Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB ERA16FA238
GERDTS MARK E RV7A — Weston, FL
| Date | July 3, 2016 |
| Location | Weston, FL |
| Aircraft | GERDTS MARK E RV7A (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 78 |
| Pilot total time | 3,599 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 3 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
- Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C
What happened
The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight in the airplane, which he had recently purchased. Radar data showed that about 15 minutes after takeoff, the airplane was in cruise flight when it suddenly entered a left descending turn that continued to terrain impact. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions, and weather was not a factor. The 78-year-old pilot had a medical history that included coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and the placement of a pacemaker. The pilot's heart disease could have contributed to the accident; however, the autopsy provided limited information and a readout of the pilot's pacemaker showed no evidence of arrhythmia around the time of the accident. Toxicology testing detected ethanol that was from postmortem production rather than ingestion. The investigation could not determine if some other medical event resulted in incapacitation or why the pilot may have lost control of the airplane.