20210724011789A

WHEN: 07/24/2021 17:47 LOCAL 22:47 ZULU. WHERE: CORNFIELD APPROXIMATELY 70 FEET S. OF THOME ROAD, THE SOUTHERN AIRPORT BOUNDARY AT SQI

WHAT: ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AIRSHOW HAD CONCLUDED AND AN ATP RATED PILOT, AND FOUNDER OF THE AIRSHOW WAS ADMIRING A 1966 CESSNA 150F, N7893F, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^PRIVATE PILOT AGREED TO TAKE IT UP FOR A FLIGHT.THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED VMC. THE NEAREST AWOS REPORTED WESTERLY WINDS AT 13 KNOTS CLEAR SKIES, APPROXIMATELY 91 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, LIGHT WINDS AND CLEAR SKIES. DENSITY ALTITUDE EQUATED TO 2889 FEET.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS FULL OF FUEL. THE FULL FUEL PAYLOAD AVAILABLE WAS 303 POUNDS. WITH 2 INDIVIDUALS ON BOARD THE FLIGHT WAS OVER 100 POUNDS ABOVE THE MAXIMUM TAKEOFF WEIGHT OF 1,600 POUNDS, AND FORWARD OF CENTER OF GRAVITY LIMITS. PERFORMANCE IS NOT ABLE TO BE EXACTLY ASCERTAINED AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATED ABOVE MTOW BUT LANDING GROUND ROLL DISTANCE WOULD BE IN EXCESS OF 630 FEET.

THE ATP RATED PILOT FLEW FROM THE RIGHT SEAT WITH THE PRIVATE PILOT, IN THE LEFT SEAT. IN THE DOWNWIND THE ATP RATED PILOT ASKED FOR THE CONTROLS AND ACCEPTED COMMAND OF THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT THE ATP RATED PILOT TOLD HIM HE WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE SHORT TAKEOFF AND LANDING (STOL) FIELD THAT THE ATP RATED PILOT HAD BUILT FOR THE AIRSHOW AND PROCEEDED TO PERFORM A LOW APPROACH. THE STOL FIELD WAS OUTLINED IN PARKING CONES NORTH OF THE PAVED RUNWAY 7-25, WEST OF THE INTERSECTION WITH RUNWAY 18-36. THE TEMPORARY STOL FIELD STARTED APPROXIMATELY 5,500 FEET WEST OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 25. RUNWAY 25 IS 6,499 FEET LONG BY 150 WIDE, AND THE STOL RUNWAY WAS APPROXIMATELY 350 FEET LONG, AND ENDED WITH A RISE TO A CONCRETE TARMAC.

THE ATP RATED PILOT SET UP FOR A SHORT FIELD LANDING AND SELECTED FULL FLAPS. THE PILOT THEN ELECTED TO PERFORM A GO AROUND FROM A REPORTED 100 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL). THE PILOT SELECTED FULL POWER, AND FLAPS UP FOR THE GO-AROUND BUT THE FLAPS WOULD NOT RETRACT. THE OWNER BEGAN TROUBLESHOOTING THE FLAPS AS THE ATP RATED PILOT CONTINUED TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT. AS THE 2 PILOTS WORKED THE PROBLEM THEY ATTEMPTED TO CLIMB AND BYPASSED THE STOL FIELD AND WHAT REMAINED OF THE HARD SURFACE RUNWAY 25 AND GRASS OVER-RUN.

THE AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT CLIMB WITH THE COMBINATION OF HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE, AIRCRAFT WEIGHT, AND HIGH DRAG SCENARIO. THE ATP RATED PILOT NOTICED POWER LINES IN THE DIRECTION OF FLIGHT, AND DECIDED A TURN WAS NEEDED. THE PILOT STARTED TO TURN TO THE SOUTH AND THE LOSS OF THE VERTICAL COMPONENT OF LIFT IN THE TURN CREATED A DESCENT.THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REPORTED THAT HE CHECKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND TRIED TO RETRACT FLAPS BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO RESOLVE THE LACK OF FLAP MOVEMENT.THE ATP RATED PILOT DECIDED TO LAND IN A CORN FIELD JUST SOUTH OF A ROAD. AS THE ATP RATED PILOT WAS REDUCING POWER THE OWNER SHUT OFF THE FUEL, TURNED OFF THE ELECTRICAL, AND OPENED HIS DOOR. THE AIRCRAFT REPORTEDLY ENTERED THE CORN JUST ABOVE A STALL, WITH THE STALL HORN REPORTEDLY SOUNDING. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AND FLIPPED ON THE NOSE AND ENDED UP INVERTED. BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE ABLE TO EXTRICATE THEMSELVES WITHOUT INJURY. NO POST-IMPACT FIRE. INSPECTION SHOWED THAT ONCE THE BATTERY WAS RECONNECTED, WITHOUT BEING CHARGED, THE FLAPS WERE ABLE TO BE OPERATED NOMINALLY IN BOTH EXTENSION AND RETRACTION, AND IN VARIOUS POSITIONS. THE FLAPS ALSO WORKED NOMINALLY WHILE BEING OPERATED WHILE WIRES LEADING TO THE VARIOUS SWITCHES AND MOTORS WERE MANUALLY MANIPULATED.THE FLAP HANDLE IS LOCATED DIRECTLY ABOVE A 12 VOLT POWER RECEPTACLE, WHICH HAD A USB CHARGER CONNECTED, THