Pilot Debrief

SEA & SKY INC DBA KRUCKER ACFT CYGNET near Panama City Beach, FL — 2015-06-02

Final reportERA15LA230
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Date
2015-06-02
Location
Panama City Beach, FL, USA
Aircraft
SEA & SKY INC DBA KRUCKER ACFT CYGNET
Registration
N59AT
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of aircraft control, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB narrative

The commercial airplane pilot reported that, during his first solo flight in his new weight-shift-controlled aircraft, he experienced an unstable feeling when he started a right turn. While attempting to roll the aircraft straight and level, it rolled into an uncontrollable, "steep" left turn and entered an aerodynamic stall before crashing into the water below. It is likely that when the pilot attempted to correct the initial roll to the right, the aircraft rolled past 90° of bank, to a condition where the pendulum stability, which kept the fuselage below the wing, ceased to act, resulting in the loss of control. Postaccident examination of the aircraft revealed that several of the hardware components attaching the wing to the trike had fractured; however, examination of the fractures revealed that they all exhibited features consistent with overstress due to impact, and no evidence of preexisting damage was observed.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the flight after feeling unstable controls.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • Photos
  • 10 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents10

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