History of Flight
On October 5, 2017, about 1830 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Ultra Pup airplane, N484HC, collided with terrain following a go-around at Samuels Field Airport (BRY) in Bardstown, Kentucky. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed near the airport, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which originated about 1815.
A pilot-rated witness who spoke with the pilot before the flight reported that the pilot said it was his first flight in the airplane. The witness observed the airplane in a left traffic pattern for runway 3, with the pilot seated in the aft cockpit. The first approach appeared normal, but during the landing flare, the pilot seemed to be overcontrolling the airplane, and he executed a go-around without touching down. The airplane remained in the traffic pattern for a second approach. The witness momentarily went inside and, upon returning, saw the airplane about two-thirds down the runway. As it neared the departure end, it did not appear to climb at the rate of the previous two departures. The right wing dropped, and the airplane descended rapidly with the nose pointing generally east. It disappeared behind trees, reappeared with the nose slightly up and pointing north, then disappeared again and crashed. The engine sounded normal throughout.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. According to the FAA, he did not hold a current medical certificate. On an October 2, 2014, application for a second-class medical certificate, he reported 800 hours of total flight experience. The application was denied for physical and mental health reasons, and the pilot did not appeal. His logbook revealed no recent flight experience nor any logged flights in the accident airplane; his most recent flight review was recorded on September 14, 1992.
Aircraft Information
The high-wing, single-engine, two-seat, tandem-cockpit airplane had a tailwheel landing gear. It was equipped with a Revmaster 2100-D, 65-horsepower reciprocating engine modified from a Volkswagen air-cooled engine core, and a Tennessee Propellers fixed-pitch wooden propeller. The airplane was not equipped with wing flaps or a stall warning system. Built in 2013, the pilot purchased it in May 2017. Total airframe time was 54.3 hours. A condition inspection was completed on September 22, 2016, at 52.4 hours.
Meteorological Information
At 1835, Addington Field Airport in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, about 18 miles west of the accident site, reported wind calm, visibility 10 statute miles, scattered clouds at 11,000 ft, temperature 25°C, dew point 15°C, and altimeter setting 30.13 inches of mercury. BRY was not equipped with weather measuring or recording equipment.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane crashed in a soybean field about 1,635 ft northeast of the departure end of runway 3, coming to rest in a near-vertical, nose-down attitude at the initial ground impact point. All components were accounted for. Primary flight control surfaces remained attached; control cable continuity was confirmed. The fuselage frame was buckled aft of the aft cockpit seat, and the forward fuselage was crushed against the engine. The rudder was undamaged, but the upper rudder hinge pin cotter pin was missing. The left wing leading edge was twisted upward about 15°; the right wing leading edge twisted downward about 20°. Both fuel tanks were intact; the left tank was empty, and about 1 gallon of clean blue fuel was recovered from the right tank. Fuel lines from both tanks were disconnected and leaking. The fuel shutoff valve had separated from the instrument panel and its preaccident position could not be determined. The elevator trim tab was full down, and the trim lever was full aft, though impact deformation was noted. The main landing gear remained attached with bent and broken support struts. Engine examination revealed no internal restrictions; compression and suction were present on all cylinders. The wooden propeller blades separated at the hub.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy attributed the pilot's death to blunt force injuries of the head, torso, and extremities. Toxicology testing was negative for carbon monoxide and ethanol but positive for the antidepressant sertraline (0.118 µg/mL) and its metabolite desmethylsertraline (0.316 µg/mL) in blood and liver. Personal medical records indicated the pilot had obsessive compulsive disorder, depression/anxiety, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation/supraventricular tachycardia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In the preceding eight months, he experienced additional health issues including a hip fracture, elbow chip fracture with subsequent infection, elevated prostate specific antigen requiring biopsy, retinal tear requiring laser surgery, and early right carotid stenosis. He regularly visited a mental health counselor; at his last visit one month before the accident, he reported increased anxiety and stress due to medical issues, and the counselor rated his judgment and insight as fair.