The unsettling tale of an experimental Bearhawk Patrol aircraft that descended into disaster on October 29, 2022, claimed the lives of two individuals in Pennsylvania and has been meticulously dissected in a recent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report. This incident, defined by its unique and harrowing circumstances, began with an experienced pilot’s fatal departure from the cockpit and culminated in a catastrophic crash, laying bare the stark realities of aviation risks within the world of amateur-built planes.
According to the NTSB, the chain of events that led to the accident started with the pilot expressing concern about a “rigging issue” to a friend. This problem seemed to cause the aircraft to “kick” laterally while executing turns—a red flag identified before the fatal flight. Despite a friend’s corroboration of these handling quirks after a test flight, the report indicates that the pilot chose to postpone the fix until a later date. The aircraft, which took off from Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport, was airborne for just a few minutes before it plunged into tragedy.
Witness accounts formed the backbone of the NTSB’s findings. Reportedly, the plane “rolled” and then “bucked,” its nose pitching downward and then abruptly up before its rapid descent. It was during this turmoil that several witnesses reported a sight most bizarre and alarming: the pilot, somehow outside of the aircraft, impacting and then spiraling off the plane’s tail. The report unveiled that his seatbelt and harness were found intact and unlatched, suggesting that the pilot “intentionally unbuckled his seatbelt during the short flight.”
The underlying reasons behind the pilot’s decision to unfasten himself mid-flight remain a mystery. However, the NTSB hypothesizes that the pilot may have been trying to visually inspect an issue with the tail given the previously noted turning problem. This supposed inspection could have led to him accidentally falling out of the plane or displacing a flight control, which would trigger an abrupt pitch and consequent ejection.
In a bitter twist, the aircraft plummeted a mere 100 feet away from where children were enjoying a hayride on a farm, underlining the potential for an even greater calamity had the crash site been just slightly different.
The report rules out mechanical failure as a contributing factor, making it clear that the plane’s engine was capable of normal operation before impact. Additionally, toxicology findings from the pilot included an antidepressant and medications for cholesterol and high blood pressure. However, these substances were deemed “non-impairing” and not instrumental to the accident’s cause.
Relevant articles:
– Pilot fell out of aircraft and hit tail, causing deadly 2022 crash that killed 2, NTSB says
– Pilot Seemingly Unbuckled Seatbelt Before Falling from Experimental Plane and Hitting Tail, Causing Fatal Crash Yahoo News Canada, Wed, 10 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT
– Pilot Departs Aircraft, Damages Tail In Fatal Crash AVweb, Mon, 15 Apr 2024 04:27:36 GMT
– Pilot fell from plane before it crashed nose-first into Pa. field, killing passenger PennLive, Sat, 13 Apr 2024 02:19:00 GMT