and a tailwheel airplane endorsement on July 14, 2015. The logbook also contained a stall awareness/spin competency endorsement dated January 5, 2016. No entries specifically noted instruction in aerobatic maneuvers. However, a family friend stated that the pilot had received instruction and was competent in basic aerobatic maneuvers.
Aircraft and Wreckage
FAA records indicated the current owner purchased the airplane in November 2014. The exact total time could not be determined because the recording tachometer was damaged consistent with impact forces. The wreckage came to rest inverted and partially submerged in the Trinity River about one-third mile south of Highway 105. A small beach area was located along the riverbank near the highway overpass, and both banks were lined with low trees. A post-accident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies consistent with a pre-impact failure or malfunction.
Medical and Pathological Findings
An autopsy attributed the pilot's death to blunt force injuries sustained in the accident. Toxicological testing detected: no carbon monoxide; no ethanol; benzoylecgonine (2.067 ug/ml in urine, 0.049 ug/ml in cavity blood); cocaethylene in urine (not in blood); cocaine in urine (not in blood); ecgonine methyl ester in urine (not in blood); ibuprofen in urine; levamisole in urine (not in blood); and methamphetamine (0.032 ug/ml in cavity blood, detected in muscle). Benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester are inactive metabolites of cocaine; cocaethylene is formed only when cocaine and ethanol are co-ingested. Levamisole is commonly used to cut street cocaine. Ibuprofen is an over-the-counter analgesic. Methamphetamine is available by prescription for narcolepsy and obesity but is also commonly available illicitly.