ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 242735
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| Date: | Monday 21 September 2020 |
| Time: | 14:37 |
| Type: |  Van's RV-8 |
| Owner/operator: | Aviation Aquisitions LLC |
| Registration: | N800PB |
| MSN: | 80838 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2004 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Hilliard, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Polk County Airport, GA (4A4) |
| Flagler Executive Airport, FL (KFIN) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On September 21, 2020, about 1437 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Vans RV8 airplane, N800PB, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hilliard, Florida. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot was on a cross-county flight back to his home airport. About an hour into the flight, a witness standing in her front yard, heard the airplane flying overhead and heard the engine “popping” like it was back firing. She looked up at the airplane and saw that it was “very low,” at an estimated altitude of 500 ft above ground level. The airplane disappeared behind trees and she heard the airplane hitting tree branches shortly afterward.
Examination of the airplane revealed that the fuselage and instrument panel was consumed by fire. Smoke striations from the cowling into the cockpit were consistent with an in-flight fire that originated in the engine compartment. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the flight controls to the flight control surfaces. A large hole was observed at the No. 2 cylinder case half and all of the connecting rod bearings were worn and oil starved. The No. 2 connecting rod was the most worn and the rod and cap exhibited lubrication distress. The condition of the No. 2 connecting rod bearing indicated that it was closest to the initiation point of oil starvation. However, a reason for the oil starvation could not be determined. It is likely that the inflight fire was the result of the engine failure.
Autopsy of the pilot indicated that he had cardiomegaly and moderate atherosclerotic disease. While these conditions increase the risk for having a sudden cardiac event, there was no evidence of any acute processes on autopsy and the pilot was able to extricate himself from the plane. Thus, it is unlikely that the pilot’s cardiovascular condition was a factor in this accident.
Carboxyhemoglobin was detected in the pilot’s blood at 15-16% and soot material was found in his airways. Toxicology testing detected cyanide, which can be produced by combustion, in his blood. Inhalation of both elements would have occurred from the in-flight fire. That the pilot extricated himself from the airplane suggests that the carbon monoxide itself was not impairing. Thus, carbon monoxide exposure, as determined by the carboxyhemoglobin level, was not a contributing factor in the accident.
Probable Cause: A total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2020/09/21/pilot-injured-in-plane-crash-in-near-hilliard/
NTSB
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N800PB
https://www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/000/411/411848.jpg (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: Nassau County Sheriff's Office
Media:
NTSB is investigating the September 21, 2020 crash in Hilliard, FL, involving an RV-8 aircraft. The NTSB is not traveling to the scene of the crash at this time.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) September 21, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Sep-2020 20:44 | Iceman 29 | Added |
| 22-Sep-2020 16:13 | RobertMB | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Phase, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 22-Sep-2020 16:32 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative] |
| 23-Sep-2020 07:17 | Anon. | Updated [Source] |
| 25-Sep-2022 02:11 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, Photo] |
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