N7013MCessna 175 · 1958

On July 20, 2019, about 1820 central daylight time, a Cessna 175 airplane, N7013M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Kilgore, Texas. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The owner of the airport reported that he watched the accident airplane taxi to the south end of the grass runway and perform a normal run-up. The airplane then began a fast taxi down the runway, during which he lost sight of the airplane behind trees located along the northern third of the runway. He heard the airplane’s engine accelerate, slow, and increase again, followed by the sound of an impact. He got into his vehicle and drove to the accident site about halfway down the runway and 100 ft east of the centerline. The airplane came to rest nose-down in the grass. The pilot was seriously injured during the accident and airlifted to a local hospital; he succumbed to his injuries 27 days after the accident.

The accident pilot was denied a Federal Aviation Administration airman medical certificate in 2009. He did not hold a pilot certificate.

The airport owner reported that he rented hangar space to the accident pilot since the pilot purchased the airplane on October 22, 2008. The initial application for airplane’s registration was made on February 8, 2012. The registration expired on March 3, 2018. A new application for FAA registration was submitted on March 3, 2018.

A FAA Airworthiness Safety Inspector inspected the aircraft at the airport every year during the last weeks of July from 2013, to 2019. The recording tachometer in the aircraft in 2013 was 2834.2 hours and remained the same for the next two years. On July 21, 2016, the recording tachometer read 2834.6 hours and was the same reading on July 29, 2017. On July 25, 2018, the recording tachometer read 2835.0 hours. At the accident, the recording tachometer read 2836.1 hours.

The recording tachometer readings were consistent with what the airport owner reported; that the aircraft owner would come out to run the engine and taxi the aircraft from time to time.

No maintenance records were located.

The airport owner reported that he rented hangar space to the accident pilot since the pilot purchased the airplane on October 22, 2008. The initial application for airplane’s registration was made on February 8, 2012. The registration expired on March 3, 2018. A new application for FAA registration was submitted on March 3, 2018.

A FAA Airworthiness Safety Inspector inspected the aircraft at the airport every year during the last weeks of July from 2013, to 2019. The recording tachometer in the aircraft in 2013 was 2834.2 hours and remained the same for the next two years. On July 21, 2016, the recording tachometer read 2834.6 hours and was the same reading on July 29, 2017. On July 25, 2018, the recording tachometer read 2835.0 hours. At the accident, the recording tachometer read 2836.1 hours.

The recording tachometer readings were consistent with what the airport owner reported; that the aircraft owner would come out to run the engine and taxi the aircraft from time to time.

No maintenance records were located.

The airplane came to rest on its nose and main landing gear at a 35° nose-down angle. The engine, cowling, and forward fuselage were crushed aft and bent upward. The left wing was bent and crushed upward at midspan. The position of the wing flaps at the time of the accident could not be determined. The propeller, spinner, and reduction gearbox were separated and located about 25 ft left of the airplane. The propeller blades showed S-bending, chordwise scratches, and leading edge gouging. Rotational continuity of the engine was established and there was fuel present in the gascolator. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

An autopsy of the pilot was performed by the Dallas County Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences (SWIFS) Office of the Medical Examiner. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was complications of blunt force injuries. SWIFS toxicological testing of antemortem blood from the pilot detected rocuronium, a medication that was administered during post-crash medical care.

The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory tested blood from the pilot for volatiles, including ethanol, with negative results. Too little antemortem specimen was available for further analysis.