Fantasy Air ALLEGRO — Boone, NC

What happened

Several witnesses noted the airplane was flying but did not hear an engine sound while it was in the traffic pattern of an airstrip adjacent to the pilot’s house. Witnesses reported hearing the airplane impact terrain. A postcrash fire occurred. The pilot was able to self-extricate himself and informed a first responder and medical personnel that he was "circling to land and the engine bogged down."

Examination of the wreckage found the cockpit and inboard portions of the wings were consumed by the postcrash fire; there was no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the flight controls for roll, pitch, and yaw. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of failure or malfunction of the powertrain, but heat damage to the fuel metering, ignition, and cooling systems precluded determining whether there was any preexisting issue with those systems.

While the pilot’s autopsy found severe atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, he initially survived the accident and did not experience a loss of consciousness; thus, sudden incapacitation was not a factor. Medication found in his system was the result of postaccident medical intervention. Personal medical records revealed that the pilot had a stroke about 2 months prior to the crash that resulted in the loss of his right visual fields. The condition, called homonymous hemianopsia, causes difficulty in visual-motor control and perception in space. However, without knowledge of the intended flight pattern and timing of the reported loss of engine power, it could not be determined whether the pilot’s homonymous hemianopsia contributed to the accident.

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