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20160210007339A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Flight Design CTLS · Springville, CA · February 10, 2016

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
February 10, 2016
Place
Springville, CA
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
U8OM
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N911TS
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR16FA067
Reported as
Flight Design Ctls
Reported engine
ROTAX 912ULS
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
3,674 total100 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days
N911TSRegistration cancelled Sep 14, 2016 · Flight Design CTLSS/N F-11-02-05 · Built 2011Airframe modelFlight Design CTLSEngine modelRotax 912ULS series4 cycle

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Aircraft crashed on a hillside under unknown circumstances, coming to rest inverted after leaving a short, 80 foot wreckage trail and ground scar. The pilot and observer died on impact. The main wreckage was consumed in a post impact fire. The aircraft held light sport airworthiness certification by FAA records. Aircraft was owned by the tulare county, CA, sheriffs department, and was operating as a public use Flight supporting ground based officers in the apprehension of a suspected criminal.

The wreckage was located on an area of 20 degree downslope on the hillside, with the wreckage trailtraveling down and across the slope on a heading of 010 degrees magnetic, with the main wreckage lying inverted, with the tail to the north. Initial ground scars consisted of simultaneously the left wing tip gouging the soft earth, at a 30 degree pitch nose down attitude, and the left main landing gear tire imprinted deeply in the soft soil, with a 4 ft by 4 ft area of disrupted earth immediately downrange, containing cowling parts and a composite propeller blade which was broken off at the shank, indicating impact with a high vertical energy component and very little forward velocity.

The composite airframe was completely consumed by fire, leaving only the carbon fiber cloth shadow. All of the Flight and engine controls were accounted for at the scene, and control connections were confirmed. There was no evidence found of a mid air collision with any object or bird.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT CRASHED ON A HILLSIDE UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, COMING TO REST INVERTED AFTER LEAVING A SHORT, 80 FOOT WRECKAGE TRAIL AND GROUND SCAR. THE PILOT AND OBSERVER DIED ON IMPACT. THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS CONSUMED IN A POST IMPACT FIRE. THE AIRCRAFT HELD LIGHT SPORT AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATION BY FAA RECORDS. AIRCRAFT WAS OWNED BY THE TULARE COUNTY, CA, SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT, AND WAS OPERATING AS A PUBLIC USE FLIGHT SUPPORTING GROUND BASED OFFICERS IN THE APPREHENSION OF A SUSPECTED CRIMINAL.

THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ON AN AREA OF 20 DEGREE DOWNSLOPE ON THE HILLSIDE, WITH THE WRECKAGE TRAILTRAVELING DOWN AND ACROSS THE SLOPE ON A HEADING OF 010 DEGREES MAGNETIC, WITH THE MAIN WRECKAGE LYING INVERTED, WITH THE TAIL TO THE NORTH. INITIAL GROUND SCARS CONSISTED OF SIMULTANEOUSLY THE LEFT WING TIP GOUGING THE SOFT EARTH, AT A 30 DEGREE PITCH NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE, AND THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRE IMPRINTED DEEPLY IN THE SOFT SOIL, WITH A 4 FT BY 4 FT AREA OF DISRUPTED EARTH IMMEDIATELY DOWNRANGE, CONTAINING COWLING PARTS AND A COMPOSITE PROPELLER BLADE WHICH WAS BROKEN OFF AT THE SHANK, INDICATING IMPACT WITH A HIGH VERTICAL ENERGY COMPONENT AND VERY LITTLE FORWARD VELOCITY.

THE COMPOSITE AIRFRAME WAS COMPLETELY CONSUMED BY FIRE, LEAVING ONLY THE CARBON FIBER CLOTH SHADOW. ALL OF THE FLIGHT AND ENGINE CONTROLS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR AT THE SCENE, AND CONTROL CONNECTIONS WERE CONFIRMED. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE FOUND OF A MID AIR COLLISION WITH ANY OBJECT OR BIRD.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR16FA067Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportSpringville, CAThe pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at low altitude in hilly terrain, which resulted in the airplane's wing exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident were the…Feb 11, 2016 · Destroyed