History of Flight
On October 14, 2019, at 1156 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Vans RV-4, registration N4332J, was substantially damaged when it crashed near Cameron, North Carolina. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight.
The pilot had departed from Rooster Field Airport (84NC) on October 12 to attend an Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in at Woodward Field Airport (CDN) in Camden, South Carolina. During the takeoff climb for the return flight that afternoon, the canopy separated from the airframe. The pilot returned and landed uneventfully at CDN. He reported that the airplane flew alright without the canopy and planned to complete the return flight on Monday wearing a motorcycle helmet with a facemask. His flight instructor advised against flying without the canopy.
On Monday morning, the pilot and another private pilot flew in loose formation from CDN to 84NC. The other pilot reported that the accident pilot seemed to have no difficulty flying with the helmet and no canopy. About 20 nautical miles southwest of 84NC, the accident pilot continued direct to 84NC while the other pilot flew around Mackall Army Airfield. The other pilot landed at 84NC shortly after 1200 and saw no sign of the accident airplane.
A Garmin 296 GPS device recovered from the accident site provided flight track data. The recording began at 1044, with a takeoff from CDN runway 24 at 1046. The airplane flew toward 84NC at about 1,100 ft GPS altitude and 80 knots groundspeed. At 1156:06, the airplane flew over 84NC at 500 ft GPS altitude and 67 knots, entering the left downwind for runway 9. At 1156:29, about 0.25 mile from the runway threshold, it entered a left base leg at 63 knots and 455 ft. The last recorded data point showed the airplane at 54 knots groundspeed, 440 ft altitude, about 480 ft from the main wreckage. An FAA Alert Notice was issued at 1744, and the airplane was located about 0045 on October 15 by first responders. There was no record of a weather briefing or flight plan for the accident flight.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land and was issued an FAA third-class medical certificate in May 2018. His logbook showed 581.5 total flight hours, 390.5 as pilot-in-command, and 50.4 hours in the accident airplane. He had 7 hours of flight experience in the 90 days before the accident. His most recent flight review was completed on February 28, 2019.
Aircraft Information
The 2-seat, single-engine, low-wing airplane was manufactured in 1992 and powered by a Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150-horsepower engine. It was registered to the pilot in July 2018. The most recent condition inspection was completed on March 18, 2018. According to the builder logs, the airworthiness certificate was issued with the airplane equipped with a bubble-style canopy. The Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) was an ACK Technologies model E-04, and its installation manual requires an approved antenna mounted externally on metal airframes.
Meteorological Information
At 1156, the recorded weather at Moore County Airport (SOP), about 8 miles southwest of the accident site, included wind variable at 3 knots, clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, temperature 22°C, dew point 11°C, and altimeter 30.10 inches of mercury. The pilot who flew formation with the accident pilot reported landing on runway 9 and recalled wind from the northwest at 5-10 knots with a gusting tailwind or left quartering tailwind on final approach. He noted that the accident pilot had informed him that 84NC was a one-way airport, requiring landing on runway 9 and takeoff from runway 27.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The initial impact point and main wreckage were co-located in heavily wooded terrain about 590 ft from the runway 9 threshold. The airplane was inverted on a 050° heading. All major components were present, and flight control continuity was established. Fuel remained in the left wing and was observed leaking; a fuel sample tested negative for water. The right wing showed significant aft crushing with no fuel due to a breached tank. Flaps were partially extended. Cockpit controls: magneto switch selected to both, fuel selector to the right tank, primer lever stowed, throttle lever full forward, mixture and propeller levers full aft. The ELT was installed in the baggage compartment but not connected to an external antenna. During a postaccident test, the ELT emitted an emergency signal on 121.5 MHz when dropped from 10 ft.
The pilot was found wearing the motorcycle helmet with full-face mask; the 5-point harness remained buckled and was cut during recovery. No portions of the canopy were located at the accident site.
Engine examination revealed that the wooden propeller blades were splintered, but valve train continuity was established, and thumb compression and suction were obtained on all cylinders. All spark plugs produced spark and displayed normal operating signatures. The carburetor was intact with floats intact and no debris in the bowl; fuel smell was present. Engine oil was black with no metal or debris.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsy determined the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, manner accident. No significant natural disease was identified except an enlarged heart (500 grams). Toxicology testing was negative for ethanol. The muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) and its active metabolite were detected in blood at low levels. Cyclobenzaprine is indicated for muscle relaxation and carries a warning that it may impair mental or physical ability for hazardous tasks.
Additional Information
Van's Aircraft reported that the RV-4 aerodynamic stall speed is 45 knots (52 mph). They did not have specific data on performance without the canopy but were aware of other events where a canopy was lost in-flight and a safe landing was completed. They noted that drag will increase, more power will be required for a given airspeed, deceleration will be more rapid with power reduction, and there may be reduced elevator and rudder effectiveness due to disturbed airflow. Additionally, abnormal airflow over the static ports could lead to erroneous pitot-static instrument indications.