CEN14FA185

The pilot’s loss of airplane control during the approach to landing.

The pilot was using flight following services from air traffic control during the return leg of the cross-country flight, and, about 12 miles from the destination, the pilot reported to the approach controller that he had the airport in sight. Two witnesses reported seeing the airplane traveling toward the airport and then "nose dive" to a nearby quarry's property. One of the witnesses indicated that the back of the airplane hit a tree and that the airplane subsequently impacted the ground. The other witness said that the airplane engine was making a "buzzing" noise after the airplane crashed but that he did not hear anything before the crash. The main airplane wreckage came to rest inverted near a tree line about 2,300 feet northwest of the runway's displaced threshold. Trees in the tree line exhibited broken and cut branches along about a 300-foot-long path, and the airplane was found fragmented and signs of a ground fire were observed along the path. The crankshaft propeller flange had separated from the crankshaft. A family member who flew with the pilot during an earlier leg of the cross-country flight reported that the airplane's engine seemed harder to start than usual and that, during cruise, a distinct engine vibration occurred when the fuel mixture was leaned. However, examinations revealed no preimpact airframe or engine anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Further, during an engine test run conducted after engine items that had sustained impact damage were replaced and a centering pilot shaft and the propeller flange were welded to the engine's crankshaft separation point, the engine ran normally, and no preimpact engine anomalies were detected. On the basis of the evidence, it is likely that the pilot lost control of the airplane during the approach to landing.

