HILLAM SCOTT L RANS S 10 — Shepherd, TX

What happened

A ground witness reported that the pilot made a radio transmission announcing his intention to perform a rolling maneuver. He and another ground witness stated that they then saw the airplane roll through an inverted position and then transition into a steep, high-speed dive. The left wing separated from the fuselage, and the airplane continued in a near-vertical descent until ground impact. Postaccident examination revealed that the left front wing spar had fractured near the left wing root due to overload.

No records were found indicating that the noncertificated pilot had received dual flight instruction for aerobatics, and the pilot's friend reported that he did not think that the pilot had ever received any aerobatic flight training. A review of the pilot's journal revealed that he had recently attempted solo aerobatics in the accident airplane, which resulted in high-speed spiral dives at airspeeds higher than the never exceed speed for the airplane. The pilot likely attempted an aerobatic maneuver that exceeded the airplane's design limitations, which resulted in the subsequent in-flight breakup of the airplane.

Toxicological reports revealed the presence of amlodipine, a blood pressure medication, in the urine and liver, and autopsy results indicated that the pilot had hypertension; however, it is unlikely that the hypertension or the medication used for its treatment contributed to the accident. Tramadol and its metabolite, which are analgesics, were also present in the urine and liver. Insufficient evidence was available to determine whether the pilot's use of tramadol contributed to his decision to perform aerobatic maneuvers without training or impaired his ability to complete the maneuver successfully.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.