N176FD

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 1, 2014, about 1222 central daylight time, a Yakovlev YAK-55M airplane, N176FD, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during an aerobatic flight over the Stevens Point Municipal Airport (STE), Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local airshow demonstration flight that departed about 1220.

The flight team manager, who provided the public announcement during the aerobatic flight, reported that the flight began with the airplane rolling inverted shortly after liftoff on runway 21 and making a shallow inverted climb past show center. The airplane then rolled upright before entering a 90° turn away from show center and the crowd. The airplane continued to climb as it turned to a heading opposite that of the takeoff runway, turned back to the runway heading, and reentered the aerobatic box. The airplane rolled inverted before it entered a 45° dive toward show center. The airplane then completed several descending aileron rolls before it rolled wings level and entered a near vertical climb. At the apex of the climb/loop, the airplane entered an inverted flat spin. The flight team manager stated that the pilot normally entered the inverted flat spin at 3,000 ft above ground level (agl) and completed three rotations before recovering in a vertical dive with a 4-5 g pullup at show center; however, on the accident flight, the pilot appeared to enter the inverted spin about 500 ft lower than normal and complete more than 3 rotations before recovering into a dive. According to the the flight team manager, the airplane then pitched up and entered an "aggressive" left turn that resulted in an accelerated aerodynamic stall.

A review of ground-based video footage showed that the airplane had completed 3-1/2 rotations in the inverted flat spin before it entered a near-vertical dive. The airplane pitched up momentarily before it developed a rapid left roll. The airplane subsequently entered a nose-low, descending left spiral that continued to ground impact. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAccording to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the 47-year-old pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with single engine land and sea, multiengine land, and instrument airplane ratings. The pilot was type-rated for the Airbus A320, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, McDonnell Douglas DC-9, and Douglas DC-3 transport category airplanes. He also held a glider rating. The single engine land and sea airplane ratings were limited to commercial privileges. The glider rating was limited to private privileges. The pilot's last aviation medical examination was completed on March 24, 2014, when he was issued a first-class medical certificate with no restrictions or limitations. On September 16, 2013, the pilot completed an evaluation flight and was issued a Statement of Aerobatic Competency. A search of FAA records showed no previous accidents, incidents, or enforcement proceedings. His last flight review, as required by 14 CFR Part 61.56, was completed on May 12, 2014.

The pilot's flight history was established using his pilot logbook. His most recent logbook entry was completed on May 28, 2014, at which time he had accumulated 8,266.1 hours total flight time, of which 3,628.5 hours were listed as pilot-in-command. According to the logbook, the pilot had accumulated 3,608.8 hours in single-engine airplanes, 4,649.7 hours in multi-engine airplanes, and 4.7 hours in gliders. The pilot had flown 184.2 hours during the 90 days before the accident, 36 hours in the month before the accident, and 0.8 hours during the 24-hour period before the accident. The pilot had accumulated 107.6 hours in the accident airplane make/model. According to available documentation, the pilot had completed one aerobatic training flight in his authorized aerobatic practice box during the 8-month period before the accident. The single aerobatic training flight was completed on May 28, 2014, in the accident airplane. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe airplane was a 1993 Yakovlev YAK-55M, serial number 930810. It was an aerobatic single-place, single-engine airplane with a fixed conventional landing gear. The airplane was powered by a 360-horsepower, 9-cylinder Vendeneyev M14P radial engine, serial number KR0312035. The engine provided thrust through a constant-speed, three-blade, MT-Propeller MTV-9-B-C propeller, serial number 110600. The airplane had a maximum allowable takeoff weight of 2,150 pounds. The pilot purchased the airplane on October 17, 2010. The airplane was issued an FAA experimental category airworthiness certificate for the purpose of exhibition and associated operating limitations on December 7, 2010.

According to the airplane maintenance records, the most recent condition inspection was completed on September 29, 2013. At the time of that inspection, the airframe and engine had accumulated 214.5 hours total time. The propeller had accumulated 51.4 hours total time. The last recorded maintenance was an engine oil change that was completed on May 22, 2014. A postaccident review of the maintenance records found no history of unresolved airworthiness issues. The recording hour (Hobbs) meter was damaged during the accident, and a definitive reading could not be obtained. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONAt 1215, an automated surface weather observation station located at STE reported: wind 200° at 14 knots, gusting 21 knots; broken cloud ceilings at 2,900 ft agl and 3,600 ft agl; 10 miles surface visibility; temperature 26° Celsius; dew point 19° Celsius; and an altimeter setting of 29.90 inches of mercury. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe airplane was a 1993 Yakovlev YAK-55M, serial number 930810. It was an aerobatic single-place, single-engine airplane with a fixed conventional landing gear. The airplane was powered by a 360-horsepower, 9-cylinder Vendeneyev M14P radial engine, serial number KR0312035. The engine provided thrust through a constant-speed, three-blade, MT-Propeller MTV-9-B-C propeller, serial number 110600. The airplane had a maximum allowable takeoff weight of 2,150 pounds. The pilot purchased the airplane on October 17, 2010. The airplane was issued an FAA experimental category airworthiness certificate for the purpose of exhibition and associated operating limitations on December 7, 2010.

According to the airplane maintenance records, the most recent condition inspection was completed on September 29, 2013. At the time of that inspection, the airframe and engine had accumulated 214.5 hours total time. The propeller had accumulated 51.4 hours total time. The last recorded maintenance was an engine oil change that was completed on May 22, 2014. A postaccident review of the maintenance records found no history of unresolved airworthiness issues. The recording hour (Hobbs) meter was damaged during the accident, and a definitive reading could not be obtained. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe accident site was located alongside a dirt road in a wooded area about 260 yards northeast of the runway 30 threshold. The elevation of the accident site was 1,095 ft. The main wreckage consisted of the entire airplane, which was orientated on a northwest heading. The wreckage was found in an upright position, and there was no appreciable wreckage debris path. The observed tree damage and the lack of a lateral debris path were consistent with a near vertical impact. All observed structural component failures were consistent with overstress separation, and there was no evidence of an inflight or postimpact fire. Flight control continuity was confirmed from all flight control surfaces to their respective cockpit controls. The engine was found in a 2.5 ft deep impact crater and remained partially attached to the firewall. Three engine cylinders had partially separated from the crankcase, which prevented the engine from being rotated. After removing several cylinders, an internal examination did not reveal any mechanical discontinuities within the engine drivetrain. The No. 1 magneto exhibited impact damage that prevented a functional test. The No. 2 magneto provided a spark on all leads when rotated. All three propeller blades were fragmented, consistent with the engine producing power at the time of impact. The postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATIONAt the request of the Portage County Coroner, an autopsy was performed on the pilot at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, located in Madison, Wisconsin. The cause of death was attributed to multiple blunt-force injuries sustained during the accident. The FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicology tests on samples obtained during the autopsy. The toxicological test results were negative for ethanol and all drugs and medications. TESTS AND RESEARCHA Garmin GPSMAP 396, serial number 67014609, was recovered from the wreckage and examined at the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory. The non-volatile data was recovered through a memory-chip recovery process. The final dataset was recorded on May 31, 2014, and was associated with a 0.8-hour flight from Menomonie Municipal Airport (LUM) to STE. The Garmin GPSMAP 396 device did not contain any data associated with the accident flight.

A GoPro Hero 3+ digital video camera, serial number 30C3CDE, was recovered from the wreckage and examined at the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory. A forensic recovery of the memory card revealed eight video files. Seven of the eight video files were not associated with the accident flight. The remaining video file contained 4 minutes 37 seconds of video footage from the accide...