UNI was a public, non-towered airport, which was owned by Ohio University. The airport had a surveyed elevation of 766 feet above mean sea level. The airport's runway 7/25 was a 5,600 feet by 100 feet runway with an asphalt surface. The airport listed 123.075 megahertz as its common traffic advisory frequency. Runway 7 had a four-light precision approach path indicator (PAPI) on located on the left side of the runway and that PAPI provided a 3.00-degree glide path. Runway 7 obstruction remarks listed 89-foot trees, located 1,560 feet from the runway, and 618 feet left of centerline, which indicated a 15:1 slope to clear that obstruction. It further indicated that runway 7's threshold was displaced due to the 89-foot trees. A Garmin GPS 295 found in the wreckage was shipped to the NTSB Recorder Laboratory. A recorder specialist examined the GPS unit and it did not contain any data in reference to the accident flight. The engine was shipped to its manufacturer for a detailed examination under the supervision of the NTSB investigator in charge. The engine had sustained impact damage and items were replaced, to include the induction Y-pipe, intake risers, engine mounts, and the starter adapter. The engine driven fuel pump's relief valve cover assembly was crushed and was replaced. The separated propeller flange and a centering pilot shaft were welded to the engine's crankshaft separation point. The engine was test run and it ran up to and at full throttle. The engine's throttle was advanced multiple times, from idle to full throttle, and the engine accelerated without hesitation. No engine pre-impact anomalies were detected during the engine run. A member of the pilot's family supplied a 72-hour history summary. According to the summary, the pilot was in bed by 2300 and was up in time to catch the 0800 bus to "Sun 'n Fun." On the night of April 4, 2014, the pilot stayed up until 0030 completing flight planning for the return trip to UNI. He took off from Sun 'n Fun at 1005 and landed at Dublin, Georgia, about 1210 to refuel and take a break. The pilot had meals during the prior days and he had a diet coke and two packs of snack crackers while at Dublin. He departed for TRI at 1350 and arrived at TRI about 1520. While at TRI, he had two cups of coffee and a pack of crackers while relaxing and visiting with family. The family member indicated that he had flown in this accident airplane many times, knew its nuances, and any unusual tendencies it had. While flying with the pilot during this trip, he noticed that it seemed harder to start the engine than usual. At Dublin, it required the boost pump to be "left running" for the engine to start. During cruise to and from Sun 'n Fun, he observed that if the engine was leaned below 14 gallons per hour there was a distinct engine vibration. When starting the engine at TRI, he observed fuel coming from under the cowling and dripping down on the tarmac. He attributed it to the fuel boost primer and opted not to interrupt the pilot as he prepped for departure in the cockpit. After engine start, the leak stopped and the engine ran normally all the way through runup and magneto check. He stated that there were no other engine or airframe issues. No oil was added throughout this trip and the airplane's fuel tanks were topped off at every stop. The 72-hour history is appended to the docket associated with this case. An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Athens County Coroner's Office. The cause of death was listed as multiple trauma injuries. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute prepared a Final Forensic Toxicology Accident Report. The report showed: 12 (mg/dl ) Glucose detected in Urine 6.1 (%) Hemoglobin A1C detected in Blood The main airplane wreckage came to rest inverted, next to a tree line that bounded the quarry property north of US Highway 50. This was about 1,970 feet northwest of the start of runway 7's prepared surface and about 2,300 feet northwest of runway 7's displaced threshold. Trees on the quarry property exhibited broken and cut branches along a path about 300 feet long. The color of the separation surfaces of these broken and cut branches was consistent with fresh separations. Along this path of separated branches were debris items to include red broken glass fragments, the left outboard wing tip, colored flakes consistent with paint chips, wood fragments, and clear plastic fragments. Also on this path, a ground scar was observed that paralleled Highway 50. A depression and displaced tree roots and trunks were observed east of the ground scar. The propeller was found mostly below the surface of the depression with one blade tip exposed. Charred tree trunks were visible on the east side of the depression. The three propeller blades remained attached to their hub. The crankshaft propeller flange separated from its crankshaft. The distance and direction from the start of the ground scar to the propeller was about 35 feet and was 080 degrees respectively. Tree branches in the area of the ground scar were cut on a diagonal and one cut surface had a color transfer consistent with the black color from the flat face of a propeller blade. The inverted main wreckage was found about 20 feet east of the depression. The right wingtip was found in the area of the main wreckage. The engine was displaced rearward onto its firewall and the firewall was deformed rearward into cabin space. The left outboard fuel tank was separated from its wing. Fuel smell was present at the accident site. Fuel was observed exiting from the covers over the filler necks caps. The amount of fuel on-scene could not be determined due to the fuel leaking from the covers. The battery was subsequently disconnected. The emergency locator transmitter's switch was found in its off position. The tree at the end of the witnesses' driveway was examined. Tree branches were found to be broken and the dark color of their separations was not consistent with recent separations. Additionally no airplane debris was found under the separated branches at this location on the south side of Highway 50. The Fire Chief was asked where his first responders found separated debris from the airplane and he indicated that the debris was found on quarry property, which was north of Highway 50. The airplane wreckage was relocated to a hangar for examination. Flight control cable continuity was traced from the empennage flight control surfaces up to the cockpit area under the control yokes. Both aileron control cables' continuity was traced to their respective bellcranks and their cables moved when the yoke tube was rotated by hand. Push pull tubes, attached to the bellcranks, moved when their aileron cables were pulled. The left wing tube separated from its out board section in overload. No preimpact anomalies were detected that would have precluded flight control. Engine control cables from the cockpit controls to the engine were traced and no preimpact anomalies were detected that would have prevented engine control. The fuel selectors were found in thier detents and a liquid consistent with avgas exited the fuel hose to the engine driven fuel pump when air pressure was applied to the left inboard fuel tank filler neck. The electric fuel pump pumped a liquid consistent with avgas from the same fuel hose when electric power was applied to the pump. The airplane's tachometer read 3,891.10 and the altimeter's Kollsman window indicated 30.14 inches of mercury. The propeller was disassembled by a manufacturer's safety investigator under supervision of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator in charge and the examination revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal propeller operation. The engine was subsequently separated from the airframe for a field examination. A manufacturer's safety investigator and the NTSB investigator in charge examined the engine. All six cylinders remained attach