History of Flight
On October 10, 2023, about 11:24 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur-built RV-8, registration N75RT, was substantially damaged when it crashed near Centerville, Utah. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane was being operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Recorded flight data from an onboard Garmin GDU 460 indicated that at 11:14:30 the airplane departed runway 17 at Skypark Airport (BTF) in Bountiful, Utah, and turned left to the north. Shortly after departure, engine parameters showed a gradual decrease in oil pressure. By 11:19:30, oil pressure had dropped to 13 psi, engine speed increased to 3,990 rpm, and manifold pressure was 22.7 inches of mercury. At about 11:19:30, the pilot initiated a 180° left turn to the south; the departure airport was about 11 miles south at that time. Runway 32 at Hill Air Force Base was about 5 nautical miles to the north, and a dry lakebed was about 4 nautical miles to the southwest. Over the next 5 seconds, manifold pressure decreased to 9.8 inches of mercury, engine speed dropped to 3,030 rpm, and power output fell to 49 percent. Between 11:19:45 and 11:22:21, the airplane descended from 5,750 ft mean sea level (msl) to about 4,700 ft msl, leveled off briefly, and the pitch angle gradually increased. At 11:23:48, manifold pressure was 15.7 inches of mercury, engine speed 2,600 rpm, and power 46 percent. Near that time, the No. 2 cylinder exhaust gas temperature decreased below others and engine speed dropped to 2,300 rpm. Airspeed was 77 knots indicated when the airplane entered a descending 16° right bank before abruptly rolling left to 32° at 11:23:56, continuing until the last recorded data point at 11:24:00.
The initial point of impact was about 770 ft southeast of the last recorded data point. The airplane came to rest on level soft dirt about 4 miles north of BTF, at an elevation of 4,208 ft msl.
A pilot-rated witness monitoring the BTF CTAF reported that the pilot declared an emergency due to low oil pressure over Lagoon Amusement Park and intended to return to the departure airport, just over 8 miles north of BTF. A subsequent radio call reported an engine failure northwest of Centerville Interchange, about 6 miles north of the departure airport. The witness reported that the airplane appeared to stall about 100–200 ft above ground level before impact.
Personnel Information
Documents indicated the accident pilot completed RV-8 familiarization training with a flight instructor about three months before the accident. The pilot's personal logbook was not located. According to an FAA Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application dated August 31, 2019, the pilot reported 3,889 hours of total flight experience. On a first-class medical certificate application dated November 17, 2022, the pilot reported 1,000 hours total civil flight experience and 300 hours in the preceding six months.
Aircraft Information
The experimental amateur-built airplane's most recent condition inspection was completed on June 1, 2023, by the airplane owner, who held an FAA mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant ratings. At that inspection, engine time since major overhaul was 344.6 hours.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted terrain in a nose-down, left-wing-low attitude. The first identified point of impact was marked by red navigation light lens fragments and a crater consistent with engine impact. The airplane came to rest about 6 ft east of that point, with the nose oriented on a heading of 020° magnetic. The left wing remained attached; the inboard leading edge was separated from the wing root, with compression signatures on the inboard trailing edge. The right wing's inboard leading edge was compressed into the fuselage at the wing root. Control continuity was established from the cockpit to the ailerons, rudder, and elevator. The left flap torque tube sustained impact damage; the right flap remained retracted. The lower fuselage exhibited impact damage from the firewall to the empennage, with oil coating the belly.
The two-blade propeller remained attached to the crankshaft, with impact damage at the flange. One blade was bent aft about 45° with faint rotational scoring and minimal leading edge damage; the other was unremarkable. All cylinders and accessories remained attached to the engine. The propeller governor was found mounted with its control arm and cable impact fractured. Oil residue was observed on the engine around the propeller governor and adapter. Numerous hairline fractures were found on the propeller governor adapter, with impact damage to the oil fitting; metallurgical examination indicated overload. The oil level gauge tube was impact damaged and separated from the crankcase; the undamaged oil dipstick was found about 10 ft from the engine compartment with no damage to threads. No oil residue was observed near the gauge tube. Examination of cylinders with a borescope revealed failure of the No. 2 piston connecting rod. After removal, the connecting rod, cap, and bearings showed signatures consistent with oil starvation. During removal of the oil sump, attaching hardware was found loose. The sump contained fragments of the connecting rod and end cap.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted by the Utah Department of Health & Human Services Medical Examiner listed the cause of death as "blunt force injuries" and the manner as "accident." Toxicology testing at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory found no drugs of abuse.