Saturday, September 20, 2014

Manweiler Acro Sport II, Biplane Crazy LLC, N94SM: Fatal accident occurred September 20, 2014 in Middletown, Ohio

NTSB Identification: CEN14LA507
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, September 20, 2014 in Middletown, OH
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/09/2015
Aircraft: MANWEILLER ACRO SPORT II, registration: N94SM
Injuries: 2 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 pilot and pilot-rated passenger were flying a local flight and performing aerobatic maneuvers in the experimental amateur-built airplane. A witness reported that she heard the airplane approaching and then saw it and noted that it was at a lower altitude than she normally saw aircraft in the area. The airplane then started to pitch nose up into a loop. As the airplane reached the top of the looping maneuver, the sound of the engine stopped, and the airplane then immediately started descending. The airplane then entered a spiral/spin, and the witness lost sight of the airplane behind some trees. She then heard the sound of an engine, consistent with the pilot adding engine power, followed immediately by the sound of impact. The airplane was engulfed in flames upon her arrival. The witness demonstrated what she had seen with a model airplane, and the demonstration was consistent with an attempted loop with a spin out of the top of the maneuver. 

Witness marks at the accident site revealed that the airplane was producing power at the time of impact. An examination of the engine and flight controls did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded operation. A weight and balance calculation showed that the airplane was within its published limits. The airplane likely experienced an aerodynamic stall at the top of the looping maneuver and then entered a spin from which the flying pilot was not able to recover. The investigation could not determine which occupant was manipulating the controls during the flight. 

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The failure of the flying pilot to maintain airplane control after an aerodynamic stall/spin occurred during the aerobatic maneuver following a reported intermittent loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examinations.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On September 20, 2014, about 0857 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Manweiler Acro Sport II airplane, N94SM, impacted buildings and terrain near Middletown, Ohio, and a ground fire subsequently occurred. Both airplane occupants were private pilots and were fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Biplane Crazy LLC under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual flight rules conditions prevailed for the flight, which did not operate on a flight plan. The local flight originated from the Butler County Regional Airport-Hogan Field (HAO), near Hamilton, Ohio, about 0830.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector interviewed a witness, who was outside in her driveway, when she heard the aircraft approaching. She said it was at a lower altitude than she normally sees aircraft in the area. As it was coming toward her from east to west it started to pitch, nose up, into what she said looked like a loop. As it got to the top of the looping maneuver, and an instant before it started down, the sound of the engine stopped. The aircraft then entered a spiralling, spinning maneuver, which continued until she lost sight of the aircraft behind some trees. She then heard the sound of an engine, consistent with the pilot adding engine power, followed immediately by the sound of impact. She told her husband to call 911 and report the accident. She then "grabbed" a neighbor, who is an EMT, and went to the crash site to try to help. The aircraft was engulfed in flames when they arrived, and they were unable to help. The inspector had her demonstrate what she saw with a model airplane. The demonstration was consistent with an attempted loop with a spin out of the top of the maneuver.


PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The 49-year-old pilot in the front seat held a FAA private pilot certificate with airplane single engine land and instrument airplane ratings. He held a FAA Third Class Medical Certificate issued on November 12, 2013. This medical certificate was issued without any limitations. The pilot reported on the application for that medical certificate that he had accumulated 1,525 hours of total flight time and 75 hours in the six months prior to the medical examination. This pilot's reported weight was 187 pounds at the time of the medical examination. The pilot recorded in his logbook that he had accumulated 1,662.1 hours of total flight time, 41 hours of flight time in the 90 days prior to the accident, 12 hours of flight time in the 30 days prior to the accident, and 6 hours of flight time in the accident airplane.

The 40-year-old pilot rated passenger in the rear seat held a FAA private pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land rating. He was issued a FAA Third Class Medical Certificate on June 4, 2008. This medical certificate was issued without any limitations. The pilot reported on the application for that medical certificate that he had accumulated 900 hours of total flight time and 0 hours in the six months prior to the medical examination. This pilot's reported weight was 232 pounds at the time of the medical examination. The pilot recorded in his logbook that he had accumulated 906.5 hours of total flight time, 24.5 hours of flight time in the 90 days prior to the accident, 2 hours of flight time in the 30 days prior to the accident, and 2 hours of flight time in the accident airplane.


AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

N94SM was a plans-built, experimental, amateur-built Manweiler Acro Sport II airplane with serial number 733. The airplane's plan included a short wing span biplane design with a conventional tail wheel configuration, open cockpits, and faring covered fixed main landing gear. Its structure was a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and empennage group with a wood wing structure. A 200-horsepower Lycoming IO-360-A1A engine, with serial number L-17470-51A, powered the airplane. Review of an FAA 8050-2 bill of sale form revealed that the airplane was purchased on July 26, 2014. According to an owner's representative, the airplane last condition inspection was completed on August 28, 2014 and it accumulated 596 hours of total flight time at the time of that inspection.


METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 0853, the recorded weather at HAO was: Wind calm, visibility 6 statute miles; present weather mist; sky condition few clouds at 4,700 feet; temperature 16 degrees C; dew point 13 degrees C; altimeter 30.10 inches of mercury.


WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The airplane impacted buildings about 200 feet northeast of the intersection of Willow Creek Drive and Sunrise View Circle. FAA inspectors examined and documented the accident site and wreckage. The exterior wall of garage near where the airplane came to rest exhibited an opening and slash marks consistent with an airplane with a rotating propeller breaching that wall. The airplane came to rest upright in the rear yard of the house. The airplane, forward of its empennage, was discolored, deformed, and charred, with sections consumed by fire. The inspectors' examination and review of their accident site pictures did not reveal any preimpact flight control anomalies that would have precluded operation of the airplane.


MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy was performed on the front seated pilot by the Butler County Coroner's Office. The autopsy indicated that injuries sustained during the accident were the cause of his death.

An autopsy was performed on the rear seated pilot rated passenger by the Butler County Coroner's Office. The autopsy indicated that cranial trauma was the cause of his death.

The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute prepared Final Forensic Toxicology Accident Reports for both pilots from samples taken during their autopsies. The report on each pilot was negative for the tests performed.


FIRE

The impacted house did not reveal any discoloration. The localized area where the airplane came to rest exhibited discoloration and charred vegetation consistent with a ground fire.


TESTS AND RESEARCH

The wreckage was recovered to a storage facility. An FAA inspector and an air safety investigator from the engine manufacturer examined the accident engine on October 7, 2014. There was evidence of a post impact fire resulting in engine damage. A thumb compression was observed on undamaged cylinders. Damaged cylinders were removed and inspected, where no damage to valves, pistons, rings, or cylinder walls were noted. Crankshaft continuity was confirmed by observing accessory gear rotation at the rear of the engine and movement of each piston and its rod while rotating the propeller hub by hand. Camshaft continuity was confirmed when the propeller hub was rotated by hand. All intake and exhaust valves moved through the opening and closing sequence. No preimpact anomalies were detected that would have precluded engine operation.

Radar return data was gathered by a National Transportation Safety Board air traffic control specialist. The specialist produced an illustration that depicted the accident flight's path. The illustration is appended to the docket material associated with this case.

A weight and balance calculation was conducted using a weight and balance worksheet dated August 6, 1994, which was forwarded by an airplane owner's representative. Assuming no weight in the baggage compartment, the calculation, using the pilot and pilot rated passengers weight listed on their last medical forms plus 15 pound parachutes, revealed that the airplane was below the maximum "allowable" weight listed on the worksheet and within the maximum and minimum center of gravity limit, at both maximum and minimum fuel amounts.


ADDITIONAL DATA/INFORMATION

The investigation could not determine which airplane occupant was manipulating the flight controls during the accident flight.

http://registry.faa.gov/N94SM 

NTSB Identification: CEN14LA507
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, September 20, 2014 in Middletown, OH
Aircraft: MANWEILLER ACRO SPORT II, registration: N94SM
Injuries: 2 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 September 20, 2014, about 0857 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Manweiler Acro Sport II airplane, N94SM, impacted buildings and terrain near Middletown, Ohio, and a ground fire subsequently occurred. Both airplane occupants were private pilots and were fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Biplane Crazy LLC under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual flight rules conditions prevailed for the flight, which did not operate on a flight plan. The local flight originated from the Butler County Regional Airport-Hogan Field (HAO), near Hamilton, Ohio, about 0830.

