RUTAN DEFIANT — Plainville, CT

What happened

The private pilot, who was one of the builders of the twin-engine, experimental, amateur-built airplane, was conducting a local flight in the airport traffic pattern. A wing-mounted camera captured the ground operations and accident flight. After seemingly normal engine start and runup checks, the pilot departed to the north, remaining in the airport traffic pattern for a subsequent landing. While over the runway threshold on landing approach, he initiated a go-around. The airplane climbed left of the runway centerline, then entered a steep, descending left turn at varying angles of bank, some exceeding 60º. The airplane continued to descend in an erratic manner until it impacted the ground.

An examination of the aircraft systems and engines revealed no evidence of a preimpact anomaly or failure. There was ample fuel on board for the flight. The forward engine wooden propeller showed evidence of rotational damage. Although the aft engine propeller was generally undamaged, the crash dynamics and the aft mounting of the propeller assembly likely shielded it from damage during impact. Although conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power, an electronic engine monitor showed no evidence of a loss of engine power, nor did a sound spectrum study of the wing-mounted camera audio.

Autopsy and toxicology testing of the pilot revealed no evidence of physiological impairment or incapacitation, and the reason for the pilot's erratic and aggressive maneuvering after the go-around could not be determined.

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