History of Flight
On May 28, 2023, about 1452 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182D, N8775X, was substantially damaged when it crashed near Plymouth, New York. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 skydiving flight. The flight departed from runway 1 at the Lt Warren Eaton Airport (OIC), Norwich, New York, about 1422 with four skydivers on board. ADS-B data indicated the airplane climbed to about 11,000 ft msl. About 1444, when in close proximity to OIC, the pilot informed air traffic control that the four skydivers were away, and then the airplane continued its descent to OIC. A co-owner of the skydiving operation reported that the pilot announced over the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) that he was at 6,000 ft msl descending for downwind. She reported hearing another transmission from the pilot that did not sound normal, and she could not identify what he said. She went outside to spot the airplane, then tried to communicate with the pilot, but he did not reply. About 1450, the last ADS-B data point placed the airplane about 1.74 nautical miles west-northwest from the approach end of runway 01 at OIC, flying in a northeasterly direction. The accident location was about 0.8 nautical mile east-northeast from the last ADS-B data point. A witness located about 0.9 nautical mile west-southwest from the accident site reported that she and her husband heard a strange noise that was “really close.” They then heard an airplane fly over their house “very low,” just clearing the tops of nearby trees. As it flew over with a view of the left side of the airplane, they heard the engine sputtering, and when the airplane was over trees, the engine shut off. The pilot tried to restart it, but they heard no further engine sounds before impact. There were no flames or explosion. The witness called 911.
Personnel Information
The pilot was a part-time contract pilot for Just Jump SkyDiving, LLC. According to a co-owner of the airplane/operator, he began flying with them in the spring of 2022, and flew until the end of October, with some intermittent flying in the winter, weather permitting. Their 2023 flying season began in April. The pilot’s last recurrent check was performed in the accident airplane on October 8, 2022, with a flight time of 1.3 hours and results marked “Approved.” He was also qualified in another Cessna 182E. Inspection of his personal effects revealed a fuel dipstick identical to the one in the accident airplane. No conversion chart was found with his effects or in the wreckage to correlate dipstick readings with actual fuel load. The operator later provided a copy of the conversion paperwork for the dipstick.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was equipped with a cellular phone, an iPad with the ForeFlight application, and an Electronics International engine monitor. The engine monitor did not store non-volatile memory, and the cellular phone contained no accident-related data. Data was not recovered from the ForeFlight application due to account and user permission restrictions. According to the airplane Owner’s Manual, total volume of each wing fuel tank was 32.5 gallons, with a usable amount of 27.5 gallons per tank, resulting in a total usable fuel of 55.0 gallons. In level flight, an additional 3.5 gallons of fuel was available, reducing unusable fuel to 1.5 gallons. One co-owner, who had owned the airplane for about 9 months, reported that typical fuel burn for a skydiving flight was 7 to 9 gallons. Fuel records indicated the pilot added 30.3 gallons of 100 low lead fuel on May 27, 2023, likely after the first flight of the day. The fuel level before addition is unknown. Two more skydiving flights were flown that day. On May 28, the pilot performed a preflight inspection about 1000 hours and flew a skydiving flight lasting about 0.7 hours. After landing, he used a dipstick and informed one co-owner that the airplane had 40 gallons of fuel. Including the accident flight, the airplane was flown on two additional skydiving flights, about 12,000 ft msl. The accident flight was the fifth flight since refueling. At the accident site, a “Navigation Log” page and a small log were found with handwritten entries. The Navigation Log included entries for the accident airplane registration, winds aloft, date (May 28, 2023), number of flights, “3041.57,” “fuel,” and two columns “R23” and “L20.” The small log contained dates and numbers consistent with tachometer times. Correlation indicated “3041.57” was the tachometer start time for the first flight of May 28. The pilot used a fuel dipstick not made for the accident airplane, so a conversion chart was created. Review of the chart showed actual fuel levels did not exceed 19 gallons, and there was no dipstick reading of 23. Correlating the values 20 and 23 from the Navigation Log to the conversion chart (either by exact entry or interpolation) resulted in actual fuel levels of 11 gallons and 13.5 gallons, respectively, for a total of 24.5 gallons.
Meteorological Information
The weather recorded at the Greater Binghamton Airport (BGM), about 29 miles from the accident site, indicated a temperature of 27°C and a dew point of 8°C. According to FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, Carburetor Icing Prevention, these conditions were conducive for carburetor icing at glide or cruise power. About 1443, ADS-B data indicated the airplane began its descent from about 11,000 ft msl and 3 minutes later descended through 6,000 ft msl, at about a 1,666 ft per minute rate of descent. The last ADS-B radar point at about 1450 placed the airplane at about 1,500 ft msl.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane crashed in a wooded area about 1 nautical mile west-northwest of the center of OIC. The wreckage came to rest on a magnetic heading of about 189° on slight down sloping terrain in a 49° nose-low, tail-high, and right-wing-high attitude. The left wing was separated at the wing root, which remained in close proximity. A very slight smell of fuel was noted near the separated left wing, and slight fuel blight was observed on adjacent tree leaves. A broken tree limb was found about 30 ft above ground level near the left wing rest position. Examination revealed both horizontals, elevators, vertical stabilizer, and rudder remained attached. No fuel was present at left or right inlet fuel lines or the outlet line of the fuel selector valve. No fuel stains were noted on the interior panel below the fuel selector valve. About 5 ounces of fuel were drained from the airframe fuel strainer with no contaminants. The left wing fuel tank bladder was breached. Impact gouges on flap tracks indicated the flaps were retracted. The right wing yielded 25 ounces of blue fuel (consistent with 100LL) drained from the bladder tank. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to most surfaces. The flap handle was in the retracted position, and the horizontal stabilizer trim measured 6.14 inches, equating to neutral or 0°. In the cockpit, the carburetor heat was off, the throttle was within 1/2 inch of full in, and the mixture and propeller controls were full in. The fuel selector valve was in the left tank detent. The engine crankshaft was fractured at the flange; the propeller with attached flange was near the main wreckage. Engine continuity was confirmed, and there was no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The carburetor accelerator pump operationally tested satisfactory; about 4 ounces of blue fuel were in the bowl. The propeller No. 1 blade was bent aft about 30° beginning about 11 inches from the hub, with chordwise scratches and leading edge abrasion. The No. 2 blade was relatively unremarkable.
Additional Information
An FAA Advisory Circular (AC 20-113) notes that to prevent induction system icing, pilots should regularly use carburetor heat under conditions known to be conducive to atmospheric icing. It recommends applying heat before a prolonged descent with the engine throttled and leaving it on during descent, with periodic power advancements. A postmortem examination of the pilot determined the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Forensic toxicology detected glucose in vitreous (13 mg/dL) and urine (14 mg/dL), and metformin in blood and urine. The pilot had a history of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy treated with laser therapy. He was issued a second-class medical certificate by Special Issuance on April 4, 2023, valid through April 30, 2024, and an Authorization for Special Issuance for diabetes was granted on May 1, 2023. His last hemoglobin A1c in March 2023 was 7.6%. The autopsy also documented severe coronary artery atherosclerosis (90% narrowing of left anterior descending artery), mild atherosclerosis, cardiac hypertrophy, and increased fibrosis.