N424D

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 26, 2012, at 1537 Pacific standard time, a McDaniel RV-6-CH, N424D, collided with terrain after its right wing departed the airplane 5 miles south of Scio, Oregon. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91. The private pilot and the commercial pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. The personal flight originated at the Lebanon State Airport, Lebanon, Oregon, at 1531.

A witness described observing the airplane at 1,000 feet above ground level (agl). When the airplane was halfway through a turn, one of the wings folded up. The airplane then rapidly descended to the ground. The Linn County Sheriff's office reported that the airplane's right wing was located on Highway 226, and the main airplane wreckage was located in a pasture 1,090 feet south of the wing.

The Fixed Base Operator (FBO) proprietor at Lebanon State Airport stated that the pilot and commercial pilot-rated passenger were acquaintances. The pilot arrived earlier that day at Lebanon State Airport and met up with his passenger. The passenger had a set of portable remote cameras that he was going to mount onto the foot step on the airplane to video record the flight. Additionally, the pilot-rated passenger intended to show the pilot how to perform rolls. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 46, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane, issued June 4, 2010. He additionally held a third-class medical certificate with the limitation that he wear corrective lenses, issued April 2, 2012. Examination of the pilot's logbook revealed that as of November 25, 2012, he had accumulated 1,005.0 total flight hours of which 48.5 hours were in the accident airplane. On June 8, 2012, he received a tail wheel endorsement, an endorsement to act as pilot-in-command in a Vans RV-6 or RV-7 series aircraft, and a flight review. No record of aerobatic instruction was found in his logbook.

The passenger, age 45, held a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating issued June 26, 2012, and a second-class medical certificate with the limitation that he wear corrective lenses issued on May 22, 2005. Examination of his logbook revealed that he had accumulated 590 total flight hours as of November 23, 2012, and his most recent flight review was on February 8, 2012. The logbook showed a single entry dated November 5, 2012, for 0.5 hours in a RV-6A, and the comment line states, "Rolls & wing overs." No other entries were found that included experience in Vans RV model of airplanes or of aerobatic instruction. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe two seat, low wing, fixed gear, tail-wheel configured airplane, serial number AC-3, was an experimental amateur-built airplane manufactured in 1996. The majority of the airframe was designed and built by an individual that was previously employed at Van's Aircraft. A second party bought the partially constructed airplane and completed the construction. The airplane was purchased by the pilot on May 29, 2012. The date of manufacture that is recorded on the FAA registration is 1996. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) letter defining N424D's Experimental Operating Limitations was dated May 17, 1996. Under Phase II of the Experimental Operating Limitations, subsection titled "The Following Limitations Apply Outside of Flight Test Area", line 4 states, "This aircraft is prohibited from acrobatic flight, unless such flight were satisfactorily accomplished and recorded in the aircraft logbook during the flight test period." Examination of the airplane's maintenance logbooks did not include any such entry that would satisfy this requirement.

The airplane was powered by a Continental IO-346-A, 165-horsepower engine, and equipped with a wooden fixed-pitch propeller. A review of copies of the airplane maintenance logbooks revealed that the most recent conditional inspection was performed on May 25, 2012, at a total airframe time of 557 hours.

