History of Flight
On January 4, 2017, about 12:08 central standard time, an experimental amateur-built BD-4 airplane, N311SD, departed from runway 21 at Capitol Airport (02C) in Brookfield, Wisconsin. The pilot, who owned the aircraft, was operating under Part 91 for a personal flight destined for New River Valley Airport (PSK), Dublin, Virginia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, although an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed but not opened.
According to the pilot's wife, she and her 6-month-old son waited in the airport office while the pilot loaded bags and performed a preflight inspection. After pushing the airplane out of the hangar, she helped secure the infant in a car seat in the left rear seat; she sat in the right rear seat with her seat belt fastened. The pilot completed his inspection, boarded, and buckled his seat belt. After engine start, he taxied to runway 21, conducted a run-up with no anomalies, and properly deflected the ailerons for the wind conditions. He applied full power while holding the brakes, then released them for takeoff. The wife felt the airplane become airborne briefly, then settle back onto the runway. The pilot applied more right rudder to maintain the centerline, and the airplane became airborne again. She felt a veer to the left and thought, "more right rudder." The airplane turned farther left and departed the runway. The wife reported the pilot was "vigorously pumping the rudders back and forth (left and right)" before impact.
A witness observed the wind sock "straight out" and noted that the pilot did not specifically mention the wind. When the airplane came into view during its takeoff roll, it appeared to be having difficulty—the nose was slightly up, the right wing down, and the tail oscillating. The witness estimated the airplane never exceeded 10 ft in altitude before it drifted off the runway; the impact occurred about 2 seconds later.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 41, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on February 26, 2013, with no restrictions. His logbook indicated approximately 1,241 total flight hours, with 50 hours in the accident airplane. His most recent flight review was completed on December 12, 2015.
The pilot and co-owner purchased the airplane in 2015 and began flying it in 2016. The pilot's logbook recorded 32 flights between April 24, 2016, and November 14, 2016. In the remarks column, crosswind conditions were mentioned in five flights, including a practice crosswind landing with an instructor on May 7. Other entries noted crosswind practice, gusty conditions, and performance tests such as cruise airspeed, stall speeds, and maximum rate of climb. No entries addressed crosswind limitations or stopping distance.
Aircraft Information
The airplane, serial number 11361, was manufactured in 2002 as a tailwheel-equipped, high-wing cantilever monoplane. It was powered by a 200-horsepower Lycoming IO-360-A1A reciprocating engine, serial number L-11173-51A. The last annual condition inspection was completed on September 1, 2016, at a tachometer time of 586.44 hours; the tachometer read 610.99 hours at the accident site.
The airplane had four seats, a maximum gross weight of 2,400 lbs, and an empty weight of 1,494 lbs, yielding a useful load of 906 lbs. The combined weight of the pilot and passengers was estimated at 361 lbs; bags found in the wreckage weighed 187 lbs, though their location during the flight could not be determined. The airplane held a total of 80 gallons of fuel. A fuel receipt showed the pilot purchased 25 gallons at 02C, but the amount onboard at the time of the accident was not determined. To remain within the 2,400-lb limit, the fuel load could not have exceeded 60 gallons. The distance to the destination was about 500 nautical miles, requiring about 30 gallons.
An aircraft logbook entry on April 23, 2016, noted completion of Phase-1 test flight hours and certification that the aircraft was controllable throughout its normal speed range and maneuvers, with no hazardous characteristics. The entry listed stall speed Vso (65 mph), Vx (90 mph), and Vy (110 mph) at a weight of 2,300 lbs and CG location of 89.1 inches. The BD-4 kit builder's website, for a newer version, listed a landing roll distance of 600 ft.
Meteorological Information
At 1145, a surface observation at Waukesha County Airport (UES), 4 nautical miles southwest of 02C, reported wind from 280° at 20 knots gusting to 28 knots, 10 miles visibility, scattered clouds at 2,200 ft agl, temperature -13°C, dew point -18°C, and altimeter 29.95 inches of mercury. At 1245, observations showed wind from 260° at 15 knots gusting to 25 knots, 10 miles visibility, few clouds at 2,200 ft agl, temperature -12°C, dew point -18°C, and altimeter 29.94 inches of mercury.
The pilot received a preflight weather briefing at 0915 from Lockheed Martin Flight Service. The briefing included AIRMET Tango and current VFR conditions at the departure airport. The pilot declined further information, stating he had the Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts.
Wreckage and Impact
FAA inspectors examined skid marks and tire tracks on the runway, grass, and taxiway. The total distance from the start of skid marks on runway 21 to the parked Chevrolet Tahoe was 953 ft. About 63 ft of skid marks veering left were found at the intersection of runways 21 and 27. The airplane departed the runway edge with no tracks for roughly 298 ft on a southerly heading, followed by 110 ft of ground movement on the taxiway and grass. After another 220 ft without tracks, tire tracks reappeared and continued 262 ft to where the airplane struck the SUV, displacing it about 8 ft and tipping it onto its left side. The airplane's engine, fuselage, and empennage came to rest on the left side of the SUV; the entire wing separated and came to rest about 91 ft beyond the main wreckage. The SUV was parked in an aircraft tie-down area about 250 ft from the runway 21 centerline.
Post-recovery examination revealed rudder control cable continuity from pedals to the control surface. The elevator control tube was connected to the bellcrank but fractured, consistent with overload. The aileron control system did not exhibit continuity due to overload fractures. The propeller spinner showed no aft crushing or torque signatures; one blade had a leading-edge gouge and aft bending, while the other showed aft bending with no significant nicks.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted by the Waukesha County Medical Examiner's Office listed the cause of death as multiple injuries. Toxicological testing by the FAA detected no carbon monoxide in blood; ethanol was not detected in vitreous. The test for cyanide was not performed. Ketamine (1.808 µg/ml in liver, 0.767 µg/ml in cardiac blood), midazolam (in cavity blood and liver), morphine (in cavity blood), and norketamine (0.492 µg/ml in liver, 0.058 µg/ml in cavity blood) were identified. Review of postaccident treatment records indicated that ketamine was administered as part of initial medical care, and the presence of midazolam and morphine was most likely from medical procedures during postaccident care.