14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, July 28, 2011 in Winterville, NC
Probable Cause Approval Date: 04/10/2013
Aircraft: TAYLORCRAFT BL-65, registration: N24369
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
After a local flight, the vintage airplane was approaching the pilot's home airport on a very hot day (36 degrees C [97 degrees F]), and the cockpit was most likely hot as well. As the airplane approached perpendicular to the runway, it maintained a nose-down, left bank attitude, consistent with no further control inputs from the pilot. The airplane impacted the left side of runway, approximately one-third down the runway, pivoted 180 degrees, and came to rest about 20 feet from the initial impact point. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Although the autopsy report listed the cause of death as multiple injuries related to the crash, it also noted significant coronary artery disease and a tiny scar of the papillary muscle. Both suggested the possibility of a cardiac arrhythmia or heart attack that may have resulted in incapacitation. Additionally, the pilot's medical history revealed a vasovagal (fainting) episode due to nausea and vomiting about 2 years prior to the accident. Neither a vasovagal episode nor cardiac arrhythmia would have left any evidence for discovery during autopsy. As such, pilot incapacitation is possible in this accident because of the lack of control inputs as the airplane approached the runway.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
A loss of airplane control for undetermined reasons as the autopsy was unable to reveal any definitive conditions that would have led to the loss of control.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On July 28, 2011, at 1511 eastern daylight time, a Taylorcraft BL-65, N24369, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged when it impacted runway 25 during an attempted landing at South Oak Aerodrome (NC47), Winterville, North Carolina. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which departed NC47 about 1345.
Runway 25 at NC47 was 1,850 feet long, 50 feet wide, and consisted of turf. According to surveillance video provided by the owner of a nearby residence, the airplane approached the runway from south to north in a nose-down, left-bank attitude, with no apparent additional control inputs. The airplane impacted the left side of runway 25, approximately one-third down the runway. It then pivoted 180 degrees and came to rest about 20 feet from initial impact. The wreckage was resting upright, on a heading of 150 degrees magnetic. The right main landing gear had partially separated and the airplane was resting on its right side. Ground scars were located about 20 feet from the wreckage, oriented about a 300-degree magnetic bearing to the wreckage. The shape, orientation, and distribution of the ground scars were consistent with the left wing and left main landing gear.
PILOT INFORMATION
The pilot, age 42, held an airline transport pilot certificate with a rating for airplane multiengine land. He also held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane-single engine land. The pilot's most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) first-class medical certificate was issued on March 16, 2011. At that time, he reported a total flight experience of 11,800 hours. The pilot's logbook was recovered; however, it was not current and the most recent entry was dated March 18, 2010. The pilot's total flight experience or total hours in the accident airplane make and model could not be determined.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The two-seat, high-wing, fixed tricycle-landing gear airplane, serial number 1705, was manufactured in 1940. It was powered by a Continental A65-8, 65-horsepower engine. The airplane's maintenance logbooks were not located and the tachometer indicated 1,294.0 hours of operation.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
Pitt-Greenville Airport (PGV), Greenville, North Carolina was located about 10 miles north of the accident site. The recorded weather at PGV, at 1515, was: wind from 190 degrees at 4 knots; visibility 10 miles; scattered clouds at 7,000 feet; scattered clouds at 9,000 feet; temperature 36 degrees Celsius; dew point 17 degrees Celsius; altimeter 30.02 inches of mercury.
WRECKAGE INFORMATION
Both wings remained attached to the airframe, with the ailerons attached to their respective wing. The left wing exhibited impact damage at the outboard leading edge and the right wing was not damaged. The airplane was not equipped with flaps. The left aileron was found in a down position and the right aileron was up. The fuel caps remained secured to their respective wing fuel tanks, and approximately one-quarter tank of fuel remained in the right wing. No fuel remained in the left wing; however, the wing tanks were interconnected, which allowed fuel to drain from the left wing to the right wing and vice versa. Additionally, fuel was observed leaking from the engine compartment, in the vicinity of a damaged carburetor. The fuel displayed a brown tint, but was otherwise clear and had an appearance and smell consistent with automobile gasoline. Control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit controls to the rudder, elevator, elevator trim tab, and left aileron. The right aileron bellcrank had separated and was retained for further examination. Control continuity was confirmed from the cable at the bellcrank separation, to the yoke.
The seatbelts and shoulder harnesses remained intact and were unlatched by rescue personnel. The mixture control was in the full rich position, the carburetor heat control was off, and the throttle control was mid-range. First responders reported that they positioned the fuel selector and magnetos to off. The engine primer was in and locked.
The engine remained attached to the airframe, and except for the carburetor, was undamaged. The propeller remained attached to the engine. Both propeller blades exhibited s-bending and chordwise scratching. The top spark plugs were removed and examined; their electrodes were intact and dark gray in color. The valve covers were removed and oil was noted in each cylinder head. The propeller was then rotated by hand and thumb compression was attained on all cylinders. Crankshaft, and valve train continuity was confirmed throughout the engine. Both magnetos produced spark at all leads when rotated by hand. The carburetor had partially separated due to impact damage, and was disassembled for inspection. The float and needle valve remained intact, and fuel was recovered from the carburetor.
