Accident Overview
On May 1, 2022, at approximately 1705 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Van's Aircraft RV-7A, registration N1218B, sustained substantial damage during an accident near Huntsville International Airport-Carl T Jones Field (HSV), Huntsville, Alabama. The pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured. The flight was conducted as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Flight Details
Earlier that day, the pilot flew from Huntsville to McKinney National Airport (TKI) in Dallas, Texas. According to the pilot, he had not eaten that day but consumed one beer while in Dallas. He recalled drinking additional alcoholic beverages aboard the airplane during the return flight to Huntsville but had no memory of events after the airplane crossed into Mississippi.
Flight Track and Maneuvers
Federal Aviation Administration flight track data showed the airplane departed TKI around 1328 and climbed to about 10,500 feet mean sea level, proceeding eastward for approximately 2 hours 48 minutes. Subsequently, large deviations in altitude, heading, and groundspeed were observed. The airplane circled both right and left east of Huntsville for about 30 minutes before executing a low approach over runway 9 at Moontown Airport (3M5), which is about 16 nautical miles northeast of HSV, the intended destination. The airplane then made a left 180° turn and flew west for roughly 8 miles, then turned back and descended again toward 3M5. Impact occurred about 600 feet short of the runway 9 threshold.
Wreckage and Examination
The airplane came to rest inverted, with substantial damage to the wings, empennage, and fuselage. Recovery personnel noted fuel in the wing tanks at the accident site, as well as opened and empty containers of alcohol. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have prevented normal operation.
Toxicology Findings
Toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected ethanol in the pilot's hospital admission blood at 0.172 gm/dL and in his urine at 0.267 gm/dL. A blood sample collected three hours after hospital admission showed an ethanol concentration of 0.118 gm/dL.
Regulatory Context
Title 14 CFR 91.17(a) prohibits any person from acting as a crewmember of a civil aircraft within 8 hours after consuming any alcoholic beverage or while having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater. Ethanol, a central nervous system depressant, impairs judgment, psychomotor functioning, and vigilance, and at blood concentrations above 0.15 gm/dL, significant loss of muscle control and balance can occur.