History of Flight
On May 4, 2017, about 0945 Pacific daylight time, an unregistered experimental amateur-built Hy-Tek Hurricane airplane collided with terrain while on final approach to land on a riverbed near Redcrest, California. The noncertificated pilot received fatal injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight departed about 0925 from a sandbar on the river near the pilot's home.
The pilot's father reported that, about 20 minutes after departure, he heard the airplane returning and noted the engine sputtering. He stated that the engine quit shortly thereafter and the airplane nosed down into the ground along the shoreline of the Eel River. Personnel from the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office responded about 1130; a deputy reported that the wreckage had been moved to the shoreline by unknown subjects before his arrival, and the pilot's body was not found within the wreckage. On May 14, 2017, after an extensive search, the pilot's body was recovered in a shallow area of the Eel River about 2.5 miles downriver. The pilot's father reported the accident to the National Transportation Safety Board on June 15, 2017.
During a postaccident interview, the pilot's wife reported that her husband had a problem with drugs and alcohol and was under the influence on the day of the accident. She also expressed concerns about him performing maintenance on the airplane the day before while under the influence, stating he was attempting to troubleshoot a carburetor problem.
Personnel Information
According to the Federal Aviation Administration's pilot database, the pilot did not hold a pilot certificate or medical certificate. His father stated that the pilot had about 2 hours of total flight experience in the accident airplane make and model.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a high-wing, ultralight-like design with conventional flight controls. Its structure consisted of an uncovered aluminum and steel tube framework with a single seat and tricycle landing gear. It was equipped with oversized tundra-style tires and powered by a Rotax 503, 50-horsepower, 2-cylinder, 2-stroke engine mounted on top of the airframe. Preaccident photographs showed a fuel tank larger than the manufacturer's 5-gallon tank. Logbook maintenance records were not located.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was recovered on the day of the accident by family and friends and stored at the pilot's residence. On June 26, 2017, an FAA inspector examined the wreckage. The instrument panel, wings, fuel tank, propeller, propeller hub, wheel assemblies, and one of two carburetors/air filters had been removed postaccident. The brake handle was disconnected, three of four spark plugs were missing, wiring and fuel lines had been cut, and control cables disconnected.
The engine pistons did not move, but no damage or excessive discoloration was observed. Available spark plugs showed a normal burn pattern. Spark plug lead shielding/insulation was in poor condition with improperly spliced and routed wires. Rubber exhaust mounts were also in poor condition. Fuel, water, and oil were found in the engine; the fuel filter was clean. The throttle was in the fully open position, and the ignition switch was on. The carburetors and air filters were intact but missing float bowls. One of the two main carburetor fuel jets was missing; the pilot's father stated that a fuel jet was loose and fell out when the wreckage was moved.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office determined the pilot's cause of death as drowning, with blunt force trauma contributing. Toxicology detected ethanol in tissue at 0.08 gm/100 gm and methamphetamine at 0.70 mg/kg, with its metabolite amphetamine at less than 0.10 mg/kg in muscle tissue. Because of the delay in reporting the accident to the NTSB, no specimens were available for testing by the FAA's Forensic Sciences Laboratory.