The airplane was observed in aerobatic maneuvers during the flight.

The pilot in the front seat held a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot certificate with airplane single engine land and instrument airplane ratings. He held a FAA Third Class Medical Certificate issued in November of 2013.

The pilot in the rear seat held a FAA private pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land rating. He was issued a FAA Third Class Medical Certificate in June of 2008.

N94SM was a plans-built, experimental, amateur-built Manweiler Acro Sport II airplane with serial number 733. The airplane's plan included a short wing span biplane design with a conventional tail wheel configuration, open cockpits, and faring covered fixed main landing gear. Its structure was a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and empennage group with a wood wing structure. A 200-horsepower Lycoming IO-360-A1A engine powered the airplane.

At 0853, the recorded weather at HAO was: Wind calm, visibility 6 statute miles; present weather mist; sky condition few clouds at 4,700 feet; temperature 16 degrees C; dew point 13 degrees C; altimeter 30.10 inches of mercury.

The airplane impacted buildings about 200 feet northeast of the intersection of Willow Creek Drive and Sunrise View Circle. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain where a ground fire occurred.

The Butler County Coroner was asked to conduct an autopsy on both pilots to include toxicological testing.



Any witnesses should email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov.


LIBERTY TOWNSHIP —The family of two brothers killed in a weekend plane crash released a statement to the media on Tuesday. 

 Jeff and Steve Krummen died when the biplane they were in crashed in a Liberty Township neighborhood. Both men died at the scene.

In the statement, the Krummen family said both men had "great integrity and character, mentors to many, incredible fathers and husbands, sons and brothers."

The brothers were married with three children each, the family said.

"Jeff and Steve were brothers who grew up the best of friends, enjoyed many of the same hobbies and activities together. They shared the love of flying together … and tragically died together," the family said.

Each man had more than 20 years of flying experience, the family said.

"Our thoughts, prayers and or hearts go out the neighborhood families that were affected by this tragedy. We are very thankful that no one else was injured," the family said. "If the world had more Steve's and Jeff's it would be a better place."

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Read more: http://www.wlwt.com



Jeff and Steve Krummen

LIBERTY TWP, OH (FOX19) - Two brothers who died Saturday in a Liberty Township plane crash have been identified as 49-year-old Jeff Krummen and 40-year-old Steven Krummen.

The men were inside a small two-seater plane when it went down between houses on Sunrise View Circle, hitting one of the homes before bursting into flames. Jeff was a resident of West Chester and Steven of Mason, according to the coroner's report.

Authorities responded to the residential street around 9 a.m. Saturday after multiple callers reported seeing a plane crash in the area.

"I'm pretty sure I saw a plane falling out of the sky," a witness told emergency dispatch on Saturday morning.

Jeff and Steven were reportedly still inside the burning plane when authorities arrived. The brothers were pronounced dead at the scene.

911 audio from the crash was released Monday, giving insight to the alarming moments after witnesses saw the plane go down.

"A plane just crashed into the backyard of my neighbor's house," another 911 caller said. Both houses were occupied during the crash but all residents were uninjured, according to authorities.

Witnesses on the scene said the plane was performing spirals in the air before crashing. Authorities are still investigating the accident.








Rules, restrictions of aerobatic flying investigated following biplane tragedy 
 
HAMILTON, Ohio —Federal investigators want to know why a plane capable of doing aerobatic maneuvers crashed in a suburban Butler County neighborhood on Saturday.

In the meantime, a WLWT investigation is taking a closer look at the rules governing planes flying over neighborhoods and backyards.

Retired airline captain Jon Thocker is a pilot who loves to fly, and he loves his Van's RV-8 airplane.

Not only can the plane help him take a quick trip to Florida, but it can also do some tricked-out stunts high overhead. Since that's the case, Thocker loves to take part in airshows in the Tri-State and elsewhere.

