History of Flight
On May 11, 2018, at about 1203 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Kolb Firestar 2 airplane, registration N9216E, sustained substantial damage when it impacted a tree and terrain near Atmore, Alabama. The non-certificated pilot, who was the sole occupant, was seriously injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight had departed Atmore Municipal Airport (OR1) approximately 13 minutes prior to the accident.
According to the pilot, he was in cruise flight at an altitude of about 600 feet above ground level when the airplane began "swaying left and right" (not yawing or rolling). Unable to straighten the airplane, he initiated a descent. At about 40 feet agl, the airplane struck a tree, then a powerline, and then impacted the ground. The airplane came to rest inverted on a private residence lawn, with substantial damage to the fuselage, tail boom, and wings.
Personnel Information
The pilot's flight logbook, recovered from the wreckage, indicated approximately 32 hours in Cessna airplanes more than 20 years ago, then no flying until September 2017, when he logged time in an Aeronca Champ. The accident report stated a total flight time of 36.1 hours, including 13.6 hours as pilot-in-command, and 4 hours in the accident make and model within the last 90 days. A search of FAA records revealed no pilot or medical certificates for the pilot.
The pilot's wife reported that this was the first time to her knowledge the pilot had flown that airplane. She stated he had previously taxied the airplane and conducted "crow hopping" exercises, defined as accelerating on the runway and briefly becoming airborne before touching down and stopping. For undetermined reasons, the pilot erroneously reported a departure time of 1030 and accident time of 1045 in his written account.
Aircraft Information
The kit-built airplane, registered to the pilot about a year before the accident, was not built by him. The structure consisted primarily of aluminum tubing covered with fabric skin. The airplane was equipped with a 50 hp Rotax 503 series engine mounted in an overwing pusher configuration. Pilot-provided information indicated an airframe total time in service of about 45 hours and engine total time of about 96 hours. No maintenance records were provided to the investigation.
Meteorological Information
Automated weather observation at 1156 from an airport about 29 miles southeast reported wind from 160° at 6 knots, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 6,000 feet, temperature 31°C, dew point 12°C, and altimeter 30.13 inches of mercury. Inflight images depicted clear skies consistent with little or no wind.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was about 4 miles east-northeast of OR1. Evidence indicated the airplane struck a tree about 25 yards from the final resting position, and at least one powerline between the tree and ground impact. Ground scars showed little to no horizontal travel during or after impact.
Two FAA inspectors conducted a limited examination on the day of the accident; no pre-impact damage was observed, but throttle and flight control continuity could not be verified. The ailerons, elevator, and rudder remained securely attached. Impact damage precluded determination of pre-accident structural or control system integrity. The fuel tank was approximately ¾ full, with fuel in both carburetor bowls. The exhaust manifold was removed to examine pistons and cylinders, revealing no pre-impact damage or abnormalities.
Additional Information
A Go-Pro camera attached to the exterior of the aircraft recorded the entire flight. Mounted low on the right fuselage facing forward, it did not capture aerodynamic surfaces, instruments, controls, or the engine/propeller, except occasionally when the pilot's arm reached out. Video review revealed the following timeline (elapsed time HH:MM:SS):
- 00:15: Taxi began on the ramp.
- 01:20: Stopped on the midfield perpendicular taxiway.
- 01:48: Resumed taxi toward the runway, crossed the point-hold line.
- 02:30: Stopped in the movement area for about 30 seconds before entering the runway.
- Turned left onto the runway, took about 1.5 minutes to taxi to the Runway 36 end, staying on the left (east) side.
- Remained at the Runway 36 end for about 2.5 minutes before takeoff roll.
- 14-second takeoff roll conducted well to the right of centerline.
- About 2 minutes after takeoff, at approximately 500–750 ft agl, the airplane made a right turn to an easterly heading.
- Over the next 3 minutes, altitude appeared to decrease slowly and heading drifted northeast.
- At about 12:30, turned right toward southeast.
- 20 seconds later, turned right to a southerly heading, then began maneuvers consistent with an aerodynamic stall: first a sharp right bank and turn, nose pitched down, then sharp left bank and turn, descending rapidly with both turns resulting in approximately 180° heading changes.
- At about 13:00, the airplane struck a tree and impacted the ground, descending rapidly in a wings-level attitude with forward horizontal velocity.
- About 14 seconds after coming to rest, significant image vibration (consistent with engine operation) ceased.
- The file ended at 17:42 with no visible activity after impact.
Probable Cause
Not specified.