What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On August 11, 2014, approximately 12:16 eastern daylight time, a special light sport Revo Evolution trike weight-shift control aircraft, N214EV, impacted terrain after experiencing an inflight break up near South Haven, Michigan. The certified light sport pilot sustained fatal injuries and the weight-shift-control light sport aircraft was destroyed. The aircraft was registered to Evolution Aircraft Inc. The accident pilot was operating the trike under the provisions of 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 as a personal flight. Marginal visual to instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident location. The flight originated without a flight plan from lansing municipal airport (igq), chicago, Illinois about 11:15 eastern daylight time and was destined for hastings airport (9D9), hastings, Michigan.
The weather observation station at South Haven regional airport (lwa), South Haven, Michigan, located about 3 miles south of the accident site, reported the following conditions at 11:56 eastern daylight time: wind 060 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 5 miles, broken clouds at 500 feet above ground level (AGL), broken clouds at 2,300 feet above ground level (AGL), light rain, overcast clouds at 3,200 feet AGL, temperature 21 degrees celsius (c), dew point 21 degrees c, altimeter setting 29.88.
An eyewitness stated that he heard an aircraft engine rev a few times then he noticed a loud bang. When he looked to the sky, he saw an aircraft wing fluttering down through the clouds ?like a maple tree seed.? The witness said that he had enough time to run into his home to get binoculars and return and the wing was still falling, approximately 90 seconds until it reached the ground. A Michigan state police helicopter was called in to search the area and discovered the fuselage and pilots body north east of the initial wreckage. The aircraft's wing was in a corn field at approximately n 42°29?31.2147 w 86°12? 9.7986 and the fuselage was found approximately 1721 feet to the east at N42°29?33.2658 w 86°11?46.932. The pilot?s body was found 63 feet north west of the fuselage.
On-site wreckage examination revealed that the extruded T-6 aluminum hang block and 3 attach bolts were sheared. The bolt holding the safety cable to the mast was also sheared along with the control bar rod ends. Approximately 54 inches of the left wing tip aluminum leading edge tube was missing. The entire wing envelope was recovered and showed no signs of external impact but was torn open where the internal wing structural failure occurred. The engine and propeller showed damage consistent with it running upon impact.
05/01/2015 Missing aluminum leading edge recovered. The part has been damaged by farm implements but due to the oxidization of the aluminum tube it is apparent what damage was incurred from the farm implement and what was sustained during the accident. It is approximately 52 inches in total length and has the 17.5?? Sprog connected to it with a 3/16 swaged cable. The ½?? Fork end, that connects the sprog to the leading edge, has a pal lock nut that is positioned 1/8?? From the machined end of the fork. This position will only allow for 1 ½ threads of engagement into the sprog. The threaded aluminum end of the sprog shows signs of galling and the steel fork end has aluminum thread filings attached to it.
As the FAA filed it
ON AUGUST 11, 2014, APPROXIMATELY 12:16 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A SPECIAL LIGHT SPORT REVO EVOLUTION TRIKE WEIGHT-SHIFT CONTROL AIRCRAFT, N214EV, IMPACTED TERRAIN AFTER EXPERIENCING AN INFLIGHT BREAK UP NEAR SOUTH HAVEN, MICHIGAN. THE CERTIFIED LIGHT SPORT PILOT SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES AND THE WEIGHT-SHIFT-CONTROL LIGHT SPORT AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REGISTERED TO EVOLUTION AIRCRAFT INC. THE ACCIDENT PILOT WAS OPERATING THE TRIKE UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 AS A PERSONAL FLIGHT. MARGINAL VISUAL TO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE ACCIDENT LOCATION. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN FROM LANSING MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (IGQ), CHICAGO, ILLINOIS ABOUT 11:15 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME AND WAS DESTINED FOR HASTINGS AIRPORT (9D9), HASTINGS, MICHIGAN.
