History of Flight
On September 14, 2018, at about 1120 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Gruber Beelzabub airplane, registration N382T, was substantially damaged when it struck a tree and crashed near Rochester, Washington. The pilot/owner and a pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The airplane departed Flying B Airport (8WA0) in Rainier, Washington, at an undetermined time; no flight plan had been filed.
A witness reported observing the airplane about 500 ft above ground level just east of a job site. The airplane circled around a single tree, leveled off, and began a descent. While in a wings-level attitude, the left wing struck a tree that was about 60–70 ft tall. The witness stated that the engine was running at the time.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was on a hilltop where trees were being cleared. The trees in the area where the airplane came to rest were between 30 and 50 ft tall and were downslope from the single tree that was struck. The impacted tree was about 60–70 ft tall and approximately 500 ft from the main wreckage.
The airplane came to rest in a nose-down attitude with the empennage against a tree. The left wing and left horizontal stabilizer had separated from the airframe; a portion of the left wing was found in a tree about 500 ft from the main wreckage. One landing gear wheel had separated and was located on a road adjacent to the forested area. The fuel tank was breached, and the smell of fuel was present along with damaged foliage. The tailwheel remained attached in its normal position.
The fabric cover was torn away from the undercarriage, exposing flight control tubes. The control tubes and cables remained connected via their associated hardware. Flight control continuity was established via the flight control cables. The landing gear bungees remained in place and were not damaged.
The engine had separated from the airframe and came to rest adjacent to the nose of the airplane. There were no obvious holes in the crankcase. The propeller assembly remained attached to the engine.
The two-bladed Curtiss propeller remained attached to the crankshaft. One propeller blade was bent at midspan, and its tip was missing. The other blade was relatively straight with bending at the outboard tip portion.
Visual inspection of the engine revealed no obvious holes in the crankcase. The fuel strainer was removed and was free of debris. Mechanical and valve train continuity were established by manually rotating the engine.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Thurston County Coroner performed autopsies on both pilots and determined their cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head.
Toxicology testing performed by the Federal Aviation Administration Forensic Sciences laboratory on the pilot/owner revealed no carbon monoxide, no volatiles, and no tested-for drugs. Testing for cyanide was not performed.
Toxicology testing on the pilot-rated passenger detected no volatiles; carbon monoxide and cyanide testing were not performed. The testing detected 0.045 (ug/mL, ug/g) morphine in urine but not in the blood cavity.
Morphine is an opiate narcotic indicated for management of severe and chronic pain; it may also be present as a metabolite of codeine. Use of morphine carries a high risk of addiction, abuse, and misuse. It is an impairing medication and carries a warning that patients should not drive or operate dangerous machinery until they know how they will react. The half-life of morphine is between 1.3 and 6.7 hours, and its therapeutic range is 10 to 100 ng/mL. Morphine is metabolized mainly in the liver; normorphine is a major inactive metabolite. About 10% of a morphine dose is excreted unchanged in the urine.
The investigation was unable to determine which occupant was flying the airplane at the time of the accident.