Walsh Philip J SEA REY N100JW

Summary

On 18 March 2010 at about 18:00 local time, a Walsh Philip J SEA REY registered N100JW, operated by Terry Smith, was involved in an accident near Huntsville, Arkansas, 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

18 March 2010 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Huntsville, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

36.0781, -93.7528

Aircraft

Walsh Philip J SEA REY

Registration

N100JW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Terry Smith

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Huntsville → Huntsville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10LA165

1 person died.

The pilot's loss of airplane control for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot made adjustments to the pitch on his experimental single-engine airplane's propeller and subsequently departed. On the first takeoff, the airplane was observed flying low over the runway for approximately 2,000 feet before it landed back on the runway. The pilot taxied back to the departure end of the runway and departed again. A witness said that, when the airplane was adjacent to a windsock located on the runway, the airplane made a sharp right turn over a parking area. It then turned southeast before making another right turn. The airplane then stalled, became inverted, and collided with the ground at a 45-degree angle. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preaccident mechanical anomalies. The pilot had reportedly been having trouble sleeping due to a painful spider bite and toxicology testing was consistent with relatively recent use of an over-the-counter multi-symptom cold medication containing an antihistamine with impairing effects. While impairment or distraction due to fatigue, uncomfortable symptoms, and/or medication may have adversely affected the pilot's performance and judgment while working on the airplane, piloting the airplane, and/or during the response to an actual or perceived emergency, the investigation was unable to determine that impairment was a factor in the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.