History of Flight
On November 22, 2022, about 1824 Pacific standard time, an experimental, amateur-built XLT-RG (Velocity), registration N101BH, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Banning, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operating as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Witnesses in the local area, including individuals driving on Interstate 10, observed the airplane on fire and reported that it appeared to be attempting to land at a nearby airport. One witness noted that the airplane did not exhibit erratic movements and seemed to be in stable flight as it crossed the interstate. As the airplane continued toward Banning Municipal Airport (BNG), the fire progressively worsened. Shortly thereafter, the airplane entered a right bank and struck the ground.
Video footage from a nearby weight station security camera showed the accident airplane on fire before impacting desert terrain. A dashcam video provided by a motorist on Interstate 10 also captured the airplane on fire prior to impact.
Recorded ADS-B data indicated that the airplane departed from Eagle Roost Airpark (27AZ) in Aguila, Arizona, about 1809 mountain standard time, and proceeded on a westerly heading toward California. Approximately 6 miles from BNG, ADS-B data was lost for the remainder of the flight, with the last reported altitude of 5,975 ft mean sea level. The final recorded ADS-B target was north of Interstate 10.
Aircraft and Wreckage Information
The airplane's logbooks were not located; they may have been on board and destroyed in the postcrash fire.
Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted hard-packed flat desert terrain about 1.5 miles northeast of BNG. All major structural components were observed at the main wreckage and within the debris path. The airplane was largely consumed by inflight and postcrash fires, and surrounding vegetation also sustained fire damage. The first identified point of contact was approximately 86 ft from the main wreckage.
The main wreckage came to rest upright on a magnetic heading of 020°. The right canard and various portions of the airplane were in the debris path. The forward elevators remained attached to the fuselage but were mostly thermally consumed. All three landing gear remained attached to the main wreckage. The instrument panel and avionics were thermally destroyed.
The rear-mounted engine remained attached to the engine mounts, partially separated from the firewall, and thermally damaged. No obvious holes were found in the engine case. The oil cooler and hydraulic pump were in the debris field. A portion of the turbocharger was visible at the accident site and remained partially attached to the engine.
Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to each control surface via cables and hardware. The wing spars remained attached to the engine and engine firewall. The right-wing spar sustained more fire damage to the wing root area than the left-wing spar.
Engine Examination
Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies except in the area surrounding the turbocharger. The entire firewall had varying degrees of thermal discoloration and sooting, with significant whitening and oxidation in the lower right quadrant. The aluminum cover on the “cold” side of the turbocharger was melted, with a large amount of missing material. The “hot” side of the turbocharger remained attached at its mounting pad on the engine, along with the turbocharger intake tube. The intake tube was sooted internally but not damaged. The turbocharger relief valve remained attached to the heat shroud and sustained thermal damage.
A distinctive V-shaped burn pattern was found to the right of the oil filter, oil pump, and right magneto plate. The pattern extended downward to the right toward the turbocharger.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy of the pilot was performed by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Coroner Division. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was blunt force trauma and thermal exposure.
The Federal Aviation Administration Forensic Sciences Laboratory conducted toxicological testing on specimens from the pilot. The toxicology was positive for glucose, 46 mg/dL in vitreous; diphenhydramine 45 ng/mL (ng/g) in blood; and cetirizine 38 ng/mL (ng/g) in blood and 1,644 ng/mL (ng/g) in urine.
Diphenhydramine is a sedating antihistamine (commonly marketed as Benadryl) and is available over the counter in many products used to treat colds, allergies, and insomnia. It carries a warning that use may impair mental and physical ability to perform potentially hazardous tasks, including driving or operating heavy machinery. The therapeutic range is 25 to 100 ng/mL, with a half-life of 3 to 14 hours. Cetirizine is a second-generation antihistamine used for hay fever and allergy symptoms, commonly marketed as Zyrtec. Although designed to be less sedating than first-generation antihistamines, cetirizine has some sedating properties. Its therapeutic range is between 190 and 1,450 ng/mL, with an elimination half-life of 6.5 to 10 hours. The FAA provides guidance on wait times before flying after using these antihistamines.