History of Flight
On July 12, 2018, at about 1330 central daylight time, an experimental Rose Parrakeet A-1 airplane, registered as N14842, was destroyed in an accident near Fairview Airport (7TS0) in Rhome, Texas. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Two witnesses driving on Highway 407, north of the airport and south of the accident site, observed a small airplane that had departed from the airport flying very low—approximately 100 ft—over the highway. They stated that the airplane was not climbing but flying flat as it proceeded north. After crossing the highway, the airplane banked hard to the right and nosedived into terrain.
Another witness, located about 0.5 mile west of the airport, saw the airplane taking off and struggling to gain altitude. The airplane's nose appeared considerably higher than its tail. The witness could not hear the engine due to being inside a pickup truck. As the airplane cleared the runway and crossed the highway, it began to bank or roll, then took a sharp nosedive. The wreckage was found in a field approximately 0.3 mile south of the airport.
Personnel Information
The pilot's next-door neighbor and friend, also a pilot, reported that the accident pilot flew the accident airplane approximately once per week. No pilot records were received, and the pilot's recency of flight experience could not be established.
Aircraft Information
According to the pilot's neighbor and friend, the pilot had owned the airplane for about 10 years and performed its maintenance. No airplane maintenance records, including airframe and engine hours, were available.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest in a field about 0.3 mile south of the airport, oriented tail to nose on a heading of about 270°. Ground scarring was limited to the planform area of the airplane, and the airframe crush angle was consistent with a nose-low impact attitude. The forward fuselage (engine compartment) was crushed aft, and the firewall was separated. The fixed landing gear was folded under the fuselage. The cabin section was crushed aft, and the pilot seat remained attached to its mounts. Both wing leading edges were crushed aft. The empennage was mostly intact with slight buckling. No evidence of fire or soot was found.
The instrument panel and cockpit were damaged by impact. The cockpit throttle control was retarded about 1 inch, the primer was in its locked position, the altimeter displayed 920 ft with a setting of 30.14 inches of mercury, and the tachometer indicated 2.34 hours.
Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to all control surfaces, with impact damage noted to cables under the pilot seat.
The main fuel tank and header tank were attached to the airframe but breached. The fuel gascolator bowl was separated from its mount. A small amount of fuel was present in the main fuel tank primer line. Fuel lines were broken open due to impact. The fuel selector valve was in the OFF position, though the area around the valve was damaged. The fuel line from the selector valve to the engine had a flareless fitting with a loose nut that could be turned by hand; the fitting body threads had white tape around them. Fuel system vent hoses and lines were unobstructed.
Engine control continuity was established from the cockpit to the carburetor. The engine was separated at its mounts and had impact damage around the No. 1 cylinder, with a small hole in the bottom of the case from impact. Valve and drive train continuity to the accessory section was confirmed by manual rotation. The magnetos were in the BOTH position (first responders later moved them to OFF).
One of the two propeller blades was relatively straight; the other was bent rearward and twisted. The propeller hub showed inward crushing. There was no evidence of propeller rotation at impact.
Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on July 13, 2018, by the Office of the Medical Examiner, Dallas County, Texas, determined the pilot's cause of death as blunt force injuries, with the manner of death being accident. Toxicology testing at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected no carbon monoxide, ethanol, or drugs in the pilot's blood specimens.