History of Flight
On July 27, 2017, at 0452 central daylight time, a Zenith CH 701SP, N701XP, was destroyed when it impacted a bean field about 6.5 miles north of Laddonia, Missouri. The sport pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal cross-country flight. The flight originated from Mexico Municipal Airport (MYJ), Mexico, Missouri, about 0440, and was en route to Whittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
According to the airport manager at MYJ, the airplane arrived late on July 26. The pilot stated he wanted an early start to arrive at OSH when the control tower opened at 0700. A self-service fuel receipt showed 17.8 gallons purchased at 2038 on July 26. The manager believed the pilot and passenger camped next to the airplane; the airplane was gone when he arrived the next morning.
Radar data from the U.S. Air Force/Civil Air Patrol showed the airplane first appeared at 0443:46 about 5 miles east of MYJ. Altitude varied between 2,000 and 2,800 feet above ground level while maintaining a northeast heading. The airplane then entered a right descending turn, completing about 180° when radar contact was lost. The last radar return was at 0452:46, about 6.5 miles northeast of Laddonia.
A family member reported the airplane missing, and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued on the evening of July 27. Search teams located the wreckage early on July 28.
Personnel Information
According to FAA records, the pilot held a sport pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating. He was not instrument rated. A logbook contained entries from December 28, 2014, to July 19, 2017. Logbook entries were inconsistent, with some in tenths of an hour and others in minutes. The pilot had logged: Pegasus powered parachute, 162.9 hours; Cessna 150, 5.1 hours; Piper PA-28, 5.0 hours; Aeroprakt A22LS, 0.8 hours; Zenith CH 701SP, 98.3 hours. No night or instrument flight time had been logged. Under 14 CFR 61.315(c)(5), sport pilots are prohibited from flying at night.
Aircraft Information
The experimental light sport airplane was constructed by a private individual in 2003 and later purchased by the pilot. It was powered by a 100-horsepower Rotax 912ULS engine driving a 3-bladed Warp-Drive 70-inch fixed pitch composite propeller. Maintenance records contained entries from December 11, 2013, to May 1, 2017. A condition inspection was performed on May 1, 2017, with 1,142 flight hours recorded. The airplane was not equipped nor certified for instrument flight rules (IFR) flight.
Meteorological Information
There was no record that the pilot obtained a preflight weather briefing. At 0414, MYJ reported visibility 1-1/2 miles in heavy rain, broken clouds at 1,100 feet, overcast at 1,900 feet. At 0435, winds from 240° at 7 knots, visibility 7 miles in light rain, broken clouds at 600 and 1,200 feet, overcast at 1,900 feet; temperature-dew point spread 1° (23/22); distant lightning in north through east and west quadrants. At 0455, winds from 230° at 7 knots, visibility 7 miles, thunderstorm and rain in vicinity, scattered clouds at 600 feet, broken at 3,300 feet, overcast at 4,800 feet; temperature-dew point spread 1°; distant lightning in north through east and west quadrants.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was 6.5 miles northeast of MYJ in open level farmland. Green position light lens fragments were found at the start of a 36-foot ground scar aligned on a magnetic course of 121°. At the end of the scar was a water-filled impact crater, followed by a debris path extending 252 feet on a magnetic course of 130°, roughly toward MYJ. The crushed right wing and lesser damaged left wing, along with a flap and aileron, were farther down the debris path. The fuselage, cockpit, and empennage were 84 feet from the impact crater and left of the debris path. The engine was 210 feet from the impact crater.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Boone/Callaway County Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy on the pilot. Death was attributed to "blunt force injuries." Toxicology screening by St. Louis University's Toxicology Laboratory revealed 0.040 gm% ethanol, 0.11 micrograms/ml temazepam, 33 micrograms/ml acetaminophen, and 0.91 micrograms/ml sertraline. FAA's Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory found 10 mg/dL ethanol in urine, 36 mg/dL in blood, and propanol (consistent with postmortem production). Putrefaction had occurred; blood was unsuitable for carbon monoxide analysis. Also detected: acetaminophen, dihydrocodeine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxazepam, sertraline, and salicylate in various specimens.
Pilot's medical records showed a history of chronic insomnia treated with temazepam. Temazepam (Restoril) is a sedating benzodiazepine with warnings including profound sedation with opioids, and potential for behavioral changes and "sleep driving." The pilot was also treated for anxiety with sertraline (Zoloft, a non-impairing antidepressant) and regularly prescribed hydrocodone, an opioid analgesic with warnings about impairment of mental or physical abilities for hazardous activities.