I think today is the day I get to meet with the FAA. It's my understanding that I broke some rules by removing my father from a downed aircraft, removing the fuel tank, removing the battery and physically ripping parts of the aircraft apart to get to him. Since I've been working on one of my rent houses, I had a 36 volt DeWalt saws all in my truck and, once I removed any fire danger, I was liberal in the use of cutting away whatever I had to.
I'll take any fee, fine or other punishment if that is what it takes. And, to be honest, I'd do the same thing again. I'm sure I'm probably wrong, but it is my impression that you can see what has been cut away vs what has been bent and twisted. The plane was (it's no longer a flying machine) a 'pusher' type, with the prop in the rear and mounted high up. Apparently, as per training, when there is a violent vibration, my father shut off the engine. Nothing in the cockpit has been touched and the engine power switch was in the off position, the throttle was pulled back to idle and the "emergency button" (I don't know what it's really called, but you push it if you are unable to radio for help and a crash is imminent, was pressed.
I tried to crop the photo on my cell phone since I don't know how to do so on a Mac, and I think the cause of the crash is reasonably clear. I'm told that the piece missing from the prop made a thin slice through the right wing and cleanly sliced the control cables inside that wing. Sorry I'm not a pilot and am not using proper aviation verbiage, but I think you get the idea. The only consolation is that it makes my dad feel better when he knows it wasn't pilot error and he was told Chuck Yeager could not have landed that plane with only 250' of altitude with no power or controls.