N7TLCimino James L RV-8 · 2001

On September 17, 2019, at 1218 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Vans RV-8 airplane, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The private pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the Pennsylvania State Police, the pilot was giving a demonstration flight of the airplane to the pilot-rated passenger, who was interested in buying a share of the airplane. The flight departed Pegasus Air Park (50PA), Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, about 1215 and was intended to be a 30-minute local flight. When the airplane did not return, the pilot's family reported the airplane missing. The airplane was located the following day in wetlands on private property about 3 miles east-northeast of the airport.

A review of radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed a target at 1216:20 on an easterly heading about 2.3 miles east of 50PA. At that time, the target was moving at a ground speed of 113 knots at an altitude about 1,300 ft above ground level (agl). The target continued east before it made a left 180° turn to the west at 1217:27 at an altitude of 1,700 ft agl and a ground speed of 122 knots. Over the next 24 seconds, the target continued west and accelerated to a ground speed of 199 knots and descended to 1,600 ft agl. At 1218:06, about 11 seconds later, radar contact was lost. At that time, the airplane’s heading was 258° and its ground speed was 191 knots. The altitude was not recorded.

A witness was inside his home about 1/4-mile from the accident site when he heard the airplane's engine. He said it was "very loud, much louder than normal" and sounded as if it was at "maximum" power. The witness thought that the airplane was conducting aerobatics due to the continuous high-power and "different engine sounds" and that it stayed overhead versus flying from one direction to another. The witness said that the sound of the engine lasted 15 to 30 seconds before it abruptly ceased, followed a few seconds later by a "thud." The witness was uncertain if the airplane had crashed and went outside to see if he could see smoke. When he did not see any, he figured that the "thud" may have been from the highway or local rock quarry, and he went back inside his home. The witness then texted his neighbor at 1223 that he thought he heard an airplane crash.

A second witness stated that he was in his front yard about 1/3-mile from the accident site when he heard the airplane doing maneuvers. He said that it sounded like an airplane that performs at an airshow and heard what sounded like the pilot applying and reducing power. The sound of the airplane stayed in the area and lingered for several minutes before the sound of the engine just "stopped." The witness did not hear an impact.

A third witness, who lived less than 1/2-mile from the accident site, stated that he had just stepped out onto the back deck of his home at 1218 when he heard the airplane. He described the engine sound as “loud” and “smooth” and stated that it stopped with a “zonk” sound.

According to the builder/co-owner of the airplane, the pilot was known do some low-g aerobatics such as aileron rolls. He stated that he was unsure if the pilot planned to do any aerobatics during the accident flight, but that he would “not be surprised” if he did. He stated that, when rolling the airplane to the right, the airplane’s nose tended to “drop fast” after about 90° of roll unless the nose was raised high enough before entering the roll. He also stated that when he rolled the airplane, he only rolled it to the left.

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His last FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on October 16, 2018. A review of the pilot's logbooks revealed entries between 1991 and 2017. There were large gaps in time in between each logbook. The pilot's total flight experience was about 1,614.9 hours, of which 170.8 hours were in the accident airplane. The pilot reported a total of 1,845 total flight hours at his last medical.

The passenger held an airline transport pilot certificate with a rating for airplane multi-engine land, with commercial privileges for airplane single-engine land and sea. His last FAA first-class medical certificate was issued on October 5, 2018.

The airplane was located about 1/4-mile northwest of the last recorded radar return. It impacted heavily-wooded wetlands on private property in a nose-down attitude and was embedded in 6 ft of mud. The airplane was extensively fragmented and there was no post-impact fire.

All major components of the airplane and engine were recovered from the accident site. The only items not initially recovered were sections of the canopy frame, the glare shield, and the canopy itself. An additional search of the impact area produced more sections of the canopy frame and the canopy. The canopy's locking mechanism/handle was in the wreckage and found in the closed/latched position. The metal post onto which the canopy's locking hook secured was found in the wreckage and appeared undamaged.

Although the airplane was heavily fragmented, flight control continuity was established from the flight control surfaces to the cockpit area. The airplane was equipped with a control stick in the front and back seats; however, the back seat did not have a throttle or rudder pedals installed. Both control sticks were broken from their respective base. The rudder cables were still attached to the pilot's rudder pedals.

The front cockpit was heavily fragmented and crushed aft. All cockpit instrumentation was damaged. The throttle quadrant had separated but the throttle was found full forward, the propeller control was about 3/4 forward, and the mixture control was in the full rich position.

Both wings remained attached to the center carry-through spar and exhibited extensive leading edge impact damage. The right wing was fragmented, and the flap remained attached to the inboard section of wing. The outboard section of the wing and the aileron separated in one section, and the wing tip had separated in sections.

The left wing sustained extensive impact damage, but an 8-ft section remained attached at the carry-through spar. The spar was partially folded under itself. The flap and aileron both separated from the wing. The outboard section of wing exhibited leading edge impact damage; the tip had separated and was fragmented.

The top section of the aft fuselage behind the aft cockpit area separated in an approximate 8-ft section. The canopy track was visible and still in place. The canopy sliding block was in place and found positioned on the most forward section of the canopy rail, consistent with the canopy having been in the closed position. The block moved freely on the track rail.

The tail section included both horizontal stabilizers, elevators, the vertical stabilizer, and rudder. All of their respective counterweights were accounted for. Both horizontal stabilizers exhibited impact damage and were displaced aft. The vertical stabilizer/rudder was attached to the airframe, but became separated during recovery of the wreckage.

The two-bladed propeller remained attached to the engine. Both blades exhibited rearward bending, chordwise scratching, leading edge gouges, and curled tips.

The engine sustained impact damage and the crankcase was cracked. The No. 2 cylinder was displaced, several cooling fins were broken, and the oil sump was impact-separated. All accessories, except the vacuum pump, were found separated from the engine. These accessories included the engine-driven fuel pump, the left and right magnetos, the propeller governor, the fuel servo, and the oil filter assembly.

The engine would not rotate when force was applied to the propeller. A lighted borescope inspection revealed large amounts of mud, water, and debris in each cylinder. Each of the cylinder's valves were intact with varying amounts of corrosion present. The top sparkplugs were removed and exhibited light corrosion and color consistent with normal wear per the Champion check-a-plug chart. The lower plugs were sheared off at the threaded portion of the plug and could not be removed from the cylinder. All exhaust and induction pipes were also sheared off or missing from the engine and the time of the exam. Both magnetos produced spark when rotated utilizing a cordless drill at all points.

Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation at the time of impact.

An autopsy of the pilot was conducted by Forensic Pathology Associates. The cause of death was determined to be "multiple blunt force injuries."

Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified ethanol and atenolol in the pilot's kidney and muscle tissue.

An autopsy of the pilot-rated passenger was conducted by Forensic Pathology Associates. The cause of death was determined to be "multiple blunt force injuries."

Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified ethanol in the pilot-rated passenger's muscle tissue.