NTSB Identification: ERA17FA074
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, December 27, 2016 in Port Orange, FL
Aircraft: INDEPENDENT TECHNOLOGIES INC EPIC LT, registration: N669WR
Injuries: 2 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 December 27, 2016, about 1757 eastern standard time, N669WR, an experimental amateur-built Epic LT, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain while executing an instrument approach to Spruce Creek Airport (7FL6), Port Orange, Florida. The private pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that originated at the Millington Regional Jetport (NQA), Millington, Tennessee about 1558 and was destined for 7FL6. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Several witnesses observed the accident. According to a witness, who was driving to the airport's café, he saw the airplane's landing lights as it approached the airport. The airplane was about 100 feet above the ground and in a left turn. The airplane then climbed back into the fog layer and disappeared from view. The witness said, "I didn't hear anything for a few seconds. Then I heard a very loud distinct corkscrewing sound, very familiar to a spinning plane at an airshow. I then saw two wing-tip lights fall through the clouds straight down and heard an extremely loud thud."
Another witness, who was also a Designated Pilot Examiner, said he saw the airplane when it broke out of the overcast about 200 feet above ground level (agl). At that time, the airplane was about 1/8th of a mile to the north of the final approach course. He said the airplane then suddenly pulled up and banked to the right over the airport into the fog, before it descended in an inverted flat spin to impact.
A third witness said he heard a loud engine noise so he went out onto his lanai and looked up. He saw the airplane emerge from the fog in a 70 to 80-degree nose down "fully developed spin," The witness said the airplane made three rotations before he lost sight of it behind trees followed by the sound of an impact.
Review of preliminary radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that over the final 46 seconds of flight, the airplane approached the airport on a north-easterly heading just north of the final approach course. At 1756:01, the airplane was abeam the runway numbers at an altitude of 100 feet mean sea level (msl) before it initiated a climbing right turn to 200 feet msl over the airport. The airplane continued to turn right and descended back down to 100 feet msl before it climbed back up to 300 feet while still in the turn. At 1756:33, the airplane leveled out and began to climb on a northeasterly heading. Over the next 13 seconds the airplane climbed to 800 feet making a shallow turn to the right followed by a turn to the left before the data ended at 1756:47. The last radar return was near-coincident with the location of where the airplane impacted the ground.
The airplane came to rest inverted at the base of an approximately 50-foot-tall tree on the front lawn of a private residence. All major flight controls were accounted for at the site and there was no post-impact fire. The airplane collided with tree limbs during the impact sequence. An outboard section of the left wing, a section of the left wing's fuel line, tail section and the rudder separated from the airframe. There was little evidence of forward movement of the airplane.
Examination of the airframe revealed the carbon-composite fuselage sustained extensive fracturing. Both wing fuel tanks were breached and a strong odor of jet fuel permeated the wreckage. Flight control continuity was established for all major flight controls to the cockpit. The landing gear was in the fully down and locked position and the flaps were fully extended. The fuel selector was set to the left wing fuel tank.
The engine and the four-blade propeller assembly remained attached to the engine. When the engine was separated from the airframe, fuel was observed draining from the main fuel line.
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single and multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. His last FAA third-class medical was issued on December 2, 2016. At that time, he reported a total of 5,635 total flight hours.
Weather reported at 7FL6 at 1755 was calm wind, visibility 2.5 statute miles, mist, temperature 19 degrees C, dewpoint 19 degrees C, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.18 inches Hg. 7FL6 is not equipped to provide ceiling heights.
Weather reported at New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport, (EVB), New Smyrna Beach, Florida, about 5 miles east of the accident site at 1750, was wind from 090 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 1/4 statute mile, fog, overcast 100 feet, temperature 19 degrees C, dewpoint 19 degrees C, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.18 inches Hg.
