# Accident 20181214018589A: Simmons Thomas S MXLII SPORT, Fredericksburg, VA, December 14, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 14, 2018, 07:44 local time
- Place: Fredericksburg, VA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.2592° N, 77.4444° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2592&lon=-77.4444&mi=10
- Aircraft: N350FT, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N350FT-2022-03-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Simmons Thomas S MXLII SPORT (registry code 05627DH, https://openairdocs.org/model/simmons-thomas-s-mxlii-sport) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 582DCDI (registry code 55562, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-582dcdi) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SIMMONS THOMAS S MXLII SPORT
- Reported engine: ROTAX 582DCDI
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 300 total, 20 in this make and model, 6 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA19FA066](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19FA066) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20181214018589A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

THE PILOT HAD PLANS DRAWN OUT AND PARTS IN HIS HANGAR THAT MATCHED THE ADDTIONS ON N350FT. THE PILOT CONSTRUCTED AND INSTALLED DOORS AND WINDOWS FROM PLEXI GLASS AND CLEAR FLEXIBLE PLASTIC. THIS WAS NOTED IN A STATEMENT FROM THE WIFE WHEN SPEAKING TO POLICE. THE PILOT WAS SEEN AT THE AIRPORT THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT. HE TAXIIED OUT AND DEPARTED FROM RUNWAY 24. THIS WAS ON AIRPORT SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE. AFTER DEPARTURE IT SHOWS A TURN OUT TO THE FIELD SOUTH OF KEZF. AT THIS POINT HE WAS OUT OF VIEW OF SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE BUT A NEARBY BUSINESS WAS CASUALLY WATCHING HIM FROM A WINDOW. STATEMENTS FROM THESE TWO INDIVIDUALS CLAIM HE JUST MANEUVERED AROUND FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE MAKING A TURN AND CRASHING. THEY DID NOT NOTICE IF THE PARACHUTE WAS DEPLOYED PRIOR TO IMPACT. UPON INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE THE PARACHUTE WAS FULLY EXTENDED AND HAD INFLATED. THE CORD HAD WRAPPED AROUND THE PROPELLOR BLADE SEVERAL TIMES. MEDICAL EXAMINATION DID NOT REVEAL ANY ISSUES THAT WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE ACCIDENT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA19FA066](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19FA066), Dec 14, 2018: Eipper Quicksilver (N350FT), Fredericksburg, VA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which led to an aerodynamic stall while turning in the traffic pattern at low altitude.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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