N2978GChampion 7KCAB · 1968

On July 18, 2013, between 0650 and 0720 central daylight time, N2978G, a Champion 7KCAB, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain in Oak Ridge, Louisiana. The certified flight instructor and the private pilot receiving instruction were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to a private corporation and operated by Flying Tiger Aviation, LLC, Rayville, Louisiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. No flight plan was filed for the local flight that departed the John H Hooks Memorial Airport (M79), Rayville, Louisiana, between 0630 and 0700.

The purpose of the flight was to practice aerial spray passes and ag-turns. When the airplane did not return to Rayville, the flight school initiated a search and the airplane was located about 1000.

The airplane was equipped with a Lite Star II GPS, which is a guidance system for aerial applicators to help optimize spraying runs. The unit was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recorders laboratory in Washington DC where the accident flight was downloaded and plotted. A review of the data revealed the accident flight was about 19 minutes long and the GPS began recording when the airplane departed Rayville. However, there was too much damage to the unit's timing mechanism and an actual time of departure could not be determined. The airplane tracked northwest from the airport toward the intended practice area and conducted nine spray passes. Each pass ended in an "ag turn" back in the opposite direction. After the ninth spray pass, the airplane began the "ag turn" and entered a climbing left hand turn. The airplane then entered a climbing right hand turn to an altitude of 208 feet above ground level (agl) and slowed down to a ground speed of 65 miles per hour (mph) before the data ended. The last recorded data point was consistent with the location of where the airplane impacted terrain.

The private pilot, who was seated in the front seat, held a private pilot certificate for airplane single and multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) first class medical was issued on November 1, 2010. According to the FAA, the pilot earned his instrument rating on July 1, 2013. At that time, he had a total of 274 flight hours. The pilot's personal logbook was never located.

The flight instructor, who was seated in the rear seat, held an airline transport pilot rating for airplane single and multi-engine land, single-engine sea and glider. He was also a ground instructor, and a certified flight instructor for airplane single and multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. A review of his electronic logbook, revealed he had a total of 20,585 flight hours. His last FAA second class medical was issued on December 19, 2012.

According to the chief pilot of Flying Tiger Aviation, LLC, the private pilot had recently completed his instrument training with the instructor and had just started the Agricultural Aviation Basic Operations course with the flight school. A review of dispatch records provided by the flight school revealed this was the pilot's seventh flight in the program and his second flight in the accident airplane, which was equipped with the Lite Star II GPS. The syllabus for the Agricultural Aviation Basic Operations course had 4 phases: airplane/systems knowledge, coordinated flight and tailwheel landings, commercial maneuvers, and introduction to spray runs, use of the Lite Star II GPS and forced landings. The instructor was not an agricultural pilot and had no aerial spraying experience; however, he did give ground instruction on how to use the Lite Star II GPS and how to execute an ag-turn, but was not authorized to provide flight instruction for agricultural operations. The only aspect of ag-training that the instructor was authorized to do was tail-wheel endorsements. Since the private pilot's logbook was never located it could not be determined if he had completed the tailwheel training portion of the syllabus and received a tail wheel endorsement from the instructor.

The chief pilot said the instructor wanted to start instructing agricultural students. Since the instructor did not have any aerial application experience, the chief pilot flew with him the day before the accident in an Ag-Cat and performed aerial application maneuvers. The chief pilot said the instructor "did not fly well at all" and thought he would fly the airplane much "smoother" than he did considering on his overall experience as a pilot. He was not sure why the instructor did not fly well that day.

At 1015, weather reported at Morehouse Memorial Airport (BQP), Bastrop, Louisiana, approximately 9 miles northwest of the accident site, was calm wind, clear skies, temperature 31 degrees C, dewpoint 24 degrees C, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.16 inches of mercury.

