History of Flight
On September 10, 2020, at 1600 eastern daylight time, an experimental Quad City Challenger II light sport airplane, N56906, was substantially damaged when it crashed near Sweetwater, Tennessee. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
The owner, who had recently purchased the airplane, told the pilot that the aircraft lacked insurance, registration, and a current annual inspection. He instructed the pilot to taxi the airplane but not to fly it. The owner observed the pilot start the engine and perform a high-speed taxi, during which the airplane took off and climbed straight and level for about half a mile to an altitude of 250 to 300 feet above ground level. The owner reported that the airplane and engine sounded normal before the airplane suddenly nosed over. The engine was not seized, and the propeller was still spinning when the airplane disappeared behind trees.
The previous pilot, who flew the airplane a few weeks earlier as a ferry pilot, stated that the airplane flew fine and climbed well but did not complete the ferry flight due to turbulence; the airplane was disassembled and trucked.
Pilot Information
The pilot's logbook was not recovered. On his most recent medical certificate application, dated April 28, 1995, he reported 68 total hours of flight experience, including 1 hour in the previous 6 months.
Aircraft Information
The airplane's logbooks contained only the initial 5 flight hours required for certification. The 29-year-old airplane's total time could not be determined. The Rotax 582 engine had a time between overhaul of 300 hours or 5 years, with no records indicating an overhaul had ever been performed.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted terrain in a residential backyard, leaving a debris path about 30 feet long oriented on a magnetic heading of 180°. Ground scars and damage were consistent with a nose-low impact attitude. A postimpact fire consumed most of the wreckage; all major structural components were found within the debris field.
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector verified flight control continuity from the cockpit to all primary flight surfaces. The engine crankcase was intact. Two propeller blades were bent aft, and the third separated at midspan; all blades showed thermal damage. The engine featured an aftermarket belt drive reduction system. Both carburetors were impact and fire damaged and displaced from their intake sockets. The electrical and ignition systems were partially fire damaged. Some spark plugs were impact damaged, but their electrodes appeared normal in wear and color. The fuel system and fuel lines were fire damaged and mostly consumed. The cylinder head, cylinders, pistons, piston rings, and cylinders were examined and no anomalies were found. No signs of metal transfer or seizure were observed between cylinders and pistons.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Regional Forensic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, determined the pilot's cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. No significant natural disease was identified.
Toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected the inactive metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in the pilot's liver and lung tissue. Gabapentin, promethazine, norchlorcyclizine, duloxetine, citalopram, its metabolite n-desmethylcitalopram, and trazodone were found in liver tissue; all except trazodone were also detected in muscle tissue. Testing for alcohol and other drugs of abuse in muscle tissue was negative.
The source describes the effects and warnings associated with each detected substance: THC (the active component of cannabis) can cause mood-altering effects and impair performance for up to 24 hours. Gabapentin (Neurontin) may cause dizziness and central nervous system depression, with a warning against operating machinery until its effects are known. Promethazine can cause drowsiness and advises caution with machinery. Norchlorcyclizine is a metabolite of hydroxyzine, which can cause drowsiness. Duloxetine (Cymbalta) may impair mental and physical ability for hazardous tasks. Citalopram (Celexa) may impair performance of hazardous tasks. Trazodone can cause somnolence or sedation and may impair ability for hazardous tasks; its therapeutic range is 500–2,500 ng/mL with a half-life of 4–7 hours.