Accident Overview
On September 25, 2017, about 1730 central daylight time, a Quicksilver GT 400S experimental light sport airplane, registration N5112S, impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Blackwood Airport (TX46) in Cleburne, Texas. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the pilot under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight.
Flight and Impact
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors who responded to the scene, the airplane took off on runway 17. During the initial climb, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to return to the airport, but the airplane impacted trees and a fence behind an apartment complex on the west side of runway 17, near the departure end of the runway. The aircraft was destroyed.
Post-Accident Findings
FAA inspectors noted a strong odor of fuel and discovered a broken fuel line between the fuel tank and the engine. The line was also described as brittle and cracked. The engine had two carburetors, and both carburetor bowls were dry. The fuel tank was half full. Putty had been placed around the fuel outlet connector at the bottom of the fuel tank, consistent with an attempt to prevent or repair a fuel leak. Additionally, the engine air filter was dirty. The airplane had been registered to the pilot about two years before the accident. No flight or maintenance records were located during the investigation.
Toxicology
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy on the pilot and attributed his death to blunt trauma. A toxicology screen detected ephedrine/pseudoephedrine in urine and 301 ng/mL ephedrine/pseudoephedrine in femoral blood. Further toxicology tests by the FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory identified cetirizine, loratadine, and pseudoephedrine in subclavian blood at levels too low to quantify. Pseudoephedrine and its metabolite norpseudoephedrine were also identified in urine. Cetirizine is a sedating antihistamine (often marketed as Zyrtec), loratadine is a non-sedating antihistamine (Claritin), and pseudoephedrine is a sympathomimetic decongestant (Sudafed) not indicated for use by individuals with hypertension. These substances are also found in combination products such as Zyrtec-D and Claritin-D.