History of Flight
On April 27, 2018, at 1416 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Wolfe Kitfox V, registration N818TW, impacted terrain approximately 4 miles south of Kalkaska City Airport in Kalkaska, Michigan. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The private pilot and a passenger received fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight, and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The intended destination was Mackinac Island Airport, Mackinac Island, Michigan.
Witnesses reported seeing the airplane in a counterclockwise upright spin starting from about 1,000 feet above ground level. The airplane then struck the ground in a flat attitude. Ground scarring indicated counterclockwise rotation. According to the Kalkaska Sheriff's Office Incident Report, fuel was leaking from both wings. Witnesses stated that the airplane "was not under power" and was "spinning belly down."
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate, along with repairman experimental aircraft builder and repairman light sport aircraft (inspection) certificates. A third-class medical certificate was issued on August 24, 2016, with a requirement to wear corrective lenses. At that time, he reported 659 hours of total flight experience, with 23 hours in the previous 6 months. A logbook entry indicated his private pilot certificate was issued on October 8, 1995.
Aircraft Information
The pilot purchased the airplane kit in 1999 and built it. An airworthiness certificate was issued in 2007, and the aircraft was registered to the pilot. It was equipped with a Continental Motors IOF-240-B engine and a two-bladed wooden propeller. The airplane had no stall warning system, which was not required for its experimental amateur-built classification.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Postaccident examination confirmed flight control continuity from the control surfaces to the cockpit controls. A fuel sample from the left tank showed no contamination and was consistent with 100 low-lead fuel. The fuel tanks contained usable fuel. The magnetos and fuel selector valve were in the ON position. The engine was partially attached to the airframe. One propeller blade had broken off near the tip, and the other had broken off near the blade root; the remaining propeller was attached to the crankshaft hub.
Engine examination revealed spark plugs with normal operation features. A borescope inspection of the cylinders found no anomalies. The engine was rotated by hand, confirming drive and valve train continuity. During rotation, air was expelled and drawn in through the spark plug holes. The fuel metering unit showed no anomalies that would have precluded operation. A compact flash memory card from the instrument panel flight display was removed, but no data were recovered.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted by the Kalkaska County Medical Examiner determined the pilot's cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing by the FAA's Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified tadalafil in the pilot's blood and liver specimens. Testing for cyanide was not performed, and no ethanol was detected in the pilot's vitreous specimens.