Ryskamp Bruce A ACRODUSTER N380JA

Summary

On 24 April 2016 at about 21:45 local time, a Ryskamp Bruce A ACRODUSTER registered N380JA was involved in an accident near Belton, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 April 2016 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Belton, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Oakhill Airpark (SC82)

Coordinates

34.5828, -82.3525

Aircraft

Ryskamp Bruce A ACRODUSTER

Registration

N380JA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2013

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Belton → Belton

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16FA168

1 person died.

A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined due to extensive postcrash fire damage. Also causal was the pilot's loss of airplane control, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was returning to the airport from a local personal flight. The airplane completed two low approaches and then made a left turn to reenter the traffic pattern. Two witnesses reported that, when the airplane was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the engine sound changed; one reported that the engine sputtered and "cut out." The airplane then banked left and pitched nose down before impacting the ground, consistent with an aerodynamic stall. The propeller governor was examined, and no pre-impact anomalies were noted. The examination noted scrape marks on the propeller governor. According to the manufacturer, the scrape marks were made when the gears were turning opposite the direction of normal rotation, indicating that the propeller was not rotating to propel the airplane forward when the marks were made. An examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures; however, extensive thermal damage precluded a detailed examination. Additionally, the airplane's fuel state prior to the accident could not be accurately determined. Toxicological testing identified 0.024 ug/ml of diphenhydramine in heart blood and detected diphenhydramine in urine. The postmortem blood diphenhydramine level was below the therapeutic range, which suggests that the pilot's level was likely below therapeutic and impairing levels at the time of the crash. Therefore, it is unlikely that the pilot's use of diphenhydramine at some time before the accident flight contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.