N138PMPhillips Michael G VANS RV-8 · 2018

On July 24, 2020, about 1159 Pacific daylight time, a Vans RV-8, N138PM, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Tehachapi Municipal Airport (TSP), Tehachapi, California. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

Witnesses reported that the accident airplane made a straight-in approach to land. The airplane touched down onto the runway tailwheel first and oscillated between its tailwheel and main landing gear several times. It then tipped up onto the left main gear and turned toward the right edge of the runway. The airplane appeared to slow when the pilot transmitted “going around.” The witness reported the pilot applied the engine power so abruptly that the engine “coughed” a number of times before it smoothed out. The airplane lifted off quickly but made a "perceivably slow" turn to a left crosswind. The nose of the airplane was "alarmingly" high, and the airplane did not appear to be accelerating. The left turn steepened as the airplane descended behind buildings in a nose up attitude with the wings wobbling. The engine "cut out," and, almost immediately thereafter, they heard the impact. Video taken from a security camera showed the airplane in a descending left turn just prior to impact. Its left wing appeared to raise slightly before it descended behind a building roofline. Immediately thereafter, dirt and debris were observed.

A distant away video of the runway showed the accident airplane come into land on the runway before taking off again. The airplane started a shallow climb, then initiated a nose high, left turn. About halfway through the turn, the nose of the airplane lowered, and the airplane descended toward the ground left wing low. A different video showed the airplane in a descent. Its left wing appeared to raise slightly before it descended behind a building roofline. Immediately thereafter, dirt and debris were observed.

The Advanced Flight Systems multifunction display recorded data from the entire flight. Data recovered revealed that the airplane’s airspeed decreased to 47 knots during the landing roll at TSP. The engine power and airspeed then increased, and the airplane lifted off about 10 seconds later at an airspeed of about 64 knots. The airplane continued to climb as it entered a left bank. The airplane’s maximum rate of climb was 760 ft/min at an airspeed of 64 knots while in a 38° left bank. About 6 seconds later, while still at 64 knots, the airplane entered a descent and the left bank had increased to about 50°. The last data recorded showed the airplane in a 2,180-fpm descent while in a 83.5° left bank at an altitude of 3,970 ft above mean sea level. The airplane had gained about 200 ft in altitude after it took off prior to entering the descent. The data indicated the engine was operating at a maximum of 67% following the aborted landing.

The airplane breached the roof of a building about 350 yards southwest of the departure end of the runway. The airplane entered the roof, went through the upper portion of one wall, and came to rest on top of a second wall. Both wings were bent aft, and the left wing was found positioned lower than the right. The aft fuselage and empennage extended upward and remained above the roofline.

Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Both wings were bent aft and partially separated from the fuselage. The left wing outboard leading edge was crushed aft and upward; and the right wing inboard leading edge was crushed aft. The fuel caps remained secured on the left- and right-wing fuel tanks; however, the tanks themselves were breached and no fuel was noted.

Flight control continuity was established from the forward control stick to both the left and right aileron bellcranks. The aileron surfaces themselves were fracture separated. Rudder and elevator control continuity was established from their cockpit controls to their respective flight control surfaces. The throttle and mixture controls in the cockpit remained secured to their respective control arms on the fuel servo.

The upper spark plugs were removed from the engine and their appearance was consistent with normal operations. All engine fuel lines remained secured. The fuel pump, fuel servo, and fuel divider were disassembled and unremarkable. The engine was borescoped; the cylinder walls, piston heads, valves, and lower spark plugs were all consistent with normal operations. The engine was rotated by hand at the propeller hub. Thumb compression was established on all cylinders and drivetrain continuity was established to the accessory section. The magnetos remained secured on their mounting pads and spark was obtained on all ignition leads.

The Kern County Sheriff’s Office, Bakersfield, California performed an autopsy of the pilot. The pilot’s cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Forensic Sciences Laboratory performed toxicological testing on specimens from the pilot with a positive result for Tamsulosin (Flomax) in urine. Tamsulosin is acceptable for FAA medical certification.