NTSB ERA13LA093 — 2012-12-18 · Calhoun, Georgia, United States

Aircraft involved

N156FH RUSSOM ROY G HUMMEL H5 Fatal

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s impairment or incapacitation due to the effects of medication, worsening cardiac disease, or cardiac arrhythmia, which resulted in his loss of control of the airplane.

Factual narrative

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On December 18, 2012, about 1400 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built Hummel H5, N156FH, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain shortly after taking off from Tom B. David Field (CZL), Calhoun, Georgia. The private pilot/builder was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight which was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to a responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, witnesses reported that the airplane took off from runway 17 with the engine sounds, ground roll and departure all "normal." Then, about 300 feet above ground level, the airplane began a slow roll to the right, reaching about 90 degrees angle of bank and 60 degrees nose-down when it descended into trees heading about 300 degrees magnetic. There were no engine power changes until impact.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The single place, tailwheel airplane was constructed primarily of metal and powered by a Revmaster R2200D engine. It was completed by the pilot on September 17, 2012, and issued an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate with operating limitations. A logbook review by the FAA inspector revealed that it was first flown on September 19, 2012, by the pilot, and had accumulated 3.8 hours not including the accident flight of approximately 2 minutes.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 76, held a current private pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land rating. An FAA review of his logbook revealed a total time of 142 hours, with 121.0 hours daylight, 8.7 hours night, 100.6 hours dual and 41.5 hours solo through the end of July 1969. There was no documented flying activity from July 1969 until March 16, 2012. A flight review occurred on March 16, 2012, in a Piper J3-85, and from March 2012 until the accident, the pilot accumulated an additional 21 hours, of which, 3.8 hours were in the accident airplane. The FAA inspector also noted that according to FAA records, the pilot did not hold a current FAA medical certificate, but that the airplane met the definition as a light sport aircraft and a current driver's license was appropriate to meet the medical requirements.

METEROLOGICAL INFORMATION

Weather, recorded at an airport 13 nautical miles to the southwest, at 1353, included clear skies, wind from 300 degrees true at 5 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, altimeter setting 29.96 inches Hg.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

According to the FAA inspector, the airplane's initial impact point was in a tree, about 50 feet above the ground, in the vicinity of 34 degrees, 27.03 minutes north latitude, 084 degrees, 55.83 minutes west longitude. The wreckage path angle of decent was about 60 degrees, heading approximately 290 degrees, and the wreckage came to rest in a dense thicket approximately 200 yards from the western edge of the airport property, approximately midfield. The engine and firewall sustained heat damage, and most of the center section aft of the fire wall was consumed by fire. The right wing exhibited compressions consistent with an initial right-wing-down impact, and the wooden propeller was broken near the hub flange. The wreckage was subsequently moved to a hangar for further examination. Throttle and mixture were at full power positions and the carburetor heat control was found in the full cold position. Flight control continuity was confirmed, but with numerous flight control surfaces separated from the cockpit controls, consistent with impact overload. No preexisting mechanical anomalies were noted by the inspector.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy was conducted on the pilot by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Division of Forensic Sciences, Decatur, Georgia, with cause of death determined to be "blunt force trauma of head, torso, and extremities." According to the NTSB Medical Factual Report review of the autopsy results, "the examination of the heart identified atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. The heart weighed 420 grams (normal range for a male of this weight is 281 - 489 grams). The left ventricular wall measured 1.2 cm (normal). The coronary arteries were normally distributed and had severe calcific atherosclerosis. The amount of vessel occlusion was not recorded. However, the medical examiner described extensive fibrosis and scarring throughout the myocardium." Microscopic evaluation of the heart was not conducted. Toxicological testing was subsequently performed by the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which identified amlodipine in liver and blood, and valsartan in liver and blood. The NTSB Medical Factual Report also noted that amlodipine is a blood pressure medication marketed under the brand name Norvasc and that valsartan is a blood pressure medication marketed under the brand name Diovan. In addition, the pilot's wife reported that he was using amlodipine and valsartan daily to treat high blood pressure and that the pilot had recently complained of episodes of dizziness. The experimental amateur-built airplane was completed about 4 months before the accident and had been flown less than 4 hours by the pilot/builder. Witnesses reported that when the airplane took off, the engine sounds, ground roll, and departure were all "normal." Then, about 300 feet above the ground, the airplane began a slow roll to the right (the airport traffic pattern was to the left), reaching about 90 degrees of bank and 60 degrees of nose-down pitch when it descended into trees. Witnesses reported no engine power changes until impact. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed extensive impact-related fire damage. The throttle and mixture controls were at their full power positions, and the carburetor heat control was in the full cold position. Flight control continuity was confirmed, but numerous flight control surfaces had separated from the cockpit controls, consistent with impact overload. No preexisting mechanical anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation. The 76-year-old pilot had no recent Federal Aviation Administration medical examinations, but none were required as he was operating the airplane as a sport pilot. Although the cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma, the autopsy report also revealed severe atherosclerotic coronary artery disease but did not contain information about the extent of occlusions, the vessels involved, or evidence of interventions, such as stents. The report identified extensive fibrosis and scarring throughout the heart muscle, suggesting previous coronary artery blockage event(s); but with no further details of the scarring and no microscopic examination. The exact extent of cardiac disease and whether there had been any recent coronary events could not be determined. Extensive scarring of the heart muscle creates an increased risk of irregular heart rhythms that can lead to dizziness or sudden incapacitation. Toxicology was positive for blood pressure medications that, by themselves, should not have degraded the pilot's ability to safely operate the airplane but with other factors, could have resulted in low blood pressure, dizziness, or even unconsciousness. Based on the pilot's recent reported dizziness, the findings of severe coronary artery disease, and evidence of heart muscle damage, it is likely that the pilot was impaired or incapacitated when he lost control of the airplane as a result of low blood pressure due to medications, worsening heart disease, or an irregular heart rhythm. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

C Personnel issues-Physical-Impairment/incapacitation-Cardiovascular-Pilot - C
C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_ERA13LA093.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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