Accident Aviastroitel AC-5M N263R,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 237568
 
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Date:Tuesday 30 June 2020
Time:13:24
Type:Aviastroitel AC-5M
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N263R
MSN: 028
Year of manufacture:2002
Engine model:Compact Radial Engines MZ 35
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Bend Municipal Airport (KBDN/BDN), OR -   United States of America
Phase: Take off
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Bend Municipal Airport, OR (KBDN/BDN)
Destination airport:Bend Municipal Airport, OR (KBDN/BDN)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
On June 30, 2020, at 1324 Pacific daylight time, an Aviastroitel AC-5M motorglider, N263R, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Bend, Oregon. The pilot was fatally injured. The glider was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot was departing in the self-launching motorglider when the accident occurred. A witness stated that, once airborne, the glider began to climb rapidly. The glider then banked to the right and entered a “dive” to ground contact. Another witness stated that, shortly after takeoff, the glider “went directly vertical” then banked to the right before diving toward the ground.

The glider came to rest on airport property near the departure end of the runway and was almost entirely consumed by postimpact fire, except for the left wing. The glider was not examined, and the wreckage was disposed of before examination could take place.

The pilot’s experience in the accident glider was not determined. Autopsy revealed an implanted pacemaker/defibrillator that was not interrogated by the medical examiner. Although the condition of having an abnormal heart rhythm placed the pilot at increased risk of a sudden cardiac event, operational evidence does not suggest that such an event occurred, and it is unlikely that the pilot’s cardiovascular disease was a factor in this accident. Toxicology detected therapeutic levels of the antidepressant duloxetine in the pilot’s blood and the presence of the antidepressant amitriptyline and its active metabolite nortriptyline in the pilot’s liver tissue. Nortriptyline was also detected in cardiac blood, likely at therapeutic levels. Side effects of these medications include drowsiness and dizziness, especially when first starting the medications. The reason, duration of time he used the medication, and whether he had side effects from the medications are unknown; therefore, whether the effects of the pilot’s use of duloxetine and amitriptyline were a factor in this accident could not be determined.

The glider’s rapid climb after takeoff and subsequent vertical descent are consistent with an inflight loss of control; however, because the glider was not examined after the accident, whether a mechanical malfunction or anomaly contributed to the loss of control could not be determined based on the available information.

Probable Cause: A loss of control just after takeoff for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: WPR20LA201
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 2 years and 5 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

https://centraloregondaily.com/pilot-killed-in-powered-glider-crash-near-bend-airport/
https://ktvz.com/news/accidents-crashes/2020/06/30/powered-glider-crashes-after-takeoff-at-bend-airport-killing-pilot/

NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=263R

https://www.flickr.com/photos/russia_ac5m_assembly/6866897023/in/photostream/

Location

Images:



Photos: NTSB

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
01-Jul-2020 07:35 gerard57 Added
01-Jul-2020 07:36 gerard57 Updated [Aircraft type]
01-Jul-2020 09:03 RobertMB Updated [Registration, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
01-Jul-2020 11:14 Captain Adam Updated [Location, Departure airport, Narrative]
02-Jul-2020 02:28 Geno Updated [Source]

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