NTSB Identification: ERA13LA167
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, March 14, 2013 in Mount Airy, NC
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/11/2013
Aircraft: ALLEN BD-5, registration: N30BA
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that he intended to perform a flyby before landing. As he approached the runway about 50 feet above ground level, the pilot advanced the throttle to full; however, the engine immediately stopped. He responded by pitching the airplane up and to the right. The airplane then entered a steep left turn. The airspeed decreased to 100 mph, and the airplane started to vibrate, so the pilot quickly leveled the wings and pitched downward to prevent the airplane from entering a stall. The pilot continued to fly a wings-level descent until the airplane impacted terrain. Examination of the airplane revealed that the engine choke cable was rigged backwards; therefore, pulling the choke knob out opened the choke valve and pushing it in closed it. The choke knob, which is located directly behind the pilot's head, was found pushed in during postaccident examination. Therefore, it was likely that the pilot's head contacted the choke while he was responding to the loss of engine power, which resulted in a closed choke and a corresponding total loss of engine power. The experimental amateur-built airplane was equipped with an automobile engine and was never certified as airworthy; therefore, it was never issued an airworthiness certificate.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
A total loss of engine power due to the pilot's inadvertent closing of the engine choke. Contributing to the accident was the improper rigging of the engine choke cable.
On March 14, 2013, about 1915 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built BD-5 airplane, N30BA, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground, following a total loss of engine power while performing a flyby at Mount Airy/Surry County Airport (MWK), Mount Airy, North Carolina. The private pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight. The flight originated from Statesville Regional Airport (SVH), Statesville, North Carolina. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot reported on the common traffic advisory frequency that he was on final approach to runway 36. According to witnesses, the airplane was observed in a low pass to the east of the runway when it entered a climb and banked to the right, then banked steeply to the left. The airplane subsequently entered a descent, impacted terrain and came to rest in a ravine on airport property.
The pilot stated that he intended to perform a flyby prior to landing at SVH. He approached runway 36 about 50 feet above ground level and 140 mph. When he advanced the throttle to full power the engine stopped immediately and he responded by pitching the airplane up and to the right. The airspeed then decreased to 120 mph and he entered a steep left turn, about 60 degrees. The airspeed decreased to 100 mph and the airplane started to vibrate, so he quickly leveled the wings and pitched downward to prevent the airplane from entering a stall. The pilot continued to fly in a wings level descent before impacting terrain in a slight nose down attitude. The wreckage was oriented about 040 degrees magnetic with a ground scar to the left of the aircraft nose 36 inches in length and approximately 18 inches deep. Small trees were stacked by the left wing root.
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. The pilot’s most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on July 29, 2008. The pilot reported 1,100 total hours of flight experience and three hours in make and model.
The single-engine, pusher-propeller configured airplane was powered by a 1976 Honda Civic, 130 horsepower, automobile engine. According to FAA records, the airplane was never certified airworthy and therefore was never issued an airworthiness certificate. The pilot stated that the engine accrued about three hours since installation.
Examination of the engine by FAA inspectors revealed that the choke cable was rigged backwards; pulling the choke knob out would open the choke valve and pushing it in would close it. The choke knob was located directly behind the pilot's head; therefore, any aft movement of the pilot's head could push the choke cable in causing the engine to stall. The cable connecting the choke knob to the carburetor could be moved freely.
The propeller had minor damage and rotated freely. The propeller drive belts were off the drive pulleys but were intact and the drive pulley rotated freely. The flywheel was rotated successfully by hand and the engine did not display any evidence consistent with seizing. The propeller clutch also appeared to be functioning correctly. The engine drive pulley was in place and rotated freely. Compression could not be determined due to the inaccessibility of the engine at the accident site. Continuity of the throttle and mixture controls to the carburetor was established. All flight control surfaces were accounted for at the scene and flight control continuity was confirmed for all major flight control surfaces. Both wing fuel tanks were breached but the fuselage fuel tank appeared full.
At 1935, the weather observation at Mount Airy/Surry County Airport (MWK), Mount Airy, North Carolina, reported wind from 280 degrees at 3 knots, 10 miles visibility and sky clear. The temperature was 7 degrees C, dew point minus 13 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.13 inches of mercury.
NTSB Identification: ERA13LA167
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, March 14, 2013 in Mount Airy, NC
Aircraft: ALLEN BD-5, registration: N30BA
Injuries: 1 Serious.
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 may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On March 14, 2013, about 1920 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built BD-5 airplane, N30BA, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground following a loss of control while on final approach to Mount Airy/Surry County Airport (MWK), Mount Airy, North Carolina. The private pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight. The flight originated from Statesville Regional Airport (SVH), Statesville, North Carolina. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot reported on the common traffic advisory frequency that he was on final approach to runway 36. According to witnesses, the airplane was observed in a low pass to the east of runway 36 when it pulled up and banked to the right, then banked steeply to the left while climbing. The airplane continued in a left bank and subsequently impacted the ground and came to rest in a ravine on airport property. The pilot was airlifted to a hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Initial examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed the fuselage had separated in half.
