WPR16FA097

The pilot's failure to monitor and maintain clearance with terrain while maneuvering at low level. Contributing to the accident, was the pilot's failure to conduct an adequate amount of clearing turns while maneuvering at low level.

The flight instructor and passenger, departed on a flight with two other airplanes to conduct simulated air-to-air combat maneuvers. Two airplanes at a time would maneuver against each other, while the other airplane observed from a higher altitude and safe distance. Examination of onboard video and audio recordings revealed that this portion of the flight was uneventful, however, following the series of aerobatic maneuvers, the passenger began experiencing air-sickness. While returning to the airport, the airplanes flew a planned low-level flight (minimum altitude of 30 ft agl) in trail formation to simulate a bombing run. The accident airplane was the last airplane in the formation. During this time, the pilot communicated to the passenger, that he would fly the airplane "nice and easy." After climbing over a ridgeline, and descending back towards the desert floor, the airplane approached a small hill. Video indicated that the passenger, who was seated in the front seat, likely knew that a ground collision was imminent but was unable to communicate effectively with the pilot, since his microphone was out of position. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain near the top of the hill. The video showed the airplane flying at a normal speed and attitude before the impact occurred, with no indication of an evasive maneuver. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Although the airplane encountered precipitation during the low-level portion of the flight, the precipitation did not appear to reduce forward visibility or obscure the terrain. However, the tandem seating configuration of the airplane made it difficult for the rear-seated flight instructor to see the areas directly in front of and below the airplane. As such, pilots normally conducted "check turns" during low-level operations to ensure obstacle and terrain clearance. Video from the accident airplane and another airplane in the formation indicated that the accident pilot performed 4 check turns during the approximate 2-minute low-level flight; the other pilot performed 8 check turns during this time. It is likely that the accident pilot intentionally conducted fewer check turns, to clear for terrain and obstacles, because of the passenger's airsickness. Toxicology testing of the pilot detected tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the primary psychoactive component of marijuana) in tissue sample; however, because the antemortem blood levels of THC could not be directly computed and because there is no direct relationship established between blood levels of THC and impairment, whether the pilot's use of marijuana contributed to the accident could not be determined from the available evidence.

