History of Flight
On August 19, 2017, about 1352 Pacific daylight time, a Rich Wheeler Express CT, registration N246TM, impacted the wall of a canyon while on approach to land at Madras Municipal Airport (S33), Madras, Oregon. The private pilot, who owned the airplane, was operating it as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from San Carlos Airport (SQL), San Carlos, California, with a final destination of S33. The pilot planned to camp at Madras and attend the Oregon Solarfest, a solar eclipse viewing event. A reservation request and payment were submitted to Madras airport operations on July 22, 2017, indicating an intended arrival on August 19 at 1400 and departure on August 21.
A NOTAM was in effect providing arrival procedures for the Solarfest. A Non-Federal Contract Tower (NFCT) provided air traffic control services. The NOTAM instructed pilots to conduct arrivals at their assigned reservation time and via specified routes. For arrivals from the south, the "Cove Entry" required reporting over Cove Palisades State Park (COVE) and flying north to Lake Simtustus Resort (RESORT), then continuing inbound toward the airport eastward and entering a left downwind for runway 34 (south).
The controller reported that the accident pilot established contact over COVE and was instructed to report over RESORT. After other traffic departed, the controller told him to proceed to a 3-mile final to runway 34. Later, the controller requested a position report; the pilot responded that he was on a 3-mile left base to runway 34. The controller cleared him to land and observed a plume of smoke shortly after.
Witnesses near the airport reported seeing the airplane execute a steep left turn with wings perpendicular to the terrain, then dive nose-low in a near-vertical descent.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 58, held a private pilot certificate issued in January 2012 with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. He held a third-class FAA medical certificate issued in October 2016 with the limitation that glasses must be available for near vision. On the medical application, he reported 612 total flight hours. Personal flight records were not recovered.
Aircraft Information
The Wheeler Express CT is an experimental, amateur-built airplane sold as a kit. It is a four-place, low-wing, tricycle landing gear monoplane with a cruciform (mid-mounted horizontal stabilizer) tail. The pilot completed the build in 2002 as the original design. The accident airplane, serial number 145, received a special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category in August 2002. It was equipped with a Lycoming IO-540-KIG5 engine, serial number L-17422-48A, rated at 235 shaft horsepower. Maintenance logbooks were not recovered. The airplane was last fueled before departure from San Carlos with 58.9 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel.
In 1991, Wheeler Express sent a letter addressing deep stalls in the tail, stating that correct installation would prevent abnormal stall characteristics. In 1995, Express Design Inc (EDI) sent a letter detailing a report on the cruciform tail, noting that small tails may stall on approach in turbulent conditions or wake encounters, and that rapid action is required to avoid diving into the ground. EDI recommended updating with the S-90 tail. A 1997 performance report sponsored by the FAA and EAA identified low yaw stability due to the cruciform tail, wide fuselage, and highly swept vertical stabilizer, and noted inadequate horizontal/elevator effect during post-stall and high yaw maneuvering due to blanking by the vertical stabilizer.
Meteorological Information
The 1355 weather observation at S33 reported clear sky, 10 miles visibility, temperature 75°F, dew point 41°F, and an altimeter setting of 30.15 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was on a north-facing canyon slope with soft dirt and trees, about 1.1 nautical miles from the approach end of runway 34 on a bearing of 025°. First identified points of contact were freshly severed tree limbs in a slight ravine. The debris field was primarily on a 60–70° slope. The main wreckage sustained severe thermal damage, comprising the outboard right wing, empennage, engine, and charred fuselage remnants. The cabin was completely consumed by fire.
Examination of the airframe revealed that pitch control used two control columns connected to a mixing assembly with steel rods and tubes. Four rod end bearings showed overload damage; two rod end bearings connected to the same steel bellcrank showed no overload or elongation and lacked attachment hardware. Due to thermal damage, it could not be determined if the absence of hardware was pre-impact or due to fire.
Engine examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The propeller sustained thermal damage and blade damage consistent with impact.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Jefferson County Office of the Medical Examiner listed the cause of death as multiple blunt force traumatic injuries. Toxicology testing detected 32 mg/dL ethanol in muscle tissue and no ethanol in brain specimens, consistent with postmortem production. No drugs were detected in lung specimens.