20110517008899A

MAY 17, 2011 A PEGASUS QUIK 912S SPECIAL LIGHT SPORT WEIGHT SHIFT CONTROL AIRCRAFT (SLSA/WSC) N705PM, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT IMPACTED THE WATER NEAR HONOPU, HAWAII. THE SPORT PILOT INSTRUCTOR AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES.THE AIRCRAFT SANK IN 18 FEET OF WATER APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS FROM SHORE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED THE FOLLOWING DAY MAY 18, 2011. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FROM PORT ALLEN AIRPORT, HANAPEPE THE MORNING OF MAY 17, 2011. ACCORDING TO ONE WITNESS, THE AIRCRAFT WAS MANEUVERING AT VERY STEEP ANGLES OF PITCH AND BANK APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET VERTICALLY FROM THE BEACH AND APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET HORIZONTALLY FROM THE EDGE OF A CLIFF, THE WITNESS HEARD A LOUD POP AND THEN WITNESSED THE RIGHT WING FABRIC GO SLACK, THE AIRCRAFT THEN COMPLETED A FULL BARREL ROLL TO THE RIGHT AFTER WHICH THE AIRCRAFT PLUNGED INTO THE OCEAN.05-18-2011 FAA HONOLULU FSDO INSPECTORS LANCE JOHNSON AND INSPECTOR MERRITTE WILSON COORDINATED WITH NTSB INVESTIGATOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IN KAUAI. INSPECTOR WILSON AND NTSB INVESTIGATOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ARRANGED A DIVE TEAM TO RETRIEVE THE WRECKAGE FROM HONOPU OFF THE NA PALI COAST. THE WRECKAGE WAS RAISED FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR BY AIRBAGS, AND LIFTED TO SHORE BY HELICOPTER. ONCE ON SHORE THE AIRCRAFT WAS SECURED BY CARGO NET AND LIFTED BY HELICOPTER TO AWAITING TRUCK FOR TRANSPORT TO A SECURE CIVIL AIR PATROL HANGAR AT THE LIHUE AIRPORT.05-19-2011. FAA INSPECTORS LANCE JOHNSON, FAA INSPECTOR MERRITTE WILSON AND NTSB INVESTIGATOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ MET AT THE LIHUE AIRPORT HANGAR TO CONDUCT A DETAILED INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE. TO CONDUCT THE INVESTIGATION THE WING WAS SEPARATED FROM THE AIRFRAME, THE SAIL WAS THEN SEPARATED FROM THE WING FRAME. FUSELAGE, ENGINE AND ENGINE MOUNT: DAMAGE WAS LEFT TO RIGHT CONSISTENT WITH IMPACT TRAJECTORY. THE PROPELLER WAS MISSING TWO OF THE 3 BLADES AND THE 3RD WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED. THE BALLISTIC RECOVERY PARACHUTE WAS NOT DEPLOYED. WING FRAME: DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH IMPACT DAMAGE. THE LEFT AND RIGHT WING LEADING EDGE ASSEMBLIES LIBERATED AT SIMILAR STATIONS JUST OUTBOARD OF THE INBOARD EDGE. THE RIGHT SECTION OF THE CROSS SPAR ASSEMBLY WAS COMPLETELY SEPARATED JUST INBOARD OF THE CENTER SECTION. THE UPPER AFT KEEL BEAM WAS ALSO DAMAGED NEAR THE TRAILING EDGE HAVING BEEN SEVERED BY THE PROPELLER. RIGHT WING: UPPER SURFACE SHOWED EVIDENCE OF A REPAIR PATCH BETWEEN THE THIRD AND FORTH CHORD WISE STITCH SEAM FROM THE WING TIP JUST FORWARD OF THE TRAILING EDGE. THIS REPAIR PATCH WAS POSITIONED OVER A STITCH SEAM SEGMENT. THE SAIL FABRIC PANEL WAS MISSING FROM THE UPPER SURFACE IN THE AREA THE REPAIR PATCH WAS FOUND. A "BETTSOMETER" TEST WAS PERFORMED BY INSPECTOR LANCE JOHNSON AND INSPECTOR MERRITTE WILSON. THE UPPER WING SAIL FABRIC NEAR THE SECTION OF MISSING MATERIAL,THE UPPER SURFACE FABRIC TESTED AT AN AVERAGE OF 850"GRAMMES FORCE". ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURE THE MINIMUM IS 1000 "GRAMMES FORCE" FOR THIS PARTICULAR SECTION OF WING. THE STITCHING WAS ALSO TESTED AND THE AVERAGE OBTAINED WAS 1300 "GRAMMES FORCE". THE LOWER SURFACE WAS ALSO TESTED WITH RESULTS EXCEEDING MINIMUM LIMITS. LEFT WING: UPPER SURFACE SHOWED A SIMILAR REPAIR PATCH IN THE SAME AREA, BETWEEN THE THIRD AND FOURTH CHORD WISE STITCH SEAM FROM THE WING TIP JUST FORWARD OF THE TRAILING EDGE. THE REPAIR PATCH WAS ALSO PLACED OVER A STITCH SEAM. THE SAIL FABRIC WAS MISSING FROM THE UPPER SURFACE IN THIS AREA. THE UPPER SURFACE WAS TESTED WITH THE BETTS TESTER WITH AN AVERAGE OF 800 GRAMMES FORCE. THE LOWER SURFACE WAS ALSO TESTED WITH RESULTS EXCEEDING MINIMUM LIMITS. THE LEFT WING ALSO SHOWED EVIDENCE OF 3 MORE PATCHES JUST INBOARD AND FORWARD OF THE AREA WHERE THE MISSING SAIL FABRIC WAS NOTED.