Bede BD-5B (Mfr. Allen), N30BA
Bede BD-5B (Mfr. Allen), N30BA
A pilot involved in a crash Thursday night at Mount Airy-Surry County Airport has been identified.
Chris Gammons was the person injured in the incident, according to Myron Waddell, senior supervisor of Surry County Emergency Services.
Gammons is about 35 and has a Statesville address, Waddell said, and is a former Surry County resident.
He was alone in a BD-5, a small single-engine experimental aircraft, which had left Statesville Municipal Airport and was attempting to land at Mount Airy-Surry County Airport shortly before 7:30 Thursday.
Gammons had to be extricated from the cockpit of the badly damaged craft and was airlifted to Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem. He was complaining of back pain, and possibly suffered a broken back, based on social media sources, which also indicate that Gammons might have no feeling in his legs.
About 40 members of various public safety units in Surry County responded to the scene.
Included was Surry County Haz-Mart, which Sheriff Graham Atkinson said had to contain about a 20-gallon fuel spill from the crash.
Plane “Deregistered”
Meanwhile, a check of Federal Aviation Administration records revealed that the aircraft Gammons was piloting had its registration canceled last September due to an expiration.
“The FAA will investigate the registration of the aircraft,” Kathleen Bergen, a spokesman for that agency, advised Friday.
Before its deregistration, the plane — a 1976 model — was listed as registered to a resident of Carson City, Nev.
Gammons had posted multiple YouTube videos in the past week showing him flying the experimental plane.
A witness reported that it seemed to experience mechanical difficulty before attempting to land at Mount Airy-Surry County Airport Thursday night and crashing west of a runway down an embankment in a brier thicket.
Representatives of the FAA were on the scene to investigate the mishap Friday, but were tight-lipped about their work here.
“FAA safety inspectors are not available to the media at accident sites,” Bergen explained.
“The FAA also does not provide updates or progress reports on accident investigations. The National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of the investigation and will provide all updates.”
A spokesman for the NTSB said Friday that his agency would rely on information from the FAA in investigating the probable cause of the accident here. “It doesn’t appear that we will be sending anyone,” said Keith Holloway of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Washington office.
The FAA safety inspectors who were at the airport Friday planned to have the wrecked plane moved into a hangar, Sheriff Atkinson said.
Holloway added that the NTSB is not involved with issuing fines or any disciplinary actions in such cases, but determining the cause of the crash. “Our investigation will look at the safety aspect of it,” he said of Thursday night’s incident.
Bergen indicated Friday that what happened here does not signal an inherent problem with experimental planes.
“Experimental and amateur-built aircraft are quite common. According to FAA records, there were 24,800 aircraft in this category as of Dec. 31, 2010, which is the latest-available info I have.”
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The pilot was airlifted by AirCare to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries.
The plane crashed in a ravine on the west side of the runway near the north end, when the pilot was trying to land. Witnesses say, they heard the plane sputtering just before the crash.
“It could have been me in there with him,” said Devon Byrd, who frequently flies in and out of the airport for fun.
Officials say the pilot, whose name has not been released, is very lucky he made it out of the aircraft alive.
“Based on where that plane crashed, and the condition of the plane at that time, I would say he’s very, very fortunate to be alive,” said Sheriff Graham Atkinson.
The FAA is expected to investigate the crash on Friday morning.
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Fire and rescue crews work to gain access to patients, the number of which are unknown, in a plane crash off the side of the runway at the Mount Airy-Surry County Airport at about 7:30 p.m. tonight.
Deputies with the Surry County Sheriff’s Office secured the scene of a single-engine aircraft accident Thursday night at Mount Airy-Surry County Airport until a team of Federal Aviation Administration investigators can arrive Friday.
According to airport spokesperson John Springthorpe, at around 7:30 p.m. a single-engine light aircraft with identification numbers N30BA, which was said to be a BD-5, was on its final approach to land. He said an airport attendant next observed the plane crash into a gully west of the runway and called 911.
“It was a small, single-engine experimental plane,” said Scottie Chilton, chief of the Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department. The pilot, described as a white male in his 30s, possibly with the name of Gammons, was the only occupant. He is believed to be a local resident.
Sheriff Graham Atkinson said witness reports indicated that the craft seemed to be having mechanical difficulty.
It went down in a deep ravine on the west side of the airport, where rescuers had to wade through thick briers and underbrush, with the cockpit smashed by the impact.
“He had to be extricated out of the cockpit,” Chilton said of a process that took about 20 minutes.
Springthorpe said the pilot was treated on the scene before being transported to Wake Forest Baptist Health aboard an AirCare helicopter ambulance.
“They said he was complaining of back pain,” the sheriff said, relaying reports from rescue personnel. There was speculation that the man might have suffered a broken back, Atkinson added.
Springthorpe said the attendant did not observe anything wrong with the aircraft before the incident or receive any indication of something being wrong in transmissions before the crash.
The airport was closed in support of the rescue operations in the estimated 40-foot gully where the aircraft came to rest, but officials anticipates the airport would within an hour.
In addition to the Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department, the Mount Airy and Pilot Mountain rescue squads, Surry County Haz-Mart, Surry County EMS and the N.C. Highway Patrol responded to the incident.
