The commercial pilot, who was experienced in aerobatics, coordinated with a friend to perform a fly-over of a cattle branding event in Arthur, Nebraska.
Before departing on the flight, the pilot informed his father that he was feeling very ill and nauseated during the previous flight that day due to in-flight turbulence and informed his friend at the branding event that he may not be able to perform the fly-over.
He subsequently flew to the event and commenced aerobatic maneuvers, which included a loop and rolling maneuver followed by a climb in a vertical pitch attitude. The Champion 7GCAA rolled left and entered a left-turning spin, which continued to the ground. The pilot died in the crash.
Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation, and autopsy and toxicology testing of the pilot identified no evidence of physiological impairment or incapacitation.
Although the pilot had reported some symptoms before departing on the flight, the nature of his illness was not diagnosed, and no evidence of illness was identified on autopsy.
It is possible that his undefined symptoms or illness may have contributed to the accident however, without further evidence, it could not be determined whether or to what extent his symptoms may have affected his ability to recover from the spin maneuver.
Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to recover from a spin for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
NTSB Identification: CEN18FA242
This June 2018 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Violating “IMSAFE” can be very hazardous. There are several examples in the NTSB accident db where pilots chose to fly when nauseated and lost control of their aircraft. Unfortunately, motion induced nausea doesn’t appear to be evident in post mortem exams.
The pilot’s father spoke with the pilot before he took off for the accident flight. According to the NTSB Docket:
“The pilot’s father provided the following information:
• The pilot called him prior to departure for the accident flight and informed him that he
was feeling very ill and nauseous during the previous flight, due to significant in-flight
turbulence.
• The pilot told his father that he had not actually “thrown up” but was getting “bounced
around” significantly due to turbulence during the previous flight and felt very poorly.”
The pilot also spoke with his friend who said the pilot told him “he might not be
able to perform the flyover due the fact that he was not feeling well. His friend said “The pilot decided to conduct the flyover of the branding event.”