THOMAS C SIKES LOEHLE 5151 MUSTANG — Chehalis, WA

What happened

The accident pilot had recently purchased the tailwheel-equipped airplane. The seller suggested that the pilot hire an instructor to provide refresher training in tailwheel airplanes. In the intervening 2 weeks, the pilot did not obtain any training. On the day of the accident, a pilot-rated witness reported that he saw the airplane start its takeoff roll from a grassy area that preceded the runway pavement and that the airplane bounced several times, as the terrain appeared to be uneven. The airplane then reached the runway surface and became airborne in an unstable climb, rocking back and forth on both its lateral and pitch axes. The airplane then made a right 180-degree turn at an altitude of about 500 ft above ground level and continued in an unstable climb until the airplane entered a right-wing-low, steep nose-down attitude and impacted terrain less than 1,000 ft east of the initial takeoff point. The witness' description of the accident sequence is consistent with the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. The airplane was completely destroyed by thermal and impact damage. The severe damage to the airplane and engine precluded their examination.

No pilot flight records were recovered during the investigation. A review of the pilot's medical history revealed that, in 2011, the pilot was denied a medical certificate because of concerns about behavior observed during the exam, including disorganized thoughts; poor short-term memory; and fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories. Additionally, a review of the pilot's personal records indicated diagnoses of posttraumatic stress syndrome and bipolar disorder, both of which are associated with a variety of symptoms that tend to decrease and increase over time. The pilot's psychiatric illness was severe enough that he was intermittently described as psychotic. Based on his history of psychiatric disease with at least one episode of impaired judgment and decision-making, it is likely that the pilot's psychiatric condition(s) directly contributed to his decision to take off from an unauthorized grassy area in an airplane in which he likely had little or no experience.

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