History of Flight
On October 16, 2016, at 1740 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Makela RV-4, registration N2626C, collided with a zipline cable and terrain while maneuvering at low altitude near Oregonia, Ohio. The private pilot and the pilot-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postimpact fire. The airplane was registered to the pilot and operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which originated from a private airstrip in Wilmington, Ohio, at about 1708.
Several witnesses reported seeing the airplane flying at low altitude before the accident. Witnesses near the accident site stated the airplane was traveling south along the river. One witness estimated the airplane was about 30 ft above the river, while another estimated it was about 50 ft above the tree tops. Both witnesses reported the engine sounded strong and at full power. One witness momentarily lost sight of the airplane; when it reappeared, the airplane descended into the trees.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land, issued on September 6, 2008. He was issued an FAA third-class airman medical certificate on July 17, 2013. At the time of his most recent medical application, the pilot reported 300 total hours of flight experience, with 46 hours in the previous 6 months. On an aircraft insurance application dated September 15, 2014, the pilot reported 750 total hours, including 200 hours in RV-4 aircraft. The pilot's logbook was not located during the investigation.
The passenger held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land, issued on September 29, 2016. He received an FAA third-class airman medical certificate on May 12, 2016. The passenger was seated in the rear seat, which was not equipped with a control stick at the time of the accident.
Aircraft Information
The RV-4 is a two-place, tandem-seat, low-wing airplane with conventional landing gear, powered by a 160-horsepower Lycoming O-320 engine. The airplane received an FAA Airworthiness Certificate on February 23, 1989. The pilot purchased the airplane on June 17, 2009. Maintenance records were not located during the investigation, and the airplane's maintenance history could not be determined.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest in heavily wooded, sloping terrain about 120 ft west of the Little Miami River on property owned by YMCA Camp Kern. The terrain elevation at the accident site was 700 ft above mean sea level. The terrain sloped from about 900 ft on both sides of the river to about 650 ft at the river, which made an S-shape near the accident site. Trees in the area were about 80 ft tall. Broken tree limbs were visible in several trees near the main wreckage. A path through the trees indicated an approximate 170° direction of flight.
The right wingtip and a section of the right wing were found separated from the main wreckage. The bottom surface of the right wingtip was located about 660 ft from the main wreckage just below a zipline cable. The top surface of the wingtip was about 50 ft from the cable, and the outboard piece of the right wing was found between the cable and main wreckage.
Examination of the airframe and engine on October 17, 2016, at Warren County Airport, revealed that the outboard 3 ft of the right wing, including the wingtip, was separated into several pieces. The leading-edge bottom portion of the wingtip was not located. The front side of the right wing forward spar contained impact marks consistent with a braided cable strike near the area where the structure separated. The outboard section of the right wing just inboard of the wingtip contained an impact area crushed outboard and rearward, with an impact fold about 1/2-inch in diameter. No preimpact failure or malfunction was identified.
Additional Information
YMCA Camp Kern operates 12 zip lines, with two (River 1 and River 2) crossing the Little Miami River. The unmarked zip cables are ½-inch rope core galvanized cable. Inspection after the accident found damage to the River 1 cable: one section about 486 ft from the sending platform showed flattened strands, embedded foreign material, and red and green paint transfer; another section about 85 ft from the sending tower had embedded wood fiber. The cable height at the impact point was about 170 ft above ground level.
Title 14 CFR Part 91.119(c) specifies minimum altitudes for aircraft operations, and Part 91.13 prohibits careless or reckless operation that endangers life or property.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies performed on October 17, 2016, attributed the deaths of the pilot and passenger to multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing for the pilot was negative for carbon monoxide and cyanide. Ethanol was detected at concentrations of 0.059 gm% in urine, 0.037 gm% in muscle, 0.036 gm% in brain, and 0.033 gm% in blood (unknown source). Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) at 10.1 ng/ml and 11-carboxy-THC at 13.1 ng/ml were found in blood. THC-COOH was also present in urine.
Toxicology tests on the passenger were also positive for ethanol and THC.