The right aileron bellcrank was forwarded to the NTSB Materials Laboratory, Washington, DC. Metallurgical examination of the bellcrank revealed five fracture faces, which displayed rough grainy surfaces consistent with an overload event.
A Lowrance Airmap 500 handheld global positioning system (GPS) receiver was also recovered from the wreckage and forwarded to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory, Washington, DC. Data were successfully downloaded from the receiver and plotted. The plot depicted a route from NC47, west to Kenley, North Carolina, and return; however, the receiver did not store date or time with each of the recorded positions. As such, the plot could not be positively identified as the accident flight.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy was performed on the pilot on July 29, 2011, by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The autopsy report noted the cause of death as "Multiple injuries;" however, the report also noted that the left anterior descending focal coronary artery had 85 to 90 percent atherosclerotic narrowing. Additionally, the papillary muscle exhibited focal scarring. Review of the pilot's FAA and personal medical records revealed a fainting episode in 2009, immediately following nausea and vomiting due to a common illness. Considerable cardiac and neurologic testing did not reveal any concerning cause of the fainting episode and the pilot was cleared to continue flying.
Toxicological testing was performed on the pilot by the FAA Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The results were negative for carbon monoxide, alcohol, and drugs.
NTSB Identification: ERA11FA426
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, July 28, 2011 in Winterville, NC
Aircraft: TAYLORCRAFT BL-65, registration: N24369
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On July 28, 2011, at 1511 eastern daylight time, a Taylorcraft BL-65, N24369, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged when it impacted runway 25 during an attempted landing at South Oak Aerodrome (NC47), Winterville, North Carolina. The certificated airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which departed NC47 about 1345.
Runway 25 at NC47 was 1,850 feet long, 50 feet wide, and consisted of turf. According to video surveillance provided by the owner of a nearby residence, the airplane approached the runway from south to north in a nose-down, left-bank attitude. The airplane impacted the left side of runway 25, approximately one-third down the runway. It then spun 180 degrees and came to rest about 20 feet from initial impact. The wreckage was resting upright, on a heading of 150 degrees magnetic. The right main landing gear had partially separated and the airplane was resting on its right side. Ground scars were located about 20 feet from the wreckage, oriented about a 300 degree magnetic bearing to the wreckage. The ground scars were consistent with the left wing and left main landing gear.
The right aileron bellcrank and a handheld global positioning system receiver were retained for further examination.
A plane crash at the South Oaks Aerodrome, located off County Home Road, killed one person on Thursday.
Credit: Sasha Horne
Federal aviation
investigators arrived early Friday to probe a fatal plane crash that
killed a commercial airline pilot from Winterville.
Joshua Brehm, 42, was at
the controls after 3 p.m. Thursday when his single-engine 1940
Taylorcraft BL-65 went down in a grassy field at South Oaks Aerodrome in
Winterville, authorities said Friday.
The residential landing
field at 6554 County Home Road just north of N.C. 102 is an unmanned
airfield that is part of a luxury residential development in southern
Pitt County. No homes or other structures were damaged.
Brehm is a captain with Southwest Airlines, sheriff's officials said Friday.
He held an airline
transport pilot certification, the highest certification offered by the
Federal Aviation Administration, spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said
Friday.
He was certified to fly a
Boeing 737, Hawker Beechcraft 1900, which is a twin-turbo propellor
plane, and a Bombardier CRJ-200, a regional jet, she said.
Investigators with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board spent Friday morning examining the wreckage.
The plane appeared to be landing when the crash, according to witnesses, sheriff's officials said.
A flight plan was not known, officials said Thursday. Sheriff Neil Elks
said it was possible the pilot went up for a brief pleasure ride. The
crash does not appear suspicious, he said.
Watch Video: http://www.witn.com
Sheriff's office spokeswoman Christy Wallace says the plane crashed in a field shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday. The crash happened in the small town of Winterville, about seven miles south of Greenville.
Wallace says the name of the victim is being withheld until family members have been notified.
Federal officials plan an investigation of the crash. The agency says the plane was a single-engine craft designed to carry one person.
Wallace says Pitt County sheriff's deputies have closed off the crash site while they wait for federal investigators, who are expected to arrive in Winterville Friday.
Source: http://www.foxcarolina.com
The Pitt County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that one person has died in a plane crash this afternoon.
It happened at South Oaks Aerodome, a small private airstrip on County Home Road shortly after 3:00 p.m.
A witness tells WITN News what appears to be small aircraft crashed just a short while ago. That witness says the plane appeared to nosedive when it was attempting to land at the airstrip.
The plane now is surrounded by crime scene tape, sitting upright on the grass.
The aircraft is a Taylorcraft BL-65 single-engine plane.
