History of Flight
On March 22, 2018, about 1830 eastern daylight time, an amateur-built Star-Lite S1L airplane, registration N197X, collided with power lines while attempting to land at a private airstrip near Dewitt, Michigan. The pilot initially survived the accident but later succumbed to his injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight.
While on short final to the pilot's private airstrip, landing to the west, the airplane collided with power lines about 200 feet short of the runway. The airplane then descended and impacted terrain.
According to information obtained by the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, prior to the accident, the pilot flew to another airport to visit a friend. The friend stated that the pilot said he needed to leave by a certain time, or he would have problems with sun glare during landing to his private strip.
Meteorological Information
The position of the sun at the time of the accident was 14° above the horizon at a relative azimuth of 257° to the pilot during the approach.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted a field east of the airstrip. The fuselage and both wings were wrinkled and deformed. An examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector confirmed flight control continuity from the cockpit controls to the respective flight control surfaces. No anomalies were detected with the airframe or engine which would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy was conducted on the pilot by the Sparrow Forensic Pathology. The autopsy noted an enlarged heart with left ventricular hypertrophy and very mild coronary artery disease. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries. The manner of death was ruled an accident.
The FAA Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicology testing on specimens collected from the pilot. Testing was negative for all tested substances.