On April 30, 2016, about 1624 Pacific daylight time, an EXTRA Flugzeugproduktions-und Vertriebs, EA-300/L airplane, N330MT, was destroyed when it impacted terrain about 10 miles south of Henderson Executive Airport (HND), Las Vegas, Nevada. The airline transport pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Vegas Extreme Adventures LLC, doing business as Sky Combat Ace (SCA), under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight, which departed HND about 1603. The accident airplane departed and rendezvoused with two other company airplanes to conduct a simulated air-to-air combat mission. The mission profile included two airplanes at a time maneuvering against each other, while the third airplane observed from a higher altitude and safe distance. Following completion of the air combat mission, all three airplanes began the return flight to HND. During the return, the airplanes flew a planned low-level bombing run simulation. After landing at HND, the pilots of the first two airplanes realized that the third airplane had not returned. The operator's pilots subsequently notified HND tower and the company. The company initiated an aerial search, and the wreckage was located shortly thereafter. The accident airplane was equipped with both a GoPro Hero and a Garmin VIRB onboard camera system. The GoPro Hero camera was mounted in the front seat instrument panel and faced backwards, in order to record the front seat occupant. The Garmin VIRB camera was forward facing and mounted on the right side of the rear seat at the instrument panel. Both cameras were recovered from the accident site and sent to the NTSB's Vehicle Recorder Laboratory for download. The GoPro Hero card contained two files that captured the accident flight. The Garmin VIRB card captured the accident flight and cockpit communications. A complete report on the recorded flight data is available in the public docket. The recorded data began on the airport ramp area and revealed weather conditions that included scattered clouds and a high overcast layer. The accident pilot and passenger discussed the recent weather as rain droplets collected on the airplane's surfaces. Both the pilot and passenger were wearing parachutes. The passenger was seated in the front seat and the pilot was seated in the rear seat. Another company airplane (Ace 4) checked the formation in on the radio and called for taxi clearance, for the three airplanes. The accident airplane (Ace 1) began taxing behind Ace 4 (the lead airplane): the other airplane in the formation was Ace 2. The timing of the recorded data referenced below, is expressed in video elapsed time, which is the minutes and seconds from the beginning of the recordings. At 08:55 elapsed time, the accident airplane took off from runway 35L. After reaching about 200 ft agl, as indicated by the altimeter in the forward panel, the pilot initiated a hard left turn. The airplane climbed to its cruise altitude of 3,500 ft msl. At 11:40, the three airplanes flew south towards the practice area and accomplished a simulated gun check. The accident pilot led the passenger through some shallow bank maneuvers, where they simulated setting up to shoot another airplane. The altimeter indicated 3,900 ft msl. At 15:00, the airplanes continued to fly south, and the accident airplane was instructed to set up to watch the Ace 4 and Ace 2 maneuver for a simulated "dogfight." The altitudes given to maintain for the simulated dogfight were between 5,000 ft and 7,000 ft msl. The accident airplane maneuvered in slight banking turns as the other two airplanes maneuvered for a simulated dogfight. At 18:30, the first dogfight between the other airplanes had ended. The accident airplane was then instructed to set up for the next simulated dogfight. At 19:38, the accident airplane maneuvered for their first simulated dogfight. The passenger appeared to be manipulating the controls. After about 2 minutes, the dogfight was terminated and another one shortly thereafter. At 23:15, the pilot asked the passenger how he was doing? The passenger responded that he was "doing pretty rough." The pilot asked the passenger to let him know if he started to feel airsick and the passenger confirmed that he was ready for one more simulated air-to-air engagement. At 23:35, the accident airplane began a third simulated engagement and achieved a successful "kill" at 24:38. At that time, the pilot, indicated that he was going to stop the simulated dogfighting with the other airplanes and set up to watch them. The accident airplane climbed to 7,000 ft msl, and the passenger expressed that he was "not feeling well." The accident pilot responded that he "would not be doing any crazy turning or anything like that." At 25:35, Ace 4, radioed that he was calling off the next simulated dogfight and the flight of three would return to HND. Ace 4 informed the other airplanes that during the return their position would be "fighting wing" with the accident airplane as the last airplane in trail. The pilot of another airplane in the formation radioed that they would finish up flying a low-level bomb run. The accident pilot informed the passenger, that he would keep it smooth for him, then radioed the formation that he was going to "keep it pretty PG back here." The other pilots in the formation acknowledged and replied: "sounds good, you guys tame it down to however you like it." As the accident airplane descended towards the desert floor, the passenger readied an air sickness bag. The accident pilot restated that he was going to keep the airplane nice and smooth and instructed his passenger to take care of himself. Shortly, thereafter, the accident passenger became actively airsick and adjusted his headset microphone away from his face. The accident pilot transmitted over the radio that "One's code three." At 28:51, the accident airplane was flying low level over the desert floor. The front seat altimeter indicated 2,750 ft msl and the indicated airspeed 185 knots. The passenger continued to be actively airsick. At 28:56, the passenger began to tie off his airsickness bag. Rain was seen beading up on the accident airplane's windscreen and the sky condition was overcast with a high ceiling, similar to the weather conditions observed during the simulated dogfights. At 29:26, the accident airplane began climbing as it approached a ridgeline. Despite the rain accumulating on the windscreen, the forward visibility appeared to be unobstructed and the ridgeline was not obscured by cloud cover. At 29:37, the accident airplane was in a shallow climb and the accident pilot transmitted "you guys are leaving some pretty sweet vapor trails." At 29:46, the shallow pitch increased slightly, and the rain continued to bead on the airplane's canopy. The rain did not obstruct the forward view and the ridgeline was still clearly visible. The airplane's airspeed indicator read about 175 knots and the altimeter indicated 3,150 ft msl. The accident pilot then stated, "I'm going to take it nice and easy here." The airplane continued to approach the ridgeline in a shallow climb and an indicated airspeed just over 170 knots. The forward facing, Garmin VIRB camera stopped recording as the accident airplane was just approaching the ridgeline of the dry lake bed about 15 seconds before impact. The GoPro Hero camera recorded the accident airplane perform 3 check turns before crossing the ridgeline and one after. The airplane crossed the first ridgeline and leveled off briefly and then began a shallow wings-level descent. There was some rain beading on the canopy; however, the visibility around the airplane was not degraded. The airplane then rolled into a slight right turn as it continued to descend towards the valley floor. Seconds lat