Pilot's exit from plane, impact with tail led to loss of control in deadly 2022 crash

Several witnesses saw the pilot outside of the plane as it was flying erratically and many observed him impact then spiral off of the plane's tail before it crashed into a grass field. The NTSB could not determine the reason for the pilot's exit from the plane midflight but said his decision to unlatch his seatbelt and subsequent exit of the plane and impact with the tail resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain, killing both the pilot and passenger. On Oct. 29, 2022 a pilot and pilot-rated passenger took off from Farmers Pride Airport (9N7) in an experimental amateur-build Bearhawk Patrol plane (N964RS), where witnesses reported that the pilot was functioning well, happy and looking forward to participating in a holiday airport event. The pair flew to the Hazleton Regional Airport (HZL) in Hazleton, Pennsylvania and then continued to the Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport (WBW) in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. At WBW the pilot told a friend that the plane was experiencing a rigging issue that caused the plane to "kick" laterally during turns. The pilot suggested the friend fly the plane to see what he thought, and the friend performed a 10-minute flight and reported noticing an odd yawing moment during the turns. The pilot said he would address the issue "this winter." The pilot and pilot-rated passenger planned on returning to 9N7 and witnesses reported seeing the pilot in the front seat, fastening his seatbelt and shoulder harness while in their presence. According to the ADS-B data, the plane departed runway 25 and turned slightly, left, flying in a southwesterly direction and climbing to an altitude of 1,700 feet mean sea level. The recorded data indicated a 35-second level-off and a descent to about 1,500 ft msl. The plane's altitude varied slightly over the next two minutes. In the final seconds of the flight, the data recorded a 400-ft descent in less than two seconds. At this time, witnesses reported that the plane "rolled" then "bucked" and its nose "dipped down initially" and then pitched up quickly. Multiple witnesses reported seeing the pilot out of the plane at this time. A witness heard the pilot impact the plane's tail and another saw the pilot impact and then "spiral" off of the plane's tail. The witnesses saw the pilot and plane descend to the ground. The plane impacted a grassy field just 5.2 nautical miles southwest of WBW. There was a linear ground scar consistent with the length of the left wing that extended from the center of the wreckage with the scar oriented toward a magnetic heading of 338 degrees. The wings came to a rest oriented on a magnetic heading of 319 degrees. All of the major components of the plane were found on the site, but there were paint chips, the airworthiness certificate and portions of the cockpit ceiling or side window Plexiglas were the first items along the 1,900-ft-long debris path leading to the main wreckage. A portion of the tail rib was found 900 ft from the main wreckage and the pilot was found 530 ft from the main wreckage. There was no evidence of a post-impact fire. There was evidence of fuel blight in the field and a witness reported smelling fuel. The examination of the engine did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. The wing spars remained attached to the fuselage structure and both wing fuel tanks were breached. All flight control cables and tubes were connected at their associated cockpit controls and aileron continuity was established from the cockpit control stick to the aileron control surfaces. Left rudder continuity was established from the cockpit rudder pedals to the rudder control horn but the right rudder continuity could only be established from the cockpit rudder pedals to the cable end loop, which was not attached to the clevis at the rudder control horn. The report said the clevis was opened and hanging from the control horn and the clevis pin was found close by. Both of the elevator trim cables were continuous from the attachment points, through the broom-strawed fractures that are consistent with tensile overload above the rear pilot seat and to each control surface. The right elevator trim tab separated from the elevator at the two hinged attachment points. A thorough examination of the tail tube structure revealed that all fractures to the tail section were consistent with overstress. A tube formed on the trailing edge of the vertical stabilizer was fractured with aft bending overstress and the carry-through tube for mounting the aft edge of the horizontal stabilizer to the fuselage was fractured in a downward bending overstress which is consistent with the impact with the pilot during the flight.Photos of plane before recovery The pilot seats were attached to the rails and the seatbelts were still attached to the mounts. The rear pilot's seat was equipped with a lap belt and was cut to assist with the recovery of the pilot-rated passenger. The forward pilot's seat was equipped with a lap belt and shoulder harness and both were intact, unlatched and undamaged.An autopsy report by the Luzerne County Coroner's Office in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania reported the cause of death for the pilot and pilot-rated passenger to be multiple traumatic injuries and the manner of death in both cases was an accident. Toxicology testing detected the antidepressant citalopram in the pilot's heart blood and his urine. Citalopram's metabolite, n-desmethylcitalopram, was found in the heart blood and urine as well. The high cholesterol medication atorvastatin and the high blood pressure medication terazosin were found in the heart blood and urine, but these medications are considered non-impairing. Citalopram, marketed under the name Celexa, carries a warning that it may impair the mental or physical ability for performing hazardous tasks. The FAA can give pilots a special issuance of a medical certificate for depression after six months of treatment if the applicant is clinically stable and using only one approved medication, but the pilot had not applied for this special issuance. Citalopram is one of the FAA-approved antidepressant medications.Photo of accident plane (in blue) The NTSB report said it was unknown the severity of the pilot's depression and how long he had been on this medication. Witnesses recalled his pleasant mood and how he was looking forward to an upcoming airport event, thus the NTSB said the medication's effects and psychiatric condition were not factors in the accident. The pilot was a 76-year-old male with airline transport, commercial and flight instructor certificates. He was rated for single-engine land and multi-engine land. His last FAA medical exam was on Feb. 13, 2022. He had an estimated 21,000 flight hours across all aircraft he had flown. The pilot-rated passenger was a 59-year-old male. He was a certified sport pilot and student. He was rated for single-engine landing. A witness interview reported that the pilot-rated passenger had high blood sugar and had brain surgery over the summer. Another witness recalled a conversation between the two men before the accident flight in which the pilot suggested the passenger fly and he said "Nope, you fly!" Another witness nearby on a hayride with his family told investigators he saw the plane descending somewhat and at that point the pilot attempted a maneuver, or an aileron roll. He believed that during that roll, the pilot lost control and the plane went vertical and gained altitude while rolling back, almost like a barrel roll. The tail of the plane was moving in both directions when the witness said the plane reached peak altitude and someone was "ejected" from the aircraft, causing pieces of the plane to become airborne. He said the person that was ejected appeared to have what looked like a parachute attached but no parachute was deployed. He noted that the person looked unconscious during the fall and there were no signs of arms or legs flailing or moving. The witness told NTSB investigators he believed that someone took over the control of the aircraft after the ejection, but was unable to regain total control before the crash.View of plane before crash from nearby residential area A witness heard the plane and saw someone jump out and hit the wing, then entered a spiral as the plane continued and crashed about 20 yards away. From a nearby garden, one witness reported seeing the plane flying low, but not as low as the trees. She said the nose dipped down initially and the back end rose, but the back end went down quickly and some material had fallen out of the plane. The witness later learned a person had fallen from the plane, and confirmed that what she saw falling was larger than a person. The NTSB said the reason for leaving his seat is unknown, but due to the concern about the yaw during turns the report said he may have been attempting to observe the problem with the tail. The report said it was possible he fell out of the plane while observing the tail section, or displaced a flight control while attempting to observe the tail, causing an abrupt pitching moment that ejected him from the plane. The reason for his exit is unknown but witnesses did confirm seeing the pilot outside of the plane and impacting the tail before the crash. The final report said the pilot's impact with the tail damaged the tail section, resulting in a loss of control during the flight from which the pilot-rated passenger would not have been able to recover.