Cassutt SPORT RACER N9CA

Summary

On 2 December 2012, a Cassutt SPORT RACER registered N9CA, operated by Andrews Clarence K JR, was involved in an accident near Collegedale, Tennessee, 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

2 December 2012

Classification

Accident

Location

Collegedale, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Collegedale Muni (FGU)

Coordinates

35.0528, -85.0086

Aircraft

Cassutt SPORT RACER

Registration

N9CA

Category

Airplane

Year built

1991

Engines

1

Operator

Andrews Clarence K JR

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Collegedale → Collegedale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13LA076

1 person died.

Impact with trees and terrain during the landing approach likely due to the physiological incapacitation of the pilot.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot indicated to a friend that the purpose of the flight was to practice takeoffs and landings in the airport traffic pattern. An airport employee reported that he observed the airplane depart normally from runway 21 but that he did not see the airplane return to the airport before he left for the night about 1.5 hours later. An alert notice was issued the following day when the airport manager observed the pilot's car still parked at the airport. Local authorities found the wreckage the day after that. The airplane was found inverted among trees on an approximate northeast heading about 1/4 mile north of the runway 21 threshold, consistent with an approach for landing on the runway. Broken tree branches were located near the wreckage and continued in a northwesterly direction from the wreckage. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not hold a valid Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate. He applied for a third-class medical certificate 8 years before the accident, but it was deferred due to a history of severe heart disease. The pilot's autopsy results revealed a significantly enlarged heart with a mechanical mitral valve in place and severe coronary artery disease that included 90-percent occlusion of the left anterior descending, circumflex, and right main arteries and complete occlusion of the three bypass vessels. These conditions put the pilot at high risk for a sudden cardiac arrhythmia, which could result in sudden incapacitation and would not be evident during an autopsy. Toxicological testing detected the presence of two blood pressure/cardiovascular medications, an antidepressant and its metabolite, a cough medication, an anticoagulant, a sedating antihistamine (diphenhydramine), and a sedating antinausea medication (promethazine). The diphenhydramine detected in the blood was within the normal therapeutic range; however, the promethazine detected in the blood exceeded the normal therapeutic range. Both drugs carried the warning, "may impair mental and/or physical ability required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks (e.g., driving, operating heavy machinery)." The use of diphenhydramine together with promethazine, particularly in the elderly (the pilot was 82 years old) or those with a debilitating condition, may increase side effects such as drowsiness, rapid heartbeat, confusion, and memory problems.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.