History of Flight
Around 1153 central daylight time on July 16, 2022, the airplane, an experimental amateur-built RV-7 registered N283S, departed on a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. A witness who had spoken to the pilot earlier reported the pilot intended to fly to another airport for fuel. The witness stated it was normal to see the pilot perform maneuvers after departure, such as a wing over and then overfly the runway before departing. The witness observed the airplane depart and enter a near-vertical climb. Subsequently, the nose dropped with a turn to the right, leading to a nose-low, near-vertical descent until impact with terrain near the departure end of the runway. Other witnesses reported the airplane reached about 150-200 ft above ground level before the nose dropped.
A local resident who did not observe the accident flight stated that he routinely observed the accident airplane performing various aerobatic maneuvers, including inverted flight over the airport, spins, and barrel rolls. It was common to see the airplane take off, climb in a near-vertical attitude, then turn toward the ground and overfly the airport.
Wreckage and Impact
Examination of the accident site indicated that the airplane came to rest upright after impacting an open grass field approximately 375 ft southwest of the departure end of runway 19. The wreckage came to rest on a heading of about 340° magnetic. No visible ground scars were observed near the wreckage. All major structural components were present at the accident location.
Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to all primary flight controls. Numerous separations were observed within the flight control system, with signatures consistent with overload separation or resulting from the recovery process. Postaccident examination of the recovered airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Shawnee County Coroner's Office in Topeka, Kansas, determined the pilot's cause of death as multiple blunt impact injuries. Toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected ethanol in the pilot's cavity blood at 0.069 gm/dL, vitreous fluid at 0.077 gm/dL, gastric contents at 0.390 gm/dL, liver tissue at 0.026 gm/hg, kidney tissue at 0.067 gm/hg, and muscle tissue at 0.083 gm/hg; results for brain tissue were inconclusive. The source notes that ethanol is a social drug, commonly consumed through beer, wine, or liquor, and acts as a central nervous system depressant impairing judgment, psychomotor functioning, and vigilance. It also references Title 14 CFR Section 91.17 regarding alcohol consumption limits for crewmembers.