Matey HAWKER HURRICANE N3941Q

Summary

On 27 August 2001 at about 20:29 local time, a Matey HAWKER HURRICANE registered N3941Q was involved in an accident near Buckley, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 August 2001 at 20:29

Classification

Accident

Location

Buckley, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Cawley's South Prairie (02WA)

Coordinates

47.1300, -122.0398

Aircraft

Matey HAWKER HURRICANE

Registration

N3941Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Buckley → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA01LA158

1 person died.

A loss of power for undetermined reasons, and the pilot's inflight decision to attempt a 180 degree turn back to the runway from low altitude and his failure to maintain sufficient flying airspeed during the turn. A contributing factor was drug impairment of the pilot as a result of higher than normal levels of Benedryl, an antihistamine which affects the ability to perform complex cognitive and motor tasks.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Several witnesses reported hearing the experimental, reduced scale World War II Hawker Hurricane's engine "sputtering," and a third witness reported hearing the same sound and then observing the aircraft crash at the north end of the 2,650 foot long, North/South oriented, grass airstrip. A fourth witness, located along the runway, reported hearing the aircraft having engine problems while the aircraft was approaching to land from south to north. He further reported that as the aircraft approached the runway, the engine quit and that the aircraft continued flying north until reaching the north end of the runway at which time the plane pulled up to "tree top level" appearing to attempt a turn back to the runway, and then fell back to the ground nose first. Post-crash examination of the aircraft's engine revealed no mechanical malfunction, and fuel was found in the aircraft's main tanks but the header tank was ruptured. A satellite photograph of the airstrip and surrounding area revealed approximately 1,500 feet of open field directly north of the crash site as confirmed by an FAA inspector at the site. Toxicological evaluation of blood samples from the pilot revealed Diphenhydramine, commonly known by the trade name "Benadryl," an antihistamine. The level of Diphenhydramine found in the pilot's blood was reported as being consistent with several times the normal dosage within an eight-hour period. In such doses, the medication commonly results in drowsiness, and has measurable effects on performance of complex cognitive and motor tasks.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.