History of Flight
On October 31, 2019, at about 1730 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Vans RV-4, registration N425JW, was destroyed in an accident near Middleburg, Florida. The airline transport pilot sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
According to the pilot’s son, the pilot intended to conduct a brief flight before participating in family events later in the day. A witness at Haller Airpark (7FL4) in Green Cove Springs, Florida, reported hearing an airplane take off at about 1720. The witness did not identify the airplane. Approximately 10 minutes after departure, the airport experienced a complete electrical power outage.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane was located in a construction clearing within a heavily wooded area. Power lines were observed on the ground near the wreckage. The wreckage path began at the location of the power lines and extended for about 450 feet on a 270° heading. A post-accident fire consumed the airplane. The main wreckage was inverted and oriented on a 320° heading. The wings were separated from the fuselage, with only about 4 feet of the wing tips remaining. The wooden propeller was fragmented, and power line impression marks were found on the propeller blades. The vertical stabilizer was located about 230 feet from the main wreckage. Parts of the engine cowling, rudder, and canopy were scattered along the wreckage path. The cockpit, instrument panel, and firewall were destroyed by the post-impact fire.
Examination of the engine revealed that the accessory case was consumed by fire, and the magnetos, fuel pump, vacuum pump, and oil filter were destroyed. The crankcase and cylinders were intact. The top spark plugs were removed, and a lighted borescope inspection of the cylinder walls, exhaust and intake valves, and piston heads showed no anomalies. The propeller was rotated by hand, and thumb compression was established on all cylinders. Valve train continuity was confirmed by observing movement of the rocker arms and rear accessory case gears. The carburetor was removed and disassembled, with no anomalies noted.
Medical and Pathological Information
According to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Jacksonville, Florida, the cause of the pilot’s death was multiple blunt injuries, and the manner of death was accident. Aside from an enlarged heart weighing 537 grams, no evidence of significant natural disease was identified.
The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory conducted toxicology testing, which detected the impairing medication gabapentin in the pilot’s liver tissue and urine at a concentration of 56 micrograms per milliliter (µg/mL). Gabapentin, commonly marketed as Neurontin, is an antiseizure medication also used to treat chronic nerve pain and postherpetic neuralgia. The medication carries a warning that it may cause dizziness, somnolence, and other symptoms of central nervous system depression, and patients should be advised not to operate complex machinery until they have assessed their response to the drug.
The investigation did not identify any preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airframe or engine that could have contributed to the accident.