"We fly as a 2-shift formation team, Redline Airshows," Thocker said. "And also for a larger team, Team Aerodynamics, based in Charlotte, North Carolina."

As someone steeped in the airshow world, Thocker said the rules are clear.

"No you shouldn't, in a populated area, look up and see an airplane doing aerobatics. We have to do them over sparsely populated areas and there are certain altitude restrictions that we can do them," Thocker said.

In fact, Federal Aviation Administration regulations state the following:

(FAR 91.303) No person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight -
(a) Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement;
(b) Over an open-air assembly of persons;
(c) Within the lateral boundaries of the surface areas of Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E airspace designated for an airport;
(d) Within four nautical miles of the centerline of any federal airway;
(e) Below an altitude of 1,500 feet above the surface; or
(f) When flight visibility is less than three statute miles.

But Thocker said unless a pilot is properly trained; the rules listed above can be hazy when a pilot is high above the horizon.

Thocker said he also knows that more and more flyers will continue to push the envelope in planes that can do more and more things in the sky.

"It's a very fun thing to do, but sometimes it gets guys in trouble because they haven't been formally trained," Thocker said.

WLWT's Todd Dykes talked to Thocker at the Butler County Regional Airport where he supports creating an aerobatic practice area. But so far that's just an idea.

Thocker said one other point to consider is the fact that the public can sometimes think they're seeing a stunt in the sky when, in reality, it's just part of a routine pilot training session.

Story and Video:    http://www.wlwt.com


 

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio —Authorities said two men are dead after a plane crashed in Liberty Township shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday.

Authorities said a small aerobatic two-seat biplane went down in the 5300 block of Sunrise View Circle.

Neighbors said it started as a stunt performance over the Liberty Township neighborhood but turned into a horror show.

"It was just lots of smoke. It burned just that quick and there was nothing. It was tragic, just a horrible thing that happened," Mary Runnebaum said.

The plane was based out of Butler County Regional Airport in Hamilton, according to reports.

Witnesses said the plane was doing stunts, including a backward roll, when it went into a downward spiral. People said they could hear the pilot trying to pull the plane out of the dive, but it hit a house and crashed into the home's backyard.

"Just like you see in the movies. Unfortunately you see this plane and you just pray that he's going to pull up and he didn't," Runnebaum said. "We just watched as he just spiraled down, you know, you hear, that last minute effort to either control it or to pull up and he didn't make it."

“Watching the show, he was doing some stunts, looks like he was doing barrel rolls and some loops and then started to climb up and then stalled and started to spin and I said, ‘OK, that’s part of it, that’s part of the show’ and we were waiting for him to pull out of it and he never did and when he went below the tree line we knew that was not a good thing,” Tom Knox said.

A couple was eating breakfast with their 16-month-old when the plane hit their house.

The family's living room was torn open.

No one in the house was injured, police said.

Authorities said there was significant structural damage to the house, while another house was damaged after heat from the flames melted its siding.

"I think it's pretty incredible that the pilot was able to maneuver it because it went right between two houses and for him to be able to avoid taking out the two houses there and getting in the backyard rather than really killing someone in the house, I think that's really pretty incredible,” Nick Kneer said.

The Butler County Sheriff's Office said they know who the victims are but will not identify them until they examine dental records. Authorities said they believe the two men were related.

Workers at the Butler County Regional Airport have described the pilot as very skilled and they said they are in shock.

The plane was registered to an address in Fairfield, under the company name "Bi Plane Crazy LLC.”

According to the FAA records, the plane was built in 1994 and would have been 20 years old on Sunday, but the registration is less than two months old.


http://www.wlwt.com




























LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, OH (FOX19) - Two people dead in after a plane crashed in Liberty Township.   Police say a two-seater plane came down between two houses on Sunrise View Circle around 9 a.m. Saturday, hitting one of them. The plane ended up in the backyard of the house it struck.

Two men were inside the plane at the time of the crash and both were pronounced dead at the scene. The two men are said to be co-owners of the plane that crashed.

A family friend says the two are brothers.

Both houses were occupied during the crash but all family members were uninjured.   Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says one house is now inhabitable because the plane hit the front corner of the home, exposing the living room to the elements.   Another home sustained heat damage.