THE WEATHER OBSERVATION STATION AT SOUTH HAVEN REGIONAL AIRPORT (LWA), SOUTH HAVEN, MICHIGAN, LOCATED ABOUT 3 MILES SOUTH OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, REPORTED THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS AT 11:56 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME: WIND 060 DEGREES AT 3 KNOTS, VISIBILITY 5 MILES, BROKEN CLOUDS AT 500 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL), BROKEN CLOUDS AT 2,300 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL), LIGHT RAIN, OVERCAST CLOUDS AT 3,200 FEET AGL, TEMPERATURE 21 DEGREES CELSIUS (C), DEW POINT 21 DEGREES C, ALTIMETER SETTING 29.88.
AN EYEWITNESS STATED THAT HE HEARD AN AIRCRAFT ENGINE REV A FEW TIMES THEN HE NOTICED A LOUD BANG. WHEN HE LOOKED TO THE SKY, HE SAW AN AIRCRAFT WING FLUTTERING DOWN THROUGH THE CLOUDS ?LIKE A MAPLE TREE SEED.? THE WITNESS SAID THAT HE HAD ENOUGH TIME TO RUN INTO HIS HOME TO GET BINOCULARS AND RETURN AND THE WING WAS STILL FALLING, APPROXIMATELY 90 SECONDS UNTIL IT REACHED THE GROUND. A MICHIGAN STATE POLICE HELICOPTER WAS CALLED IN TO SEARCH THE AREA AND DISCOVERED THE FUSELAGE AND PILOTS BODY NORTH EAST OF THE INITIAL WRECKAGE. THE AIRCRAFT'S WING WAS IN A CORN FIELD AT APPROXIMATELY N 42°29?31.2147 W 86°12? 9.7986 AND THE FUSELAGE WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 1721 FEET TO THE EAST AT N42°29?33.2658 W 86°11?46.932. THE PILOT?S BODY WAS FOUND 63 FEET NORTH WEST OF THE FUSELAGE.
ON-SITE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE EXTRUDED T-6 ALUMINUM HANG BLOCK AND 3 ATTACH BOLTS WERE SHEARED. THE BOLT HOLDING THE SAFETY CABLE TO THE MAST WAS ALSO SHEARED ALONG WITH THE CONTROL BAR ROD ENDS. APPROXIMATELY 54 INCHES OF THE LEFT WING TIP ALUMINUM LEADING EDGE TUBE WAS MISSING. THE ENTIRE WING ENVELOPE WAS RECOVERED AND SHOWED NO SIGNS OF EXTERNAL IMPACT BUT WAS TORN OPEN WHERE THE INTERNAL WING STRUCTURAL FAILURE OCCURRED. THE ENGINE AND PROPELLER SHOWED DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH IT RUNNING UPON IMPACT.
05/01/2015 MISSING ALUMINUM LEADING EDGE RECOVERED. THE PART HAS BEEN DAMAGED BY FARM IMPLEMENTS BUT DUE TO THE OXIDIZATION OF THE ALUMINUM TUBE IT IS APPARENT WHAT DAMAGE WAS INCURRED FROM THE FARM IMPLEMENT AND WHAT WAS SUSTAINED DURING THE ACCIDENT. IT IS APPROXIMATELY 52 INCHES IN TOTAL LENGTH AND HAS THE 17.5?? SPROG CONNECTED TO IT WITH A 3/16 SWAGED CABLE. THE ½?? FORK END, THAT CONNECTS THE SPROG TO THE LEADING EDGE, HAS A PAL LOCK NUT THAT IS POSITIONED 1/8?? FROM THE MACHINED END OF THE FORK. THIS POSITION WILL ONLY ALLOW FOR 1 ½ THREADS OF ENGAGEMENT INTO THE SPROG. THE THREADED ALUMINUM END OF THE SPROG SHOWS SIGNS OF GALLING AND THE STEEL FORK END HAS ALUMINUM THREAD FILINGS ATTACHED TO IT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.