On June 25, 2020, at 1254 mountain daylight time, a Sonex Light Sport experimental amateur-built airplane, registration N620AK, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Centerville, Utah. The owner-pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Part 91 personal flight.
A witness to the accident reported that, while driving, he observed the accident airplane traveling southbound and not more than 100 ft above the ground. Shortly thereafter, he observed the airplane bank hard to the right, nosedive into the ground, and burst into flames. Another witness who resides near the accident site witnessed a small white low-wing airplane traveling from west to east and on the north side of his home.
The witness opined that the airplane appeared to be at a normal altitude at the time and that he heard a “backfiring” sound, which he said did not sound normal. The witness mentioned that he continued to watch the airplane as it flew east until it flew out of sight. Only later did the witness learn that the airplane he observed was the same one that was involved in the accident.
An individual who was driving northbound on an interstate highway provided local law enforcement personnel with a dash cam video of the accident sequence. The video revealed the airplane came into view traveling from north to south at a low altitude. The airplane then attempted a descending right 180° right turn in what appeared to be a normal bank attitude. As the airplane proceeded through 90° of the right turn, the bank angle increased significantly.
Shortly thereafter, the right wing dropped, which resulted in the airplane’s impact with terrain in a nose- and right-wing-low attitude. The airplane burst into flames, and the forward cabin/cockpit area was consumed by fire. The estimated flight track of the airplane approximated that of a right turn to base in the traffic pattern to land on a suitable landing surface that appeared to be an abandoned / reclaimed runway. The accident site was located about 300 ft east of what would have been the runway’s threshold if landing to the north.
The pilot-in-command (PIC) possessed a commercial pilot certificate, with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. The pilot received his most recent second-class FAA medical certificate on January 15, 2020, without limitations. A review of the pilot’s personal flight log revealed that as of June 16, 2020, he had accumulated a total flight time of 1,016 hours in all aircraft, 853 hours as PIC, and 78 hours in the accident airplane make and model, all of which was logged as PIC time.
According to an FAA safety inspector, the owner-pilot’s airman certificate was suspended on July 2, 2014, as a result of his having been involved in a loss-of-control landing accident in March 2013. At the time of the 2020 accident, the owner-pilot had not complied with the provisions of his suspension which required a competency check; therefore, he could not legally act as pilot-in command of the accident flight.
According to FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, “Carburetor Icing Prevention,” temperature and dew point at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of carburetor icing at cruise and glide power settings.
The wreckage came to rest upright in an open field on an easterly heading, about 1,245 ft west of an interstate highway and about 300 ft east of the approach end of a suitable landing surface that appeared to be a reclaimed runway aligned north-south. Its left wing was elevated slightly on a wire fence, while its right wing came to rest on the ground. All components necessary for flight were accounted for at the accident site.
A detailed postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
The pilot succumbed to his injuries about 4 days after the accident. As a result of medical interventions during this timeframe, neither autopsy nor toxicology were performed.
An autopsy was performed on the pilot-rated passenger by the Taylorsville, Utah Medical Examiner. The cause of death was attributed to blunt force and thermal injuries. The FAA’s CAMI performed forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot. Testing was negative for carbon monoxide and ethanol.
Cannabidiol (CBD) was detected in blood and urine. CBD is a chemical in the Cannabis Sativa plant, also known as marijuana or hemp. The use of CBD is not disqualifying for FAA medical certification.
The NTSB determined the probable cause of this accident to be “the pilot flying’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during an attempted forced landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain. The reason for the attempted forced landing could not be determined.”
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