ERA10LA277

The pilot’s failure to properly align the airplane with the final approach path to the runway and his subsequent loss of control during his attempts to correct the flight path. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s progressive cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease.

Acquaintances of the pilot indicated that his intended destination was an airport located about 200 miles to the south of his departure airport. A witness reported that he observed the airplane approach, and after completing the first legs of a traffic pattern, it over flew the turn onto the final approach path. The airplane then executed a left 360 degree turn about 700 feet above ground level. After the turn, the airplane was again past the extended runway centerline. The airplane continued the left turn for several seconds, and then followed with a sharp turn to the right. The airplane impacted terrain about 250 feet prior to the runway threshold; ground scars indicated that it struck in a right wing down attitude. At the time of the accident, the wind velocity was about 4 knots and the sky was clear of clouds. The majority of the witness observations were corroborated by global positioning system (GPS) data that was recovered from a unit in the airplane. Examination of the GPS data, the airplane, and the engine did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical failures. No definitive reasons for the pilot's decision to land at the accident airport, or his difficulties in aligning with the runway, were discovered. The pilot's most recent Federal Aviation Administration third-class medical certificate expired about 22 months prior to the accident. Shortly thereafter, the FAA withdrew the pilot's eligibility for medical certification, and his eligibility for medical certification was never re-established. Neurological evaluations, family member observations, and autopsy findings were consistent with the pilot experiencing progressive cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 21, 2010, about 1500 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), an experimental amateur-built Long EZ, N91HR, was substantially damaged during an attempted landing at Wakefield Municipal Airport (AKQ), Wakefield, Virginia. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. The flight was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated from Altoona-Blair County Airport (AOO), Altoona, Pennsylvania with a reported intended destination of Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ), Suffolk, Virginia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. A pilot who landed at AKQ about 10 minutes earlier, was fueling his airplane when he witnessed the accident. He estimated that the wind was from the east, blowing "directly across" the runway, at a speed of about 8 knots. He saw the accident airplane approach from the northwest, and make a mid-field left turn to track along the runway to the northeast, at traffic pattern altitude. When the airplane crossed the threshold of runway 2, it flew a "teardrop" pattern by first turning to the right, and then making a continuous turn to the left to become established on the final leg for runway 20. The witness stated that "the winds appeared to cause the plane to overshoot its turn to final," northwest of the runway centerline. When the airplane was about 3/4 of a mile from the threshold of runway 20, and about 700 feet above ground level (agl), the airplane began a left 360 degree turn, apparently in an attempt to conduct another approach. After that turn was completed, the airplane was again northwest of the extended centerline of runway 20, and the airplane initially continued around to the left, which caused the witness to believe that the pilot would conduct another full circle, and another approach. When the airplane was "a little closer" to the threshold than it was when the previous approach was abandoned, and at an altitude of about 500 feet agl, the witness observed it bank sharply to the right, in what appeared to him to be a third attempt to align with the runway. The witness perceived it to be "a skidding turn in a nose high attitude" with a noticeable sink rate. He observed the airplane’s nose “drop" as the airplane continued to roll to the right. The right wingtip and nose struck the ground first, in an open field adjacent to airport property. The airplane then “cartwheeled” across a road and onto airport property, near the approach end of runway 20. PERSONNEL INFORMATION Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records indicated that the pilot held a private pilot certificate, with an airplane single-engine land rating, and a repairman certificate for the accident airplane. On his July 2006 application for an FAA medical certificate, the pilot reported that he had 3,600 total hours of flight experience, including 50 hours in the 6 months prior to July 2006. No further records of the pilot's experience in the accident airplane make and model, or of his most recent flight review, were able to be located. The daughter of the pilot, who resided in Europe, reported that her father flew the accident airplane “several times a week” up until the day of the accident. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The Long EZ was a canard-equipped kit-built airplane of composite construction. The configuration also featured two-place tandem seating, tricycle-style landing gear with a retractable nose gear, and a pusher propeller. According to FAA records, the airplane was built by the pilot, and was issued an airworthiness certificate in 1995. It was equipped with a Lycoming O-235 series engine, and a two-blade, fixed-pitch wood propeller. In addition to the normal flight and navigation instruments, the airplane was equipped with an autopilot. No maintenance records for the airplane were able to be located. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The AKQ 1454 automated weather observation included variable direction winds at 4 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 28 degrees C, dew point 8 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.13 inches of mercury. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, on the day and time of the accident, the elevation of the sun was 56 degrees above the horizon, and the sun's azimuth was 243 degrees true. The 1500 automated weather observation at the pilot's supposed intended destination, SFQ, included winds from 120 degrees at 9 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, and a temperature of 28 degrees C. AIRPORT INFORMATION Accident Location: Wakefield Municipal Airport (AKQ) FAA records indicated that AKQ was a public-use airport. The elevation of AKQ was 113 feet above mean sea level (msl), and it was equipped with a single asphalt runway, which measured 3,337 feet long by 75 feet wide. The alignment of runway 20 was 197 degrees true, 203 magnetic. Published FAA information indicated that a left-hand traffic pattern was to be used for runway 20. Visual slope indication information was provided by panels on the left side of runway 20; the panels were configured to indicate a 3 degree glide path. The airport was not equipped with an air traffic control tower, but it was equipped with a designated Unicom/common traffic advisory frequency. Pilot's Reported Destination: Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) FAA records indicated that SFQ was a public-use airport, located about 25 miles southeast of AKQ. The elevation of SFQ was 72 feet msl. SFQ was equipped with two runways; 4/22, which measured 5,009 feet long by 100 feet wide, and 7/25, which measured 4,706 feet long by 100 feet wide. The airport was not equipped with an air traffic control tower. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION According to information provided by the FAA inspector who responded to the accident site, the debris path was approximately 150 feet long, and was oriented along a magnetic heading of approximately 220 degrees. The airplane first contacted a cornfield across a road from the threshold of runway 20, and then struck an earthen berm between the cornfield and the road. Fragments of the right wingtip and the canopy transparency were the earliest components in the debris field. Dislodged earth and other airplane fragments were distributed across the road. A metal post in the wire mesh fence that separated the road from the airport was bent in the airplane's direction of travel, and the majority of the airplane debris came to rest on airport property, in the grassy area just west of the taxiway at the approach end of the runway. The right wing was fracture-separated from the fuselage. The left wing remained attached to the fuselage, and that section came to rest in an approximately upright position, facing back along the debris path. All flight control surfaces remained attached to their respective airfoils. The flight control actuation mechanisms consisted of push-pull rods and cables, and the only control system anomalies were collocated with fracture locations in the airplane. The fuselage nose section was fracture-separated from the main body at approximately the front seat (pilot's) station. The canopy frame was fracture-separated from the fuselage, and the canopy transparency was fractured into multiple segments. Numerous small airplane fragments, as well as paper items from the airplane, were scattered in the vicinity of the main wreckage. The propeller remained attached to the engine, and the engine remained attached to the engine mount, but the engine mount had separated from the fuselage. The propeller, engine and engine mount were found under the main fuselage segment, and only remained attached to the fuselage by cables and hoses. One propeller blade was fracture-separated from the hub. The airplane was equipped with two integral fuel tanks, one in each wing. Each fuel tank was placarded with a capacity of 24 gallons. The right t