LUCAS D E/ LUCAS K A AcroSport II — St Charles, MO

What happened

The pilot told several people that he intended to do a flyby over the model airplane flying field. Later that morning, when the accident airplane was about a mile away from the model airplane flying field, several witnesses observed it flying straight and level at less than 100 feet above the ground. The airplane pitched up, rolled right and impacted the ground vertically, heading in the opposite direction. One witness observed the airplane flying inverted when the nose pitched up, suddenly performing what the eyewitness described as an aileron roll, then sharply rolled nose down toward the ground. The pilot did not have a previous history of aerobatic flight at low altitude. The pilot had a previous history of frequent episodes of abnormal heart rhythm resulting in markedly elevated heart rate (220 beats per minute), palpitations, and neck discomfort. He had severe coronary artery disease discovered on autopsy, which would have reduced his tolerance to such a high heart rate. Additionally, the pilot was on a prescription antidepressant that could increase his risk for seizure, and had been regularly using a prescription narcotic with the potential for impairment. He had not revealed his history of abnormal heart rhythm or his use of an antidepressant and a narcotic medication to the Federal Aviation Administration. While the circumstances of the accident suggest the possibility of incapacitation, potentially due to an abnormal heart rhythm or seizure, the investigation was unable to determine whether the pilot became incapacitated at the time of the accident.

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