Flight History
On October 25, 2020, at 1052 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172 airplane, registration N724BC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dunnellon, Florida. The pilot, who was also the registered owner, sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
According to air traffic control (ATC) communications and radar data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot was not in contact with ATC and had not filed a flight plan. The airplane departed from Back Achers Airport (8FL3) in Belleview, Florida, around 1034, heading south. It then turned southeast over Lake Weir before turning west toward Marion County Airport (X35) in Dunnellon, maintaining an altitude between 1,250 and 1,300 feet mean sea level (msl). Around 1038, the airplane began a gradual descent to about 900 feet msl, then climbed back to about 1,000 feet msl. Between 1051:39 and 1052:02, the airplane decelerated from a groundspeed of about 94 knots to 47 knots, which is below the airplane’s published stall speed of 50 knots with flaps retracted. A second later, the airplane climbed to 1,025 feet msl, then entered a descending left turn before radar data ended at 1052:12.
Witness Observations
A witness reported seeing the airplane flying low and slow in a 45º to 60º right turn. She stated that the airplane sounded “like it was howling, and the engine was just barely running.” The witness described the engine sound as if it was not “catching” or “normally combusting.” She did not observe the aircraft descend or impact the ground.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His logbook indicated approximately 506 total hours of flight experience.
Aircraft Examination
The airplane struck an open grass field in a nose-low attitude about 1.2 miles north-northeast of X35. The initial impact point was marked by a ground scar containing pieces of the left wing tip fairing. The aircraft slid about 120 feet before coming to rest. All major components were present; there was no postimpact fire. Both wings remained attached but sustained extensive leading-edge impact damage. The tail section was folded over the top of the airplane. Flaps were retracted. Flight control continuity was verified for all major surfaces. No fuel odor or vegetation blight was observed.
The right fuel tank, suspended about 6 feet in the air, remained intact; less than 1 gallon of 100LL fuel was drained from it. The left fuel tank was breached, yielding about 1 cup of 100LL fuel. The airframe fuel strainer bowl contained less than 1 teaspoon of cloudy liquid that tested positive for water. Debris was present in the fuel strainer screen, though only a portion was blocked.
The engine partially separated from the firewall. The two-blade propeller remained attached, with one blade bent aft about 20° and exhibiting leading-edge polishing; the other blade was straight. Manual rotation of the engine produced compression on all cylinders except the No. 6 cylinder, due to impact damage to its pushrods. Valve train continuity was established, and spark was produced from both magneto ignition leads. The carburetor, which separated during impact, was disassembled and found empty of fuel, with slight corrosion in the fuel bowl and inlet screen. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation were found.
Engine monitor data for the accident flight showed that fuel flow and exhaust gas temperature (EGT) values for all cylinders dropped to zero simultaneously at 1051:42. The average fuel burn rate was about 9 gallons per hour, with about 3 gallons used during the flight.
Medical and Toxicological Findings
An autopsy performed by the District 5/24 Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the cause of death was multiple injuries sustained in the aircraft crash. Toxicological testing identified diazepam at 34 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) and nordiazepam at 45 ng/mL in cavity blood. The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory confirmed diazepam at 36 ng/mL and nordiazepam at 48 ng/mL in cavity blood, and detected both substances in urine. The metabolites oxazepam and temazepam were found in urine but not in cavity blood. Diazepam, a prescription benzodiazepine, can cause sedation and impair cognitive and psychomotor performance. The FAA considers open prescriptions for diazepam disqualifying for medical certification.