History of Flight
On December 9, 2016, at about 1819 central standard time, a Zodiac CH601XL SLSA, registration N4218, impacted terrain near Marengo, Illinois, following a loss of control. The sport pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Poplar Grove Airport (C77) at about 1812, en route to Schaumburg Regional Airport (06C), approximately 38 nautical miles away, where the pilot planned to attend an EAA chapter holiday party. The pilot did not arrive, and the wreckage was discovered the following morning at about 0730.
No communications with air traffic control occurred. Rockford International Airport's surveillance radar showed the airplane departing C77, climbing to 3,700 ft msl, with the last return at 3,500 ft msl about 0.5 miles northwest of the accident site. The airplane came to rest in a plowed cornfield 12.6 miles southeast of C77 along the direct route.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a sport pilot certificate issued November 30, 2012. The pilot's logbook showed total flight time of 274 hours, all in the accident airplane, with 189 hours as pilot-in-command and 9.5 hours at night. The last logged night flight was on November 14, 2016 (0.5 hours). A night flight endorsement was dated October 1, 2015. The last flight review was completed October 21, 2016. The pilot was pursuing a private pilot certificate and had passed the written knowledge examination on September 15, 2016.
Regulations state that a sport pilot may not act as pilot in command of a light sport aircraft at night (14 CFR 61.315), and a student pilot requires specific endorsements for solo night flight (14 CFR 61.87(o)(3)).
Aircraft Information
The airplane, a Zodiac CH601XL SLSA, was purchased new in 2008. In June 2010, the wings were modified per the manufacturer's safety alert dated November 7, 2009. The last annual inspection was on September 2, 2016, at 263.8 hours. The last logbook entry was a battery replacement on November 9, 2016, at 280.3 hours. The pilot's wife, who was a passenger on the last flight two weeks before the accident, reported no anomalies. The airplane was fueled with 12 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel on December 6, 2016; it is unknown if the airplane was flown between fueling and the accident.
Meteorological Information
Official sunset on the accident date was at 1622. The moon was 46° above the horizon at the time of the accident.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest inverted on a magnetic heading of 15°. The wings and tail were folded upward over the cockpit and engine. An impact crater was under the partially buried engine. Most wreckage was at the main impact point. The left main landing gear was found 190 ft southeast; a piece of lower right-wing skin was 100 ft southeast; and a leather satchel belonging to the pilot was 500 ft south of the main wreckage.
A postaccident examination by the NTSB and FAA, with assistance from the engine manufacturer, revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions. Damage was consistent with an inverted impact.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy attributed the pilot's death to multiple injuries sustained in the accident. Toxicology testing by the FAA was negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol, and negative for impairing drugs except atorvastatin (Lipitor), a non-impairing cholesterol medication detected in the liver.
Tests and Research
A Garmin GPSMAP, Dynon EFIS-D100, and Dynon EMS-D120 were recovered but suffered impact damage. The GPSMAP's memory chip was cracked; data could not be retrieved. The EFIS-D100's memory was intact but contained no historical data due to logging being off or firmware limitations. The EMS-D120 had about 16 recorded sessions, none matching the accident flight's geographic data.