A witness on the scene said the plane was doing aerobatic maneuvers before it crashed. The plane they were flying is called an Aero Sport II which is an acrobatic aircraft.

A neighbor, who spoke to FOX19 NOW's Lindsey Wopschall, smelled fire from her home and when she went outside to see what the smell was, she found a plane up in flames with two men inside.

The neighbor said she felt helpless as she stood back watching the flames burn the plane.


http://www.fox19.com


Kevin Romer began his Saturday tending to his garden – probably his last weekend this year to enjoy summer weather. But a throttling engine overhead caught him off guard.

"I heard a plane engine rev up. I turned to look and saw a plane teetering like he was trying to level off, then it fell out of the sky," he said. "A few seconds later I heard the crash."

The Summerlin community was jolted awake when a small biplane slammed into the usually quiet neighborhood in Liberty Township.

The pilot and passenger were killed in the crash. Their names were not released as local officials wished to confirm their identity first. Federal Aviation Administration officials investigated. The plane was based out of Butler County Regional Airport in Hamilton, according to reports.

Homes on Sunrise View Circle are filled with families. The community is minutes from Independence Elementary School. Wide streets, sidewalks and large, grassy lawns make raising a family in Summerlin ideal.

But the scene on Saturday morning was destroyed with a plane plane on fire, crashed between two single-family homes.

One home is now uninhabitable – the family's living room torn open from the crash. The other's plastic paneling was warped from the extreme heat of the blaze.

A woman and her children, who were at the first home when the crash happened, were not hurt.

The crash was first reported at about 8:55 a.m. near Sunrise View Circle. The two-seat aerobatic biplane clipped the home and slid sideways into a backyard, feet away from the yellow-plastic swings of a steel playground in the backyard.

When fire crews arrived to the burning wreckage, the men inside the aircraft were already dead, said Butler County Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer.

Officials from the airport did not immediately return requests for comment.

Authorities do not yet know what caused the crash, Dwyer said. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were notified and took over the investigation.

Debbie Valentino lived two houses down from the accident. She was in bed when the plane crashed.

"It scared me out of bed. I thought a truck drove into my house. That's what I thought the noise was," she said. "But then I looked out back and saw a big ball of fire and hopped over the fence. My neighbor was already on the phone with the police. I just stood out there, watched and waited for the police and fire department to come."

The Liberty Township Fire Department and Butler County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene before the FAA took over the investigation.

"I was very shaken up because the plane landed in the backyard. I can't believe how he avoided it," Valentino said. "There are young children in all these houses."

This was not the first recent small plane crash in this region.

Two other small plane crashes have been reported in the Tri-State area this year, but neither were fatal. Both were caused by engine failures.

The first occurred in Clermont County in April, when a single-engine plane closed the 17th hole at the Stillmeadow Country Club after it made a crash landing and came to rest on the green. Neither the pilot nor his passenger were injured in that incident.

Last month, a 72-year-old Tate Township man crash-landed an airplane on his own property. He sustained serious injuries, but is expected to make a full recovery.

The plane that crashed Saturday was an Acro Sport II model, said Caleb Schmidt, a student pilot at the Butler County airport. "They were experienced pilots," Schmidt said. "Not crazy-type people."

The Acro Sport is an aircraft known for providing optimal acrobatic function. The steel-tubed fuselage, a poly-fiber covering and wooden wings keep the crafts light and nimble for tricks and performance in the air.

One witness said she may have seen the plane performing acrobatics, but this remains unconfirmed. The FAA offers limited regulations concerning acrobatic maneuvers, and where they can be performed.

Acrobatics can be performed over any neighborhood like Summerlin if the previous regulations are met. A section of the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations for Aeronautics and Space reads that "Each acrobatic and utility category airplane must be able to perform safely the acrobatic maneuvers for which certification is requested. Safe entry speeds for these maneuvers must be determined."

Hours after the fire was extinguished, a crowd remained near the crash site, watching as investigators worked. Other neighbors went about their normal activities. Two men jogged along the street. Some homeowners mowed their lawn. Children played outside. The tarp that covered the charred remnants of the plane was eventually removed before the sun set.


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