Amateur-built Glasair accident near Brookings, Oregon, February 22, 2005

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

During a flight in night visual meteorological conditions, the pilot reported to air traffic control that he had his destination airport in sight. Flight following services were terminated and the pilot was instructed to squawk 1200 transponder code and frequency change was approved. Radar data indicated that the flight was about 14 miles from the destination airport and at 3,600 feet MSL. The flight tracking indicated that about 36 seconds later, the tracking started a left turn to the east for unknown reasons, and continued to descend at about 1,000 feet per minute completing approximately a 180 degree turn before radar contact was lost at 400 feet. Just prior to loss of radar contact, the pilot made one transmission to Seattle Center stating "Seattle Glasair 2WG." The controller responded to the transmission, however, the pilot did not respond. The fuselage, minus the engine, washed ashore six days later. The gascolator, the line from the gascolator to the electric boost pump and the output fuel line running from the electric boost pump to the engine driven fuel pump were removed from the firewall. The output fuel line from the electric boost pump was intact. The b-nut on the end of the line which would attach to the inlet fitting on the engine driven fuel pump was intact. That b-nut was further inspected by the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory in Washington DC. The Senior Materials Engineer reported that "Some thread damage was observed on the threads at the fitting end of the nut. All damage was limited to within one to two threads from the end." The engineer further reported, "The thread peaks of two threads closest to the fitting end of the nut were deformed and smeared toward the fitting end." Further inspection was not possible as the engine was not recovered, therefore evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction could not be determined. Toxicology results found Amphetamine in the urine and not the blood which was retrieved from the chest cavity. Other than the unexplained course reversal during the last few minutes prior to the accident, normal flight operations were depicted via the radar tracking and in flight communications.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.