History of Flight
On August 15, 2020, at approximately 1340 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-14 airplane, registration N91449, was substantially damaged when it crashed at Susanville Municipal Airport (SVE) in Susanville, California. The pilot and a pilot-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to a friend who witnessed the accident, he, the pilot, and the passenger planned to fly over a landmark in the Nevada desert and then stay overnight at a campground north of SVE. The witness was in his own airplane; the accident airplane was owned and piloted by the accident pilot. They departed Redding Municipal Airport (RDD) around 0930 and made an intermediate stop at SVE. The witness landed on the asphalt runway, while the accident pilot landed on the dirt runway. After lunch, they returned to the airport and boarded their airplanes. The witness did not observe the accident airplane's takeoff run. While taxiing to the asphalt runway, he saw the accident airplane at about 350 feet above ground level near midfield, in a steep left bank. The airplane then transitioned into a nose-down pitch attitude and descended rapidly. The witness, a certified flight instructor, stated the sequence resembled an aerodynamic stall/spin.
Personnel Information
The pilot's flight logbook was not recovered. According to a friend, the pilot had likely accrued about 200 hours in the accident airplane make and model at the time of the accident. The passenger was a certified flight instructor, with most of her flight experience in Cessna 172 airplanes and rotorcraft. Her flight time in the accident airplane was unknown, but according to friends, her time may have been limited because the accident pilot preferred to fly the airplane. The witness did not observe any unusual behavior by the pilot or passenger on the day of the accident.
Aircraft Information
According to the pilot's airframe and powerplant mechanic, the pilot frequently “tinkered” with the airplane. The mechanic provided owner-assisted inspections, during which the pilot typically performed maintenance himself, and the mechanic later inspected his work and made logbook endorsements. The mechanic stated that the pilot sometimes performed maintenance without a mechanic's endorsement. The pilot was not a certificated airframe and powerplant mechanic nor employed as an aircraft technician.
After the engine was overhauled and installed, the pilot found that it reached 3,000 rpm at full throttle, though the engine was rated at 2,700 rpm. To reduce rpm and noise at takeoff, the pilot installed a new propeller, but the friend could not recall who completed the installation. It is unknown if the pilot consulted a mechanic about the high rpm or propeller installation. Engine total time and time since overhaul could not be determined from maintenance records.
The fixed-pitch, experimental propeller was manufactured by Catto Propellers, constructed of glass and carbon composite. The data plate indicated a diameter of 84 inches and a pitch of 42.5° for a “Cub Type,” and stated “Engn: ECI-340 170+hp Design RPM 2750.” According to the propeller manufacturer, this Catto propeller was designed for an experimental Titan 340, 170 hp engine rated at 2,750 rpm. The accident airplane was equipped with a Lycoming O-320-A2B “C” series, 150 hp engine rated at 2,700 rpm. Airworthiness records showed a McCauley 1A175-GM824 fixed pitch propeller had been installed on July 17, 2014, and logbook records did not indicate another propeller installation after that date. According to friends, they believed the pilot had borrowed the Catto propeller from another local aircraft owner after the engine overhaul. The investigation could not determine who installed the propeller or how many flights were made after installation.
The Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook notes that for a fixed-pitch propeller, blade angle affects engine load; increasing blade angle adds load and slows the engine unless more power is applied. Propellers are designed for best efficiency at a specific rotation and forward speed for a given airplane-engine combination.
According to the fixed-based operator attendant who refueled the airplane, he deposited 25 gallons of 100 low lead aviation gasoline in the left tank and no fuel in the right tank, as instructed by the pilot.
Meteorological Information
The calculated density altitude at SVE at the time of the accident was about 7,965 feet.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage came to rest in dirt about 50 feet southwest of runway 11/29 on an eastern heading. All major structural surfaces were accounted for. The initial impact point was marked by left wing navigation light fragments in a small dirt impression a few feet north of the main wreckage. The nose and cabin were crushed aft, and the propeller blades had separated from the hub. Both wings were deformed but remained attached; the left wing had an upward bend near midspan, and the right wing had a slight upward bend at the root. Hydraulic deformation was noted on the leading edges of both wings near the fuel tanks. The tail section remained attached. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact anomalies.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies were completed by the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner's Office. The pilot's weight was 220 lbs, the passenger's weight was 158 lbs, and the cause of death for both was attributed to “multiple blunt force injuries.”
The FAA's Forensic Sciences Laboratory performed toxicology testing on the pilot's tissue. Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, was identified in his cavity blood and urine; ecgonine methyl ester, another cocaine metabolite, was detected at trace levels.
Toxicology testing on the passenger identified cocaine, cocaethylene (a metabolite formed when alcohol and cocaine are used simultaneously), benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methyl ester, phentermine, diazepam, its metabolite nordiazepam, and two active metabolites, oxazepam and temazepam, in her urine. Benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methyl ester, diazepam, nordiazepam, and phentermine were found in her cavity blood.
Additional Information
At the time of the most recent annual inspection, the airplane empty weight was 1,270 lbs. Using this, occupant autopsy weights, fuel weight of 300 lbs (from 25 gallons), and baggage weight of 83 lbs, the maximum computed total weight was 2,059 lbs, which exceeded the maximum gross weight by 209 lbs. The baggage compartment limit was 80 lbs. The center of gravity could not be computed. The maintenance records showed multiple modifications under supplemental type certificates, including vortex generators installed in 2018, which the manufacturer advertises can reduce stall speed, though this improvement is not guaranteed.
A takeoff distance computation was made using a performance chart from the airplane's type certificate data sheet (TCDS), based on a factory-new airplane with a Lycoming O-235-CI engine, assuming maximum weight of 1,850 lbs, no wind, level/paved runway, slowest turning fixed pitch wood propeller, no flaps, and still air. At a temperature of 35°C and field elevation of 4,149 ft, the TCDS chart for 5,000 ft elevation and 100°F gave a takeoff distance to climb 50 ft of 3,780 ft.