ERA09LA258 · Cessna A188B

After spraying for mosquitoes for approximately 2 hours, the pilot returned for landing. The airplane approached the north runway, a 2,600-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, turf runway. During the approach, the airplane banked left onto final approach and the engine revved to high rpm. The airplane touched down long, toward the left side of the runway. The airplane traveled off the left side of the runway, impacted bushes, and came to rest inverted. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions and fuel was noted throughout the fuel system. The wreckage was righted, the engine was started, and it ran continuously to 2,500 rpm. The pilot had accumulated about 15,000 hours of total flight experience. Although the autopsy report noted the cause of deal as blunt force trauma, the report also indicated that examination of the pilot’s heart revealed a markedly enlarged (but not thickened) heart, consistent with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition frequently associated with sudden cardiac death. There was no indication that the pilot was aware of the condition, and a relationship between the condition and the accident could not be conclusively established. Another pilot reported that the wind was from the west at 5 to 7 mph at the time of the accident.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset