Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Docket And Docket Items - National Transportation Safety Board: http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Flight Standards District Office: FAA Spokane FSDO-13
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, June 28, 2014 in Lewiston, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 09/01/2016
Aircraft: SKYRAIDER SKYRAIDER, registration: None
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
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 private pilot, who also owned the airplane, was conducting a personal local flight. A witness at the airport observed the airplane taxi by to the east, turn west, rev up the engine as it turned around, sit for a while, and then depart. The witness reported that it was a windy, gusty day and that she did not observe anything unusual as the airplane turned to the east in a climb. She lost sight of the airplane as it went around the traffic pattern and could no longer hear the engine, and then she heard a thud. She did not hear the engine noise change, just the sudden thud. The airplane came to rest inverted in a wheat field with the tail elevated. The forward part of the airplane and the wings sustained aft crush damage and the tail was undamaged. The wreckage and ground scars were confined to the impact area.
Initial examination of the engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have resulted in the a loss of engine power. Although an elevator control rod was found fractured, it exhibited features consistent with overstress. The wreckage was disposed of before a more thorough examination could be conducted. It is likely that the pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at too low an altitude to recover.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at too low an altitude to recover.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On June 28, 2014, about 0922 mountain daylight time, an unregistered experimental amateur-built SkyRaider, collided with terrain near Lewiston, Idaho. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence. The local personal flight departed Williams Airpark near Lewiston about 0900. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
A witness observed the airplane taxi by to the east; as it turned to the west, the witness heard the engine rev up. The airplane sat for a bit, and then took off. It was a windy, gusty day, and the witness didn't observe anything unusual as the airplane turned to the east in a climb. She lost sight of the airplane as it went around the traffic pattern, but could no longer hear the engine, and then she heard a thud. She didn't hear the engine sputter; she just stopped hearing anything.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
A review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman records revealed that the 29-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. The pilot held a third-class medical certificate issued in April 8, 2014, with no limitations or waivers.
No personal flight records were located for the pilot. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) obtained the aeronautical experience listed in this report from a review of the FAA airmen medical records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The pilot reported on his medical application that he had a total time of 50 hours with 5 hours logged in the previous 6 months.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The single-seat, high-wing airplane had fixed conventional (tailwheel) landing gear. It was not registered, and did not have a serial number. Maintenance logbooks were not located for the airframe, engine, or propeller.
According to a former SkyRaider dealer who helped recover the wreckage, early SkyRaiders had serial numbers, and the only engine installed was a Rotax 277 model. He did not see a serial number on this airframe, and observed that the engine on this airplane was a 503 Rotax. He also thought that the tubing on the accident airframe appeared to be much lighter than the typical SkyRaider tubing.
AIRPORT INFORMATION
Williams Airpark was located on a privately owned property with a grass field used primarily by ultralight aircraft. The pilot had asked the property owner for permission to taxi at the airpark. The airpark owner had observed the accident pilot taxi, lift off, and set down on several previous occasions, but not take off and fly in the pattern.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
Neither the NTSB nor the FAA traveled to the site. The Nez Perce County Coroner's report noted that the airplane came to rest inverted in a wheat field, but with the tail elevated. Pictures that were provided noted no damaged crops or ground scars leading to the wreckage. The forward part of the airplane and the wings sustained aft crush damage; the tail did not contact the ground, and therefore was not damaged.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
The Nez Perce County Coroner determined that the cause of death was severe head trauma. An autopsy and toxicological testing was not performed.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
An inspector from the FAA examined the wreckage. The engine crankshaft turned, and he observed fuel in the airplane. The propeller was a Powerfin model. One propeller blade separated near the hub; the splintered fracture surface was jagged and angular. The other blade remained attached, and split along the inboard portion of its trailing edge.
The flight controls were connected at the control surfaces. The FAA inspector observed a separated elevator control rod end.
The NTSB Office of Research and Engineering Materials Laboratory examined the fractured rod end and its associated tubing, and a factual report is in the public docket for this accident. The docket is accessible via a link on the ntsb.gov home page. The fracture occurred in the threaded section, which was welded into the end of the tube. The portions of the threaded section that remained attached to the rod end and the tube end both exhibited plastic deformation and fracture features consistent with overstress. No other features of a pre-existing crack or corrosion were observed.
