N8849VBellanca 17-30A · 1971

On January 7, 2019, about 1334 eastern standard time, a Bellanca 17-30A, N8849V, was substantially damaged when it impacted Lake Chickamauga, while maneuvering near Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee. The commercial pilot and the passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was owned by the pilot who was operating it as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which originated from Dallas Bay Sky Park, Chattanooga, Tennessee, about 1328.

A witness stated that he was at his residence watching the accident airplane fly over the lake. He noted that the airplane appeared to make "a tight U-turn" at a low altitude, about two or three treetop lengths above the water, which he thought might have been an aerobatic maneuver. The airplane then spiraled straight down counterclockwise and impacted the lake. The witness contacted emergency services and assisted local responders in finding the wreckage.

A GoPro camera was mounted on both the left and right horizontal stabilizers. The cameras were forwarded to the National Transportation Safety Board's Vehicle Recorders Division, Washington, DC, for examination.

Review of the video files revealed that only the camera mounted on the right horizontal stabilizer captured the accident sequence. The video files from that camera revealed that the airplane took off about 13 minutes after the recording began. About 5 minutes later, the airplane flew over a body of water and descended closer to the water for about 1 minute and then remained level for 22 seconds. The airplane subsequently pitched up more than 30° above the horizon and began rolling to the left. The airplane continued to roll to the left and entered a left spin. During the spin, the right aileron and the flaps were in an up position. The airplane then departed controlled flight and impacted the water. Review of the video showed no in-flight structural failure or loss of propeller rpm.

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane multiengine land, helicopter, instrument airplane, and instrument helicopter. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical certificate was issued on February 1, 2018. At that time, the pilot reported a total flight experience of 3,800 hours.

According to an FAA inspector, the pilot's hard-copy logbook ended in 1985, and an electronic log for the airplane began in 2013. Information about the pilot's flight time between those dates was not available. According to the electronic log, the pilot had accumulated 357 hours of flight experience in the accident airplane make and model, of which 17 hours were flown during the 90 days preceding the accident.

The four-seat, low-wing, fixed-tricycle landing gear airplane was manufactured in 1971. It was powered by a 300-horsepower Continental IO-520 engine equipped with a constant-speed propeller. Review of the maintenance records revealed that the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on June 1, 2018. At that time, the airframe and engine had accrued 2,156 total hours since new.

The recorded weather at 1353 at Lovell Field (CHA), Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was located about 19 miles southwest of the accident site, was wind from 170° at 12 knots gusting to 21 knots, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 15,000 ft, few clouds at 20,000 ft, broken ceiling at 30,000 ft, temperature 19°C, dew point 4°C, and altimeter setting 30.12 inches of mercury.

The four-seat, low-wing, fixed-tricycle landing gear airplane was manufactured in 1971. It was powered by a 300-horsepower Continental IO-520 engine equipped with a constant-speed propeller. Review of the maintenance records revealed that the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on June 1, 2018. At that time, the airframe and engine had accrued 2,156 total hours since new.

The airframe was recovered from the lake; the empennage had been cut by recovery personnel for transport. An FAA inspector examined the airframe and noted that the cockpit and cabin area were crushed and that both wings were highly fragmented. The inspector confirmed control continuity from the elevator and rudder to the cockpit area. He also noted aileron cables extending from the cockpit area to their respective wing. The front seat four-point harnesses remained intact.

The engine was recovered about 5 months after the airframe. The crankshaft fracture surfaces exhibited jagged shear lips, and the exposed steel was covered with rust. The engine was examined by the engine manufacturer under the supervision of an FAA inspector. The engine's crankshaft was manually rotated via an accessory drive gear, and all six cylinders produced thumb compression. Corrosion was present on cylinder cooling fins and fuel system components. The rocker cover on cylinder No. 6 was broken and partially separated, exposing the exhaust valve stem and valve spring assembly. The rocker arm for the cylinder No. 6 exhaust valve had separated. All other rocker covers remained intact. An electronic borescope inspection was performed; all intake and exhaust valves were intact, and the valve faces exhibited normal combustion deposits. The propeller was not recovered.

Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

The Hamilton County, Tennessee, Medical Examiner performed an autopsy of the pilot. The autopsy results found that the pilot's cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.

Toxicology testing was performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory and detected dextromethorphan, a nonsedating cough suppressant, and its metabolite dextrorphan in the pilot's urine specimens but not in his cavity blood. Both chlorpheniramine and doxylamine, sedating antihistamines used for treating cold or hay fever symptoms, were also detected in the pilot's urine specimens; there were inconclusive detection results for these medications in the pilot's cavity blood. In addition, ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain medication, was detected in the pilot's urine specimens.