An on-scene examination of the airplane was conducted on July 19, 2013, by the NTSB Investigator-in-Charge (IIC). The airplane impacted wooded terrain in a steep, nose-down attitude and came to rest upright at the edge of a creek on a heading of 334 degrees. All major components of the airplane were accounted for at the site. Broken tree limbs surrounded the main wreckage, which included the entire airplane except for the right wing tip and aileron. The right wing tip came to rest approximately 10-feet forward of the main wreckage. The trees directly above the where the wingtip came to rest exhibited several broken limbs and branches. The right aileron was found 3 to 4 feet behind the main wreckage. The airplane's engine remained attached to he airframe and was buried approximately two feet into the ground. The leading edges of both wings were crushed inward, and the cockpit area sustained extensive impact damage. Flight control continuity was established for the left aileron to the left wing root, the rudder and the elevator. Continuity for the right wing was not established due to impact damage. A review of photos provided by first responders revealed the tail section was partially folded over the top of the airplane and bent to the right. The tail section was later moved back and the roof was removed to extricate both pilots

The mixture and throttle controls were found in the full forward position, and most of the instruments were damaged to the point where a viable reading could not be obtained.

Both the front and back seatbelt/shoulder harness assemblies were secure to their respective attach points and unlatched. The latching mechanism was tested on each belt and both fastened securely.

The aircraft log was found in the wreckage. The last entry was made by the flight instructor for a 1.2 hour long flight he completed the previous day with the pilot.

The autopsy on the pilot was conducted by the Moorehouse Parish Coroner's Office on July 19, 2013. The cause of death was determined to be, "multiple injuries."

Toxicological testing was conducted by the FAA's Accident Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The pilot tested positive for the following:

Hydroxychloroquine was detected in the liver and blood.

>> 2.3205 (ug/ml) tetrahydrocannabinol (marijuana) detected in the lung

>> 0.0445 (ug/ml) tetrahydrocannabinol (marijuana) detected in the liver

r>> 0.0337 (ug/ml) tetrahydrocannabinol (marijuana) detected in the blood

>> 1.205 (ug/ml) tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (marijuana) detected in the liver

>> 0.1387 (ug/ml) tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (marijuana) detected in the lung

>>0.1243 (ug/ml) tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (marijuana) detected in the blood

Hydroxychloroquine

is used to treat malaria and to decrease inflammation in patients with lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. The pilot did not report a history of these medical conditions or the use of this drug to the FAA.

Marijuana is a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It has mood altering effects including inducing euphoria and relaxation. In addition, marijuana causes alterations in motor behavior, perception, cognition, memory, learning, endocrine function, food intake, and regulation of body temperature. The autopsy on the flight instructor was conducted by the Moorehouse Parish Coroner's Office on July 19, 2013. The cause of death was determined to be, "multiple injuries."

Toxicological testing was conducted by the FAA's Accident Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The flight instructor tested positive for the following:

Doxazosin was detected in the liver and the blood (cavity)

>> 0.612 (ug/ml) phentermine was detected in the blood (cavity)

Phentermine detected in the liver

Valsartan detected in the liver and the blood (cavity)

Yohimbine detected in the liver and the blood (cavity)

Doxazosin is marketed under the brand name Cardura. Chemically, it is a selective inhibitor of the alpha1 subtype of alpha-adrenergic receptors; it is used to treat hypertension and symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy. Valsartan is marketed under the brand name Diovan and is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist used to treat hypertension. Phentermine is a sympathomimetic amine used in the short term treatment of obesity and marketed under the brand names Adipex and Qsymia.

Yohimbine is an a2 receptor antagonist and is available by prescription for the treatment of male sexual dysfunction but may also be found marketed as an herbal supplement. The pilot did not report the use of Phenteramine or Yohimbine to the FAA.

A weight and balance calculation was conducted using both of the pilots weights listed in the autopsy reports. The amount of fuel on board at the time they departed was not known, so 11 gallons were calculated, which was a conservative amount and the minimum needed to complete the flight. Even with the minimum amount of fuel used for the calculation, and without compensation for clothing and pilot gear, the airplane was over gross by at least 32 pounds and outside/aft the center of gravity envelope.