What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The owner had just purchased the acft 1-4 days prior to the accident. The owner believes that the rule 103.1(a) does not apply to his acft as there was only one person in the acft and the owner never ?intended? To have another person in the acft?.
Neither the owner nor the pilot are certificated and neither have even been certificated.
The owner has zero time maintaining acft, nor flight in any weight shift acft.
The pilot has zero time maintaining weight shift acft but has flown several hours of single seat weight shift acft in rocky point Mexico. The pilot has zero time in this make and model but previously owned a ?weed hopper? Weight shift ultralight.
The owner was the person that assembled the acft the morning of the accident.
The pilot did a preflight and a short test flight (10? AGL) prior to the flight in which the accident occurred. The short test flight resulted in no abnormalities. No other pax on board.
Second flight, normal take off. On climb, at aprx 200? AGL, there was a ?pop? And the acft yawed to the right. Weight shift allowed level flight but the a/c was crabbing with the nose pointed right. Traveling aprx 100?, between 150? ? 200? AGL, the acft ?popped? Again and turned ?hard right.? Traveling about 300?, the right wing lost lift and started to dive right. Full power was applied in an attempt to gain lift and to deploy the ballistic parachute. However, the acft did not recover and struck the ground nose first at aprx a 30* angle sliding 51' 6".
The parachute was not deployed.
The right side of the nose hit and shattered the composite structure and the windscreen. The acft then bounced and the left wing hit some 30? Later, sliding aprx 20' when the acft came to a rest with the right wing up.
The pilot unstrapped himself and crawled through sticker bushes as the fuel was running out of the acft as he feared a post-crash fire (1/2 tank fuel = 6.5 gallons, aprx).
The accident occurred some 500? ? 1,000? Post second take off.
Inspection of the acft identified a broken rod end on the right wing sprog to leading edge attach point. As this sprog is only attached at the leading edge, its primary purpose is for positive twist of the leading edge during zero left situations. It is not under load.
As the FAA filed it
THE OWNER HAD JUST PURCHASED THE ACFT 1-4 DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE OWNER BELIEVES THAT THE RULE 103.1(A) DOES NOT APPLY TO HIS ACFT AS THERE WAS ONLY ONE PERSON IN THE ACFT AND THE OWNER NEVER ?INTENDED? TO HAVE ANOTHER PERSON IN THE ACFT?.
NEITHER THE OWNER NOR THE PILOT ARE CERTIFICATED AND NEITHER HAVE EVEN BEEN CERTIFICATED.
THE OWNER HAS ZERO TIME MAINTAINING ACFT, NOR FLIGHT IN ANY WEIGHT SHIFT ACFT.
THE PILOT HAS ZERO TIME MAINTAINING WEIGHT SHIFT ACFT BUT HAS FLOWN SEVERAL HOURS OF SINGLE SEAT WEIGHT SHIFT ACFT IN ROCKY POINT MEXICO. THE PILOT HAS ZERO TIME IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL BUT PREVIOUSLY OWNED A ?WEED HOPPER? WEIGHT SHIFT ULTRALIGHT.
THE OWNER WAS THE PERSON THAT ASSEMBLED THE ACFT THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT.
THE PILOT DID A PREFLIGHT AND A SHORT TEST FLIGHT (10? AGL) PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT IN WHICH THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE SHORT TEST FLIGHT RESULTED IN NO ABNORMALITIES. NO OTHER PAX ON BOARD.
SECOND FLIGHT, NORMAL TAKE OFF. ON CLIMB, AT APRX 200? AGL, THERE WAS A ?POP? AND THE ACFT YAWED TO THE RIGHT. WEIGHT SHIFT ALLOWED LEVEL FLIGHT BUT THE A/C WAS CRABBING WITH THE NOSE POINTED RIGHT. TRAVELING APRX 100?, BETWEEN 150? ? 200? AGL, THE ACFT ?POPPED? AGAIN AND TURNED ?HARD RIGHT.? TRAVELING ABOUT 300?, THE RIGHT WING LOST LIFT AND STARTED TO DIVE RIGHT. FULL POWER WAS APPLIED IN AN ATTEMPT TO GAIN LIFT AND TO DEPLOY THE BALLISTIC PARACHUTE. HOWEVER, THE ACFT DID NOT RECOVER AND STRUCK THE GROUND NOSE FIRST AT APRX A 30* ANGLE SLIDING 51' 6".
THE PARACHUTE WAS NOT DEPLOYED.
THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE NOSE HIT AND SHATTERED THE COMPOSITE STRUCTURE AND THE WINDSCREEN. THE ACFT THEN BOUNCED AND THE LEFT WING HIT SOME 30? LATER, SLIDING APRX 20' WHEN THE ACFT CAME TO A REST WITH THE RIGHT WING UP.
THE PILOT UNSTRAPPED HIMSELF AND CRAWLED THROUGH STICKER BUSHES AS THE FUEL WAS RUNNING OUT OF THE ACFT AS HE FEARED A POST-CRASH FIRE (1/2 TANK FUEL = 6.5 GALLONS, APRX).
THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED SOME 500? ? 1,000? POST SECOND TAKE OFF.
INSPECTION OF THE ACFT IDENTIFIED A BROKEN ROD END ON THE RIGHT WING SPROG TO LEADING EDGE ATTACH POINT. AS THIS SPROG IS ONLY ATTACHED AT THE LEADING EDGE, ITS PRIMARY PURPOSE IS FOR POSITIVE TWIST OF THE LEADING EDGE DURING ZERO LEFT SITUATIONS. IT IS NOT UNDER LOAD.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.