NTSB Identification: CEN15FA281
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident
occurred
Friday, June 26, 2015
in
Beloit, OH
Aircraft:
STUHLMILLER ROBERT EUROPA, registration:
N149RS
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This
is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors.
Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has
been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this
investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work
without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to
prepare this aircraft accident report.
On
June 26, 2015, about 1830 eastern standard time, a homebuilt Europa XL
airplane, N149RS, impacted terrain near Beloit, Ohio. The airplane was
substantially damaged and the private rated pilot was fatally injured.
The airplane was registered and operated by Sancap Aircraft Inc., under
the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal
flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and the airplane was
not on a flight plan. The local flight was originated from the Tri-City
Airport, Sebring, Ohio at an unknown time.
An individual at the airport recalled that the pilot had recently replaced the battery in the airplane. Later, as he was mowing the grass, he saw the pilot taxiing the airplane towards the north, then back south with the canopy open; he didn't recall the time, but thought it was sometime between 1800-1830. He added that he did not see the pilot depart. Another individual, who was checking on crops about 1830 noticed the airplane wreckage in a soybean field and notified authorities.
The on-site examination of the wreckage and ground scars, were consistent with an inverted, near vertical impact with terrain. The airplane came to rest on its belly and landing gear, about 10 feet from the impact crater; several pieces had separated from the airplane and were scattered, but remained near the wreckage site. Both wings remained with the fuselage with the outer sections of the leading edges of the wings displaying impact damage. The cockpit and engine compartment were severely crushed; the empennage remained attached, with minor damage to the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. The 3-bladed composite propeller remained attached to the hub; however, two blades were broken off at the hub, the third blade remained in the hub, but had broken off approximately 12 inches from the hub. A smell of fuel was reported by people who located and responded to the accident site.
After the initial on-site documentation of the wreckage, the airplane was recovered for further examination.
An individual at the airport recalled that the pilot had recently replaced the battery in the airplane. Later, as he was mowing the grass, he saw the pilot taxiing the airplane towards the north, then back south with the canopy open; he didn't recall the time, but thought it was sometime between 1800-1830. He added that he did not see the pilot depart. Another individual, who was checking on crops about 1830 noticed the airplane wreckage in a soybean field and notified authorities.
The on-site examination of the wreckage and ground scars, were consistent with an inverted, near vertical impact with terrain. The airplane came to rest on its belly and landing gear, about 10 feet from the impact crater; several pieces had separated from the airplane and were scattered, but remained near the wreckage site. Both wings remained with the fuselage with the outer sections of the leading edges of the wings displaying impact damage. The cockpit and engine compartment were severely crushed; the empennage remained attached, with minor damage to the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. The 3-bladed composite propeller remained attached to the hub; however, two blades were broken off at the hub, the third blade remained in the hub, but had broken off approximately 12 inches from the hub. A smell of fuel was reported by people who located and responded to the accident site.
After the initial on-site documentation of the wreckage, the airplane was recovered for further examination.