What happened
On September 17, 2019, an experimental, amateur-built Vans RV-8, registration N7TL, was destroyed during a flight near Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The flight was being conducted as a personal flight under Part 91 regulations. The pilot was performing a demonstration flight for a pilot-rated passenger who was interested in purchasing a share of the aircraft.
The flight departed Pegasus Air Park (5/PA) at approximately 12:15 EDT, intended as a 30-minute local flight. Radar data from the FAA showed the aircraft flying east at 1,300 feet above ground level (agl) at 12:16:20. At 12:17:27, the aircraft performed a 180-degree turn to the west at 1,700 feet agl. During the westward leg, the aircraft accelerated to a ground speed of 199 knots and descended to 1,600 feet agl. Radar contact was lost at 12:18:06 while the aircraft was traveling at 191 knots on a heading of 258°.
Witnesses near the site reported hearing the engine at high power, with some describing sounds consistent with aerobatic maneuvers. One witness noted the engine sound lasted 15 to 30 seconds before a loud thud was heard. The aircraft was located the following day embedded in six feet of mud in a heavily wooded wetland area.
Both the pilot and the passenger sustained 2 fatal injuries.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and found the aircraft was extensively fragmented, which was consistent with a high-speed impact. The aircraft impacted the terrain in a nose-down attitude. Despite the fragmentation, investigators established flight control continuity from the control surfaces to the cockpit. The throttle was found in the full forward position, the propeller control was approximately 3/4 forward, and the mixture control was in the full rich position. The canopy was found in the closed and latched position.
Mechanical examination of the engine and airframe revealed no anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. The engine was found to have been producing power at the time of the accident. Toxicology testing of the pilot's tissue identified ethanol and atenolol, though the ethanol levels were below regulatory limits and could have been the result of postmortem production. Toxicology of the passenger identified ethanol.