History of Flight
On September 18, 2019, at 0731 eastern daylight time, a Beech V35 airplane, registration N5438U, was destroyed in an accident at Madison County Airport (UYF) in London, Ohio. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The flight was a personal trip under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot had departed from his personal airstrip, Apple Airstrip (0OH7) in Piqua, Ohio, at about 0715 without a flight plan. His intended destination was UYF, where he planned to attend the Ohio State University Farm Science Review.
Two witnesses observed the accident. One witness, traveling westbound on a highway in front of the airport, reported that the pilot appeared to overshoot the runway and was banking back toward the east for another approach. The airplane then banked steeply and dove toward the ground. This witness speculated that the pilot might have been blinded by the sun during the turn. The other witness, traveling eastbound, saw the airplane flying parallel to the highway with wings perpendicular to the ground. After crossing the highway, the airplane banked hard left and was too low to recover. This witness noted a flash, possibly from sunlight reflecting off the right aileron, and thought the pilot attempted to bank right but lacked airspeed. A dashboard camera from the eastbound witness captured the approach. The video showed the airplane flying east parallel to the highway, crossing to the south, banking east, and descending out of view. The bright rising sun was directly in front of the camera.
Meteorological Information
According to the NOAA Solar Calculator, at the time of the accident, the sun was about 2° above the horizon at an azimuth of approximately 89°.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane struck terrain in a left-wing, nose-low attitude on a magnetic heading of 045°, about 520 ft west of the approach end of runway 9. The wreckage came to rest about 118 ft northeast of the initial impact point, which was about 50 ft north of the extended runway centerline. A postimpact fire consumed most of the cabin, instrument panel, fuselage, and right wing. The control yoke and rudder pedal assemblies were partially consumed by fire. One arm of the right-wing aileron bellcrank was fractured, but the control cable remained attached. The right flap actuator was burned away; the left flap actuator indicated approximately 20° down. The fuel selector valve was positioned to the right fuel tank. The main landing gear push-pull tubes were bent, and the gear was down and locked. Flight control continuity was established.
The engine could not be manually rotated due to its position. Rotating the magnetos caused the top spark plug leads from each magneto to spark. Both propeller blades separated from the hub, which remained attached to the engine. One blade exhibited tip curling and impact damage; the other showed signatures consistent with the engine producing power at impact. No mechanical anomalies were found with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operations.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Montgomery County Coroner's Office listed the cause of death as "multiple trauma." The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Laboratory conducted toxicology tests on pilot specimens. No ethanol or carboxyhemoglobin were detected. Metoprolol, amlodipine (in cavity blood and liver), and benazepril (in cavity blood) were detected. These are prescription medications commonly used for high blood pressure and are not generally considered impairing.
Probable Cause
The investigation did not determine a probable cause.