Connellsville, PA, USA
N7760
Dever Stits Playmate SA11A
Just before the accident airplane touched down on the runway, the left wing "dipped," and the airplane departed the left side of the runway and struck a parked vehicle. The pilot was unable to recall the final portion of the 3-hour long cross country flight, including the approach and landing. The pilot stated that he may have been "knocked out" by a medication that he began taking two days prior to the accident flight. While taking the drug the pilot did not "feel right" and reported that he was "dizzy." The pilot had taken the drug on the day the accident occurred. What role, if any, the pilot's other medical conditions played in the accident could not be determined. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any mechanical abnormalities. The pilot's most recent FAA medical certificate was issued 5 years prior to the accident.
On May 22, 2007, at 1155 eastern daylight time, an amateur built Stits Playmate SA11A, N7760, was substantially damaged when it impacted a parked vehicle while landing at Connellsville Airport (VVS), Connellsville, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot/owner was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which departed from Penn Yan Airport (PEO), Penn Yan, New York, about 0900. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to a report prepared by the Pennsylvania State Police, a witness observed the airplane as it approached to land on runway 23. She stated that just before the airplane touched down, the left wing "dipped." After touchdown, the airplane departed the left side runway surface and proceeded across the taxiway, a grass area, and a parking lot before it struck a parked truck. During a telephone interview, the pilot stated that he recalled taking off and reaching the cruise portion of the flight. The 330-mile cross-country flight, one of the longest flights the pilot had ever made, lasted about 3 hours. About 30 miles from the destination airport, the pilot made a radio transmission, but could not recall any of the flight following that transmission. In a subsequent interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot recounted a possible explanation of his in-flight incapacitation. He stated that he may have been "knocked out on final approach by the medication he was taking while on the flight." The pilot elaborated that he began taking a drug called "Flomax" about two days prior to the accident flight. He stated that while taking the drug he felt "dizzy" and that he did not "feel right" while taking it. The pilot had taken the drug on the day the accident occurred. Review of the pilot's post-accident medical treatment records revealed that the pilot was being treated for numerous conditions including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Additionally, he was taking a prescription anti-depressant as well as a medication used in controlling the symptoms of an enlarged prostate (tamsulosin, or Flomax). During his post-accident hospitalization, the pilot was noted to have multiple abnormalities in his spine consistent with either multiple myeloma or cancer that had spread from some other source in the body. The pilot did not provide any further information as to the cause of these bone abnormalities. An FAA inspector examined the runway and identified the point where the airplane touched down. The heading from that point to where the airplane came to rest was 180 degrees. Examination of the airplane's flight controls, engine controls, and brakes revealed that they were functional, with no abnormalities noted. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. His most recent application for an FAA third class medical certificate was dated May 16, 2002, and on that date he reported 600 total hours of flight experience. The pilot's most recent flight review was completed in June 2002. Runway 23 was a 3,458-foot long by 100-foot wide asphalt runway. The weather conditions reported at Morgantown Municipal Airport (MGW), Morgantown, West Virginia, about 22 nautical miles southwest of the accident site, at 1153, included variable winds at 3 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet, temperature 24 degrees Celsius, dewpoint 12 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 30.28 inches of mercury.
The pilot's inability to maintain control of the airplane due to an undetermined physiological impairment.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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