The wreckage was disposed of before further examination of the engine could occur.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The FAA inspector provided pictures to and interviewed a person familiar with SkyRaiders. The contact identified the make and model as an early Model 1 SkyRaider with a straight tail and a small, square elevator. He had observed several accidents before, and opined that since only one propeller blade sheared off, the engine may have been at a slow idle or stopped.
NTSB Identification: WPR14LA273
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, June 28, 2014 in Lewiston, ID
Aircraft: SKYRAIDER SKYRAIDER, registration: None
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 may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On June 28, 2014, about 0922 mountain daylight time, an unregistered experimental amateur-built SkyRaider collided with terrain near Lewiston, Idaho. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence. The local personal flight departed Williams Airpark near Lewiston about 0900. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
According to witnesses, the pilot was attempting to land. They thought that he may have been experiencing engine problems, as they didn't hear engine sound prior to the airplane entering a steep nose down attitude into a nearby wheat field.
Bryce Winterbottom
LEWISTON, ID - The investigation into a plane crash that killed a Lewiston man on Saturday, June 28th is still ongoing.
29-year old Bryce Winterbottom was killed when his single-seat plane crashed into a wheat field near Vollmer road.
So far investigators haven't released their findings into what may have caused the crash.
Witnesses told investigators they heard the engine "stall out" right before the crash.
Winterbottom leaves behind a wife and four children.
If you'd like to help out the family, a website has been set up for donations.
Here's the address:
www.gofundme.com/brycewinterbottom
Source Article: http://www.klewtv.com
Bryce J. Winterbottom
Bryce J. Winterbottom, 29, of Lewiston, was killed Saturday morning, June 28, 2014, in a single-engine plane crash.
Bryce was born Oct. 30, 1984, in Lewiston, and is the third son of Ed and Chris Winterbottom. Bryce grew up in the Lewiston area, attending elementary, junior and senior high school there.
He graduated from Lewiston High School in 2003. He served a two-year Spanish-speaking mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado Springs, Colo. Following his missionary service, Bryce attended the University of Idaho and obtained bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering. At the time of his death he was working for Schweitzer Engineering in Pullman.
Bryce married his high school sweetheart, Amanda K. Busch, on May 13, 2006, and together they are the parents of four children, Caleb (7), Maryanne (5), Henry (3) and Timothy (1). Bryce loved the outdoors, spending time with family, hiking, gold panning with uncle Monte, camping and flying. He was a member of the Nez Perce County Sheriff's Air Posse. He was an Eagle Scout and wonderful teacher, spending time helping to mentor Boy Scouts, teaching continuing education classes in gold panning and GPS integration, as well as helping advise in the Lewiston High School Skills USA program.
Bryce loved to work and help others, especially his own children. He could often be found with one or more of his children at his side working on projects such as building rockets, stargazing with his telescope, building cars and landscaping their home. He was very open-armed, big-hearted and had a great ability to lift those around him. His warm smile and unforgettable laugh will be greatly missed, but fondly remembered. He could fix most things and was willing to help on anything. As an 8-year-old, he had his backpack sitting by the door ready to go with his dad and brothers on a 50-mile backpack trip. In checking his pack, he had only a pair of Scooby Doo underwear and socks in it and said, "I'm ready, Dad." He went on that trip. As a 9-year-old, he took apart the family lawn mower, unbeknownst to anyone else, and came to his dad saying, "Look, only this handful of extra parts." Bryce was in civic theater as a youth, played sports and loved life. He was always up early as a boy, and when asked why he did that, he said, "I'm afraid I'll miss something." These stories exemplify the true essence of Bryce's character.
He is survived by his wife and children at their Lewiston home; parents Ed and Chris in Pullman; in-laws Sam and Asenath Busch of Lewiston; brothers Brent of Richland and Brian (Tracy) of Moscow; sisters Brynn (Ricky) Guzman of Moscow and Britney (Braden) Schroeder of Peoria, Ill.; grandmother Marge Gertonson of Lewiston; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and good friends.
The family would like to thank the Nez Perce County Sheriff's Air Posse and sheriff's office for handling a difficult situation in such a tender way. Services will be conducted at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at the intersection of Ninth Street and Preston Avenue in Lewiston. Donations to the family may be made at www.gofundme/BryceWinterbottom.
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