History of Flight
On July 20, 2019, at about 1820 central daylight time, a Cessna 175 airplane, registration N7013M, was substantially damaged when it crashed near Kilgore, Texas. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was conducted as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The owner of the airport stated that he observed the accident airplane taxi to the south end of the grass runway and perform a normal run-up. The airplane then began a fast taxi down the runway. The owner lost sight of the airplane behind trees located along the northern third of the runway. He heard the engine accelerate, slow, and increase again, followed by the sound of impact. He drove to the accident site, which was about halfway down the runway and 100 ft east of the centerline. The airplane came to rest nose-down in the grass. The pilot was seriously injured and airlifted to a local hospital; he succumbed to his injuries 27 days later.
Personnel Information
The pilot had been denied a Federal Aviation Administration airman medical certificate in 2009. He did not hold a pilot certificate.
Aircraft Information
The airport owner reported that he had rented hangar space to the pilot since the pilot purchased the airplane on October 22, 2008. The initial application for the airplane’s registration was made on February 8, 2012, and the registration expired on March 3, 2018. A new application for FAA registration was submitted on March 3, 2018.
An FAA Airworthiness Safety Inspector inspected the aircraft at the airport yearly during the last weeks of July from 2013 to 2019. The recording tachometer read 2834.2 hours in 2013 and remained the same for the next two years. On July 21, 2016, it read 2834.6 hours, and on July 29, 2017, the same reading was noted. On July 25, 2018, it read 2835.0 hours, and at the accident, it read 2836.1 hours. These readings were consistent with the airport owner’s report that the pilot would run the engine and taxi the aircraft occasionally. No maintenance records were found.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest on its nose and main landing gear at a 35° nose-down angle. The engine, cowling, and forward fuselage were crushed aft and bent upward. The left wing was bent and crushed upward at midspan. The position of the wing flaps could not be determined. The propeller, spinner, and reduction gearbox were separated and located about 25 ft left of the airplane. The propeller blades exhibited S-bending, chordwise scratches, and leading edge gouging. Rotational continuity of the engine was established, and fuel was present in the gascolator. Examination revealed no evidence of malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy of the pilot was performed by the Dallas County Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences Office of the Medical Examiner. The cause of death was complications of blunt force injuries. Toxicological testing of antemortem blood detected rocuronium, a medication administered during post-crash medical care. Testing for volatiles, including ethanol, was negative. Insufficient antemortem specimen was available for further analysis.