History of Flight
On March 8, 2017, at 1537 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built Pitts S2E, N30BJ, was substantially damaged after it impacted trees and terrain while on approach to Cox Airport (NC81), Apex, North Carolina. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal local flight, which originated about 1500. According to witnesses, the airplane was descending on approach to runway 9 at NC81. One witness reported that the engine sounded like it was running perfectly when the airplane passed overhead. Another witness saw the airplane approaching the runway at an angle before it went out of her line of sight. A third witness stated that the airplane rolled inverted before impacting a field about 300 feet short of the runway 9 threshold. Several witnesses reported hearing two booms.
Personnel Information
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. The pilot was issued an FAA third-class medical certificate on October 17, 2016. According to the pilot's logbook, he had accumulated a total of 1,933.2 hours of flight time. In the previous year, he had accumulated 9.4 hours, all in the accident airplane.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA records, the two-place biplane was issued an airworthiness certificate on January 23, 2009. It was equipped with a 190-horsepower Lycoming HIO-360 series engine driving a two-bladed Hartzell constant speed propeller. According to the maintenance logbooks, a condition inspection was completed on October 17, 2016, at a total time of 92.7 hours. Since then, the pilot had flown the airplane for 3.7 hours.
Meteorological Information
At 1537, Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), about 9 miles north of the accident location, reported a 2-minute average wind from 292° at 9 knots and a 5-second maximum average wind from 297° at 15 knots. Observations from surrounding airports indicated gusty surface wind conditions from the west through north, with gusts as high as 20 knots from 287° observed as close as 12 minutes before the accident at RDU. A model sounding for the accident site at 1500 indicated a surface wind from 295° at 10 knots, increasing to 15 knots by 2,500 ft and 30 knots by 9,000 ft. Light low-level wind shear was possible between the surface and 700 ft, and light to moderate clear-air turbulence was possible above 5,000 ft.
Aerodrome Information
NC81 was a private airport about 1 mile north of Apex, North Carolina, with no control tower. It had a turf runway designated 9/27, 2,450 ft long by 75 ft wide, at an elevation of 455 ft mean sea level. According to local pilots, due to the sloped runway, some pilots would land with up to a 10-knot tailwind on runway 9 before deciding to land into the wind on runway 27. The pilot's son stated the pilot used runway 9 about 90% of the time, only using runway 27 with strong wind.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted a pine tree before hitting the ground and came to rest, partially inverted, on the left wing. The fuselage was oriented on a 150° heading, with a ground scar about 15 ft before the main wreckage. A debris field began some distance beyond the pine tree and extended about 240 ft on a 90° heading. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to all control surfaces. The lower left wing was bent aft, with the outboard section separated and scattered along the debris path; a section of the lower left wingtip was near the initial tree strike. The upper left wing was partially separated. The right wings remained attached and were bent forward. The empennage remained attached, with the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator undamaged. The vertical stabilizer and rudder remained attached, with skin damage and slight bending. The left horizontal stabilizer and elevator remained attached, with outboard sections bent in a positive direction. The propeller remained attached to the engine; both blades exhibited chordwise scratching, one blade had leading edge gouging, and the other had tip tearing and blade curling. The engine remained attached and was removed for examination. The top cowling had pine needles on top of the cylinders, consistent with the pine tree at the wreckage path start. The bottom cowling was crushed upward. Engine crankshaft continuity was confirmed from the propeller flange to the accessory section. All cylinders had thumb compression and suction. Rocker box covers were removed with no anomalies. Valve train continuity was confirmed. Throttle and mixture cables were cut for examination. Fuel was noted throughout the fuel system.
Medical and Pathological Information
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services performed an autopsy, which indicated the pilot's cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries. The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory performed toxicological testing; fluid and tissue specimens tested negative for carbon monoxide and ethanol. Desmethylsildenafil, sildenafil, and valsartan were detected in blood and urine; these medications are non-impairing.