The crash of an “experimental amateur-built” plane in rural Pennsylvania that killed the pilot and his passenger was caused by the pilot tumbling out of the aircraft mid-flight, hitting the tail, and resulting in a loss of control, according to federal officials. The two-seater Bearhawk Patrol plane crashed near Hanover Township on October 29, 2022, coming down nose-first on a farm just 100 feet from where children were enjoying a hayride. The final results of a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found that the impact with the tail section of the airplane during flight led to substantial damage and a subsequent loss of control.
Prior to the accident, the 76-year-old pilot, Ronald Snyder, had informed a friend that the plane had a rigging issue causing it to “kick” laterally during turns. The friend flew the plane for 10 minutes and noticed an odd yawing movement in the turns, which he reported back to Snyder. Despite this, Snyder told his friend that he would address the issue during the winter. The plane departed from Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport en route to an airport in Lebanon County and experienced trouble just a few minutes after climbing to 1,700 feet.
Witnesses reported that the plane rolled and bucked, with the nose dipping down initially then pitching up quickly. Several witnesses claimed to have seen the pilot outside of the airplane at this time, with one witness reporting seeing the pilot impact the airplane’s tail before spiraling off. The NTSB noted that it was unclear why Snyder had decided to unbuckle his seatbelt mid-flight, but speculated that he may have been attempting to check out the plane’s tail. The report suggested that the pilot may have fallen out of the airplane while trying to observe the tail or displaced a flight control causing an abrupt pitching moment that ejected him from the aircraft.
The pilot’s passenger, Michael Bowen, 59, was found dead in the plane wreckage, while Snyder was discovered about 500 feet away after the crash. Both men died from multiple traumatic injuries as a result of the crash, with their deaths being ruled as accidental. Toxicology tests conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration found an antidepressant and a cholesterol medication in the pilot’s system, but these were not believed to be factors in the crash according to the report. The NTSB investigation was able to determine that the pilot’s exit from the airplane during flight and the impact with the tail section caused the loss of control that led to the fatal crash.
Overall, the tragic crash of the Bearhawk Patrol plane in rural Pennsylvania was caused by the pilot tumbling out of the aircraft mid-flight and impacting the tail, resulting in a loss of control that led to the fatal crash that killed both the pilot and his passenger. Despite the pilot’s previous acknowledgement of a rigging issue with the plane, the exact reason for his exit from the airplane during flight could not be determined. The NTSB investigation provided insight into the sequence of events that led to the crash, highlighting the dangers of experimental amateur-built aircraft and the importance of proper maintenance and attention to any reported issues.
