History of Flight
On February 5, 2018, at 1125 eastern standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Sonex Trainer airplane, registration N543SX, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain following a loss of engine power after takeoff from Carrabelle-Thompson Airport (X13) in Carrabelle, Florida. The private pilot, who was also the owner and builder of the airplane, was fatally injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed near the airport, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which was originating at the time of the accident.
A witness, who was also a friend of the pilot, stated that the pilot had been experiencing mechanical issues with the engine and that the purpose of the flight was to test the engine. On the morning of the accident, the witness heard the pilot start the engine and taxi to runway 5. He did not hear any engine run-up or test run on the ground before departure, but the engine sounded "normal." The airplane then departed. When it was about halfway down the 4,000-ft-long runway, the witness heard the engine lose power. He described that there was no sputter or rough-running sound; "the rpm just decelerated." The witness looked up and saw the airplane about 100 ft above the runway. Instead of landing on the remaining runway, the pilot made an "aggressive bank" to the left, and the airplane stalled and descended "straight down" toward the ground.
The airplane came to rest upright in heavily wooded, swampy terrain about 250 yards north of the airport. There was no postimpact fire. Both wings and the fuselage sustained substantial damage. The airplane was not recovered or examined.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land and an airframe and powerplant certificate. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on May 3, 2016, at which time he reported 571 total hours of flight experience. The pilot's logbook was not available for review. The witness described the pilot as a "known risk taker."
The pilot had purchased the airplane about 2 years before the accident when it was almost completely built. He finished building the airplane, which was equipped with a Volkswagen engine. The witness said the pilot had experienced "constant" problems with the engine, and the current engine was the second one he had installed. At one point, the wrist pins had failed. The pilot was known to disassemble the engine, fix something, and reassemble it, only to have another problem. He had recently replaced some gaskets and wanted to see how the engine was working.
The witness stated the pilot was not known for "writing things down" regarding maintenance. A review of the engine logbook revealed that the pilot had removed the engine twice in 2016 and rebuilt it. After the second rebuild, the pilot zero-timed the engine and conducted a successful test flight. The last entry was on August 10, 2017, at a total time of 95.23 hours and 21.23 hours-in-service, indicating oil change/addition and tappet adjustment.
Meteorological and Medical Information
The 1053 recorded weather at Apalachicola Regional Airport (AAF), about 18 miles west of the accident site, included wind from 050° at 9 knots, clear skies, temperature 15°C, dew point 8°C, and altimeter setting of 30.23 inches Hg.
The pilot was taken via helicopter to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Medical Examiner in Tallahassee, Florida, determined the cause of death as "multiple blunt force trauma." The pilot's admission blood was negative for all items tested. However, toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory on postmortem specimens identified ketamine and its metabolite, norketamine; midazolam and its metabolite, hydroxymidazolam; etomidate; and fentanyl in cavity blood. Also found were sildenafil and its metabolite, desmethylsildenafil, in cavity blood; diphenhydramine (0.265 ug/ml) in cavity blood and liver; and zolpidem in kidney but not blood. According to postaccident treatment records, the pilot was intubated during transport; common medications for that procedure include ketamine, etomidate, and fentanyl. Hospital records reflect midazolam was given during initial resuscitation. Sildenafil is not considered impairing; diphenhydramine can be impairing; zolpidem is a short-acting sleep aid.