History of Flight
On April 12, 2017, at about 1430 eastern daylight time, a Howard Aircraft DGA-15P, registration N4476N, was destroyed when it impacted terrain during a go-around at Rostraver Airport (FWQ) in Monongahela, Pennsylvania. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics and operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Allegheny County Airport (AGC) at about 1305. According to the FAA, no air traffic control services were requested or provided after departure. Radar data showed that before proceeding to FWQ, the airplane's track was consistent with local airwork, occasionally disappearing in areas below radar coverage.
Witnesses at FWQ reported that the airplane was attempting to land on runway 26, a 4,002-foot-long, 75-foot-wide asphalt runway. The airplane initially touched down left of the runway centerline, then became airborne, and engine noise increased. The airplane then yawed and banked left, perpendicular to the runway, and the nose pitched up. At that point, it appeared to stall and roll inverted before impacting a ravine about 400 feet left of the runway. A postcrash fire ensued. One witness, who had just completed several landings in a Cessna 172, noted that although the automated weather indicated wind from 290° at 5 knots, he encountered a gust during his last landing that lifted his airplane's right wing and caused it to drift left.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on May 9, 2016. At that time, he reported 1,091 total flight hours. His logbook was not recovered and was presumed destroyed in the fire. An insurance application dated October 21, 2016, listed 1,109 total hours, with 30 hours in the accident airplane make and model.
Aircraft Information
The Howard Aircraft DGA-15P was a five-seat, high-wing, fixed-tailwheel airplane powered by a Pratt and Whitney R-985 radial engine producing 450 horsepower, equipped with a two-blade Hamilton Standard propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed on March 23, 2017. At that time, the airframe had 2,184.2 total hours, and the engine had 109.2 hours since major overhaul.
Meteorological Information
The 1425 recorded weather at FWQ included wind from 280° at 6 knots, variable between 240° and 320°; visibility 10 statute miles; clear sky; temperature 16°C; dew point 1°C; altimeter 30.31 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination of the accident site revealed ground scars in the grass about 200 feet left of the runway and about halfway down the runway. Red paint chips consistent with the wingtip color were observed. An impact crater about 350 feet left of the runway contained a separated 8-inch section of propeller blade. The main wreckage came to rest upright, oriented on a heading of about 320° magnetic, and was consumed by postcrash fire. Control cable continuity was confirmed from left and right aileron bellcranks to the mid-cabin area, and from the stabilator and rudder to the mid-cabin area. No readable instruments were recovered. The engine had separated from the airframe and was resting to its left. Both propeller blades remained attached to the hub, with leading edge gouging and chordwise scratching; both blade tips had fractured and were near the impact crater. Due to impact damage, the crankshaft could not be rotated, but cursory examination revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies.
Additional Information
The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge identifies four elements that produce a left turning tendency in aircraft equipped with clockwise-rotating propellers: torque reaction, corkscrewing effect of slipstream, gyroscopic action, and asymmetric loading (P-factor).
Medical and Pathological Information
The Westmoreland County Office of the Coroner performed an autopsy on the pilot, noting the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicological testing by the FAA Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory was negative for alcohol and drugs.