History of Flight
On May 30, 2022, about 0748 mountain daylight time, an Express 2000RG airplane, N44508, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Cheyenne, Wyoming. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Radio transmissions from the pilot were recorded by Cheyenne Air Traffic Control Tower, and position information was determined through automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). A performance study was conducted based largely on ADS-B data.
The airplane departed Cheyenne Regional Airport/Jerry Olson Field (CYS) from runway 27 about 0744, and the pilot requested a turn to the south. At 0746:39, when the airplane was about 4 miles south of the airport, the pilot radioed the air traffic control tower and reported an engine failure. About this time, the airplane turned left with a bank angle of about 75° and reversed course back toward the airport. During this turn, the airplane’s pitch reduced from 10° nose high to 10° nose low.
At 0746:53, the pilot stated he needed to determine if he could make it back to the airport. The airplane continued towards the airport, and at 0747:47 the pilot informed the tower controller that he could not make the airport and intended to land in a field. The pilot then radioed that the airplane was on fire and asked the controller to send fire-rescue. At 0748:02, the airplane turned right with a bank angle of about 75°, and the airplane’s pitch increased from 0° to about 11° nose high. No further transmissions from the pilot were recorded.
Video cameras from a local business captured a portion of the accident sequence, showing the airplane in a near vertical descent with a right roll. The airplane impacted a paved road within a storage facility, and a fire destroyed the airplane.
Personnel Information
Pilot logbooks were not available for review. On the pilot’s most recent application for an FAA medical certificate, dated December 7, 2021, the pilot reported 12,267 total flight hours, with 309 hours in the preceding 6 months.
According to FAA registration information, the pilot purchased the airplane on January 29, 2018. Using maintenance logbook entries, the pilot’s estimated time in the accident airplane was about 700 hours.
Aircraft Information
The airplane and engine were last inspected on February 16, 2022, which involved a condition inspection with combined 200- and 400-hour checklists.
The pilot was also a mechanic and had performed engine maintenance on March 4, 2021. However, another mechanic performed the most recent inspection according to logbook entries.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted a paved road within a storage facility. The initial impact point was a divot in the concrete. The wreckage path continued on an 084° heading about 15 ft into a storage locker. A postcrash fire consumed a majority of the airplane.
The airplane came to rest upright. Due to impact and fire damage, the flight controls were broken in several locations. Examination of the airframe was limited due to the damage; however, no preimpact anomalies were noted with the remaining wreckage that would have precluded normal operations.
Cockpit instrumentation was digital and largely thermally damaged. The airplane was equipped with a Dynon D10A Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS), which was impact-separated from the cockpit and not identified in the wreckage. The power lever appeared to be in the flight idle position, and the propeller condition lever was forward towards maximum power. The fuel condition lever was found near the low idle position, and the fuel shutoff valve was found in the off position; however, this may have been moved by first responders.
The engine was separated from the wreckage and sent to Pratt & Whitney Canada’s facility in West Virginia. Under the auspices of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the engine was examined, and no anomalies were detected. There was evidence of rotational scoring of the compressor and turbine components, as well as a fracture of the propeller shaft with signatures consistent with torsional overload.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Regional Medical Examiner, who found the cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries.
Toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected the presence of rosuvastatin, a prescription cholesterol medication that the pilot reported on his medical certificate application.
Fire
A review of photo documentation by the NTSB Fire & Explosion Specialist could not determine the area of the reported in-flight fire. Due to the intense post-impact fire, any signature of in-flight fire was likely masked.