Flight History
On November 28, 2022, at 0820 central standard time, a Cessna 170B airplane, N2710D, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Gage, Oklahoma. The two occupants were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Data recovered from a handheld GPS unit indicated that the airplane departed from Vici Municipal Airport (5O1), Vici, Oklahoma, at 0652 and proceeded northwest. At 0726, the airplane landed on the turf airstrip at Gage Airport (GAG), Gage, Oklahoma. At 0803, the airplane departed southbound from the turf airstrip and proceeded about 1.5 miles south, then returned to overfly the airport before landing. At 0816, the airplane again departed from the turf airstrip southbound and performed a touch-and-go, then proceeded north about 0.80 mile before returning to the airport. The final GPS data point was recorded at 0820:23, positioned about 265 ft north of the accident site at an altitude of 2,238 ft. The approximate elevation at the accident site was 2,204 ft.
A witness observed the airplane taxi out for takeoff with the airplane owner seated in the right (co-pilot) seat and a friend of the owner in the left (pilot) seat. They took off toward the south. The wing flaps appeared extended, and the engine sounded “fine.” After lifting off, the airplane porpoised and entered a “steep” left turn. It flew out to the north and, after returning to the airport, appeared lined up on final approach for the turf runway. As the witness opened the hangar door, he heard the impact and turned to see the airplane. He responded to the accident site and notified local authorities.
Personnel Information
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported no record of either the airplane owner or the left-seat occupant holding a pilot certificate.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA records, the owner purchased the airplane in September 2015. The airplane registration lapsed in September 2021 and was subsequently cancelled when the required registration renewal was not submitted. Maintenance records were not available for the investigation.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest inverted along the west edge of the paved ramp area. An initial impact ground scar was located about 15 ft north of the main wreckage. The propeller was separated at the ground scar. The fuselage nose and engine were crushed aft and upward consistent with a nose-low impact. The center fuselage was deformed, and the aft fuselage was partially separated. The empennage remained attached to the aft fuselage. Both wings remained attached to the fuselage and exhibited leading edge crushing damage along their entire spans. Flight control surfaces remained attached, and control continuity was confirmed. Postaccident examinations of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies associated with a preimpact failure or malfunction.
Medical and Pathological Information
Right-Seat Occupant (Owner):
The 30-year-old owner’s only FAA medical exam was in August 2012. He reported a learning disability treated with methylphenidate and taking phentermine for weight loss. The FAA medical case review deemed both medications unacceptable. The FAA issued a general denial in July 2013 for a history of attention deficit disorder (ADD) requiring medication. In 2015, he requested reconsideration and underwent a neuropsychological evaluation. The evaluating neuropsychologist concluded that results revealed evidence of risk of compromised pilot safety due to cognitive weaknesses and impairments. Based on those results, the FAA sustained the denial due to disqualifying general medical condition (cognitive impairment as evidenced by abnormal neuropsychological testing).
An autopsy performed by the Board of Medicolegal Investigations, OCME of Oklahoma City listed cause of death as multiple blunt and sharp force injuries, manner of death accident. The liver was enlarged and micronodular. Toxicological testing detected ethanol in cavity blood at 0.378 g/dL, vitreous at 0.431 g/dL, and urine at 0.471 g/dL. Methanol was detected at low level in urine only. Phenobarbital was detected in cavity blood at 396 ng/mL and urine at 338 ng/mL. 6-beta naltrexol was detected in heart blood and urine. Cetirizine was detected in femoral blood at 8 ng/mL and urine at 76 ng/mL. Hydroxyzine was detected in femoral blood at 6 ng/mL and urine at 7 ng/mL. Bupropion was detected in femoral blood at 6 ng/mL and urine at 9 ng/mL. Hydroxybupropion was detected in femoral blood at 14 ng/mL and urine at 53 ng/mL. Doxepin was detected in urine at 20 ng/mL and also in femoral blood. Nordoxepin was detected in femoral blood at 13 ng/mL and urine at 57 ng/mL.
Left-Seat Occupant (Friend of Owner):
An autopsy listed cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, manner of death accident. Due to extent of injuries, examination of heart and lungs was limited; no significant natural disease was identified. Toxicological testing detected ethanol in cavity blood at 0.109 g/dL, vitreous at 0.159 g/dL, and urine at 0.199 g/dL. Alprazolam was detected in cavity blood at 51 ng/mL and urine at 109 ng/mL. Alpha-hydroxyalprazolam was detected in urine at 58 ng/mL. Citalopram was detected in cavity blood at 604 ng/mL and urine at 3,334 ng/mL. N-desmethylcitalopram was detected in cavity blood at 78 ng/mL and urine at 684 ng/mL. Metoprolol was detected in cavity blood and urine.