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20180723017669A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Aeros VENTURE · Bad Axe, MI · July 23, 2018

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 23, 2018 · 16:45 local
Place
Bad Axe, MI
Airport
Huron Count Memorial Airport
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N43865
NTSB investigation
NTSBANC18LA057
Reported as
Aeros Venture
Reported engine
Volkswagen 1800 CC SERIE
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
14,000 total1 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days
N43865Registration cancelled Dec 27, 2018 · Aeros VENTURES/N GS-001Airframe modelAeros VENTUREEngine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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.

The aircraft was enroute to the pilot?s home approximately 1.5 miles northwest of the airport and struck a treeline a half-mile west of the airport. The pilot was deceased at the scene.

There was no post crash fire at the site. Visual inspection of the ivo 68? 3 blade propeller found no damage to two of the three blades but one of the blades had an 7 inch piece broken off of the tip and was found lying on the ground near the engine indicating impact damage from the tree. There was no evidence from the propeller assembly that it was rotating at the time of the accident.

The fuel tank was found upright at the accident scene approximately 25 foot from the impact point. The structural integrity of the tank was compromised on one side by the impact and was found cracked in several places. The tank had no fuel in it at the accident site and only one fuel line was found with a small amount of fuel in the line. No fuel was found in any of the fuel filters. There was also no residual fuel found below the tank at the accident site.

Inspection of the wing tubes/cables showed major damage throughout all parts and it was inconclusive at the scene whether the wing was structurally intact prior to the accident.

Statements from several witnesses and the pilot himself just prior to the crash indicated that the pilot was having stability/control issues on his first flight just prior to the crash and also during the fatal flight as indicated by his slow spiral to the ground.

Witnesses stated that the deceased pilot had just purchased the aircraft and that this was the deceased pilots 2nd flight in this aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT WAS ENROUTE TO THE PILOT?S HOME APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT AND STRUCK A TREELINE A HALF-MILE WEST OF THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT WAS DECEASED AT THE SCENE.

THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE AT THE SITE. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE IVO 68? 3 BLADE PROPELLER FOUND NO DAMAGE TO TWO OF THE THREE BLADES BUT ONE OF THE BLADES HAD AN 7 INCH PIECE BROKEN OFF OF THE TIP AND WAS FOUND LYING ON THE GROUND NEAR THE ENGINE INDICATING IMPACT DAMAGE FROM THE TREE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE FROM THE PROPELLER ASSEMBLY THAT IT WAS ROTATING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.

THE FUEL TANK WAS FOUND UPRIGHT AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE APPROXIMATELY 25 FOOT FROM THE IMPACT POINT. THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE TANK WAS COMPROMISED ON ONE SIDE BY THE IMPACT AND WAS FOUND CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACES. THE TANK HAD NO FUEL IN IT AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AND ONLY ONE FUEL LINE WAS FOUND WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL IN THE LINE. NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN ANY OF THE FUEL FILTERS. THERE WAS ALSO NO RESIDUAL FUEL FOUND BELOW THE TANK AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.

INSPECTION OF THE WING TUBES/CABLES SHOWED MAJOR DAMAGE THROUGHOUT ALL PARTS AND IT WAS INCONCLUSIVE AT THE SCENE WHETHER THE WING WAS STRUCTURALLY INTACT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.

STATEMENTS FROM SEVERAL WITNESSES AND THE PILOT HIMSELF JUST PRIOR TO THE CRASH INDICATED THAT THE PILOT WAS HAVING STABILITY/CONTROL ISSUES ON HIS FIRST FLIGHT JUST PRIOR TO THE CRASH AND ALSO DURING THE FATAL FLIGHT AS INDICATED BY HIS SLOW SPIRAL TO THE GROUND.

WITNESSES STATED THAT THE DECEASED PILOT HAD JUST PURCHASED THE AIRCRAFT AND THAT THIS WAS THE DECEASED PILOTS 2ND FLIGHT IN THIS AIRCRAFT.

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 ANC18LA057Accident · 1 fatalLimited investigationFinal reportBad Axe, MIThe pilot's loss of aircraft control for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.Jul 23, 2018 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N43865 · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20080601838589ALevel Off Touchdown · Baldwin City, KS(-23) The pilot was unable to control the aircraft (weight shift control light sport aircraft) during the attempted landing on runway 16 at Vinland Valley Aerodrome (K64). The wing was estimated to be from 190 degrees at 4 knots and the visibility was 10…Jun 1, 2008 · Substantial damage