Although the airplane was designated an RV-6-CH and closely resembled the Van's RV-6 model of airplane, there were numerous differences between the accident airplane and the kit design that Van's Aircraft produces. The wing span of the accident airplane, as measured after the accident, was 22 feet. In contrast, the Van's RV-3 wing span is 20 feet, and the Van's RV-6 is 23 feet. There were additional differences in the wing spar construction. The wing spar construction of the accident airplane utilized the same materials and general design as the Van's RV-3 series of designs and the wing appeared to be a modified and extended version of the RV-3 wing. The original Van's RV-3 wing spar design consists of a 0.040 aluminum channel web with a build-up of seven 0.125 by 1.25-inch bars riveted together on to form the upper and lower spar caps. The accident airplane's spar consisted of a build-up of 4 pieces of aluminum channel web with nine 0.125 by 1.5-inch aluminum bars for the upper and lower spar caps. In contrast, the Van's RV-6 uses 2 pieces of 0.040 2043-T3 aluminum channel web with a build-up of four 0.250 by 1.5-inch aluminum bars plus one 0.125 by 1.5-inch bar. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe two seat, low wing, fixed gear, tail-wheel configured airplane, serial number AC-3, was an experimental amateur-built airplane manufactured in 1996. The majority of the airframe was designed and built by an individual that was previously employed at Van's Aircraft. A second party bought the partially constructed airplane and completed the construction. The airplane was purchased by the pilot on May 29, 2012. The date of manufacture that is recorded on the FAA registration is 1996. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) letter defining N424D's Experimental Operating Limitations was dated May 17, 1996. Under Phase II of the Experimental Operating Limitations, subsection titled "The Following Limitations Apply Outside of Flight Test Area", line 4 states, "This aircraft is prohibited from acrobatic flight, unless such flight were satisfactorily accomplished and recorded in the aircraft logbook during the flight test period." Examination of the airplane's maintenance logbooks did not include any such entry that would satisfy this requirement.

The airplane was powered by a Continental IO-346-A, 165-horsepower engine, and equipped with a wooden fixed-pitch propeller. A review of copies of the airplane maintenance logbooks revealed that the most recent conditional inspection was performed on May 25, 2012, at a total airframe time of 557 hours.

Although the airplane was designated an RV-6-CH and closely resembled the Van's RV-6 model of airplane, there were numerous differences between the accident airplane and the kit design that Van's Aircraft produces. The wing span of the accident airplane, as measured after the accident, was 22 feet. In contrast, the Van's RV-3 wing span is 20 feet, and the Van's RV-6 is 23 feet. There were additional differences in the wing spar construction. The wing spar construction of the accident airplane utilized the same materials and general design as the Van's RV-3 series of designs and the wing appeared to be a modified and extended version of the RV-3 wing. The original Van's RV-3 wing spar design consists of a 0.040 aluminum channel web with a build-up of seven 0.125 by 1.25-inch bars riveted together on to form the upper and lower spar caps. The accident airplane's spar consisted of a build-up of 4 pieces of aluminum channel web with nine 0.125 by 1.5-inch aluminum bars for the upper and lower spar caps. In contrast, the Van's RV-6 uses 2 pieces of 0.040 2043-T3 aluminum channel web with a build-up of four 0.250 by 1.5-inch aluminum bars plus one 0.125 by 1.5-inch bar. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe right wing was located on a highway paved with asphalt. The wing root and 2-3 rib bays had been crushed longitudinally into the wing. The inboard portion of the main wing spar, in the vicinity of the longitudinal crushing, was buckled in the shape of a double-S. Located in the center of the highway there was an indentation in the asphalt that was consistent with wing impact, and in the adjacent area was the odor of aviation fuel and fuel stains were observed. The wing's aft spar doubler plate was not present on the spar. The upper and lower spar caps were bent aft and outward, pointing down the wing span towards the wing tip. The lower spar-cap of the rear spar, at the attach bolt-hole location, was missing a section of material originating at the bolt hole. The aileron and flap were present on the wing, the aileron control rod was connected to the aileron, and the control rod had separated at the wing root. The wing skin did not exhibit any wrinkling or buckling.

A debris field extended from the right wing to the main wreckage and mostly consisted of Plexiglas fragments, and small cockpit items. The reported remote video camera that may have been mounted to the foot step was not located. Blister packs of Nicorette (4mg/piece) and Benadryl Allergy (25mg Diphenhydramin HCl liquid-gels) were identified in the debris.

The main wreckage was located about 1,090 feet to the south of the right wing, in a grass pasture, resting on its right side. It was oriented from tail to nose on a bearing of 138 degrees magnetic. The wreckage consisted of the left wing, fuselage, cockpit, tail, engine, and propeller. Flight control continuity was established on-scene by manually moving the aileron and elevator control surfaces and observing movement of the control stick in the cockpit area. Control continuity from the rudder to the cockpit was established by tracing the rudder cables from the rudder control surface attachment point to the rudder pedal cable anchors on the rudder pedals. The left horizontal stabilizer an...