History of Flight
On April 18, 2019, about 1615 Pacific daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built RV8A, N791PF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Brookings, Oregon. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
A witness driving parallel to runway 30/12 at Brookings Airport reported watching the airplane complete a touch-and-go landing. The engine sound was normal and smooth. The airplane climbed and continued north out of sight.
Another witness, located about 1 nautical mile northwest of the airport, saw the airplane heading north. Shortly thereafter, he observed the airplane flying south toward the airport and stated it appeared to be coming in for a landing. The airplane then entered an abrupt or severe 180° left turn back to the north, rolled onto its right side for several seconds, then nosed over and descended straight down into terrain.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane ratings, and a flight instructor certificate for airplane single-engine. He also held control tower operator and repairman - experimental aircraft builder certifications. A review of the pilot’s logbook revealed that, as of August 2, 2017, the pilot had a total time of 863 hours, 156 hours of flight instruction given in single-engine airplanes, and 289 hours as pilot-in-command in the accident airplane make and model. The pilot completed his most recent flight review on June 19, 2017.
The pilot received his most recent third-class medical certificate on April 3, 2013, with a limitation for corrective lenses. The medical certificate expired for all classes on April 30, 2015. The pilot’s most recent BasicMed course was dated April 30, 2017, with a BasicMed date of June 4, 2017.
Aircraft Information
The tandem two-seat, low-wing, fixed tricycle-gear airplane was issued an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate on May 15, 2007. It was powered by a 180-horsepower Superior XP-360 engine, equipped with a constant-speed Hartzell HC-C2YK-1BF propeller. Both seats were equipped with flight controls; the front seat provided pitch, roll, and yaw control, while the aft seat was only equipped for pitch control. Only the front seat position had engine controls.
Review of the maintenance records revealed that the airplane's most recent condition inspection was completed on June 20, 2017. The airplane total time on that date was recorded as 342.6 hours.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted terrain in a near vertical, nose-down attitude about 3,400 ft northwest of the departure end of runway 30 at Brookings Airport. It came to rest in a brush-covered ravine on a downslope of about 20° on a heading of 170°. Substantial damage was observed throughout the airplane, with the exception of the empennage, which displayed minimal damage. Both wings sustained heavy impact damage with aft crushing. Both left- and right-wing fuel tanks were breached. The wings remained attached to their respective wing root attach points. The cabin and cockpit areas were destroyed. The fuselage aft of the rear cabin bulkhead was twisted and heavily deformed. The empennage remained intact with minor damage. Except for the elevator torque tube, which was broken near the elevator pitch trim servo, flight control continuity was established throughout the airplane.
Both main landing gear were folded aft and underneath the airplane and remained attached. The nose landing gear was separated due to impact forces. The engine and propeller remained attached to the forward fuselage; the engine mounts sustained impact damage. Both propeller blades were bent aft about 30° and displayed chordwise scratches. The propeller rotated through 360° without obstruction when turned by hand, and continuity was confirmed through the driveshaft to the accessory section.
The connecting rod of the elevator torque tube was sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for examination. The fracture surfaces exhibited signatures consistent with bending overstress. It could not be determined if the fracture occurred prior to or during the impact sequence.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Oregon State Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on the pilot. The cause of death was attributed to massive blunt force trauma. Toxicology testing performed by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for all tested-for substances.