Low-Altitude Maneuvering · NTSB CEN11FA346
HANSEN IB C CASSUTT III M — Erie, CO
| Date | May 22, 2011 |
| Location | Erie, CO |
| Aircraft | HANSEN IB C CASSUTT III M (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Flight Test |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 64 |
| Pilot total time | 1,975 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's incapacitation due to a cardiac event.
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Physical-Impairment/incapacitation-Cardiovascular-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained
What happened
During the initial takeoff on the airplane's maiden flight, witnesses observed the airplane climb to about 300 feet above ground level, turn left, descend and impact the ground. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any anomalies. An autopsy revealed that that the pilot's left anterior descending artery had up to 70-percent stenosis with 100-percent stenosis in many of the branches. With a lack of control-type injuries to the pilot's extremities, the medical examiner concluded that it was possible that the pilot experienced a sudden cardiac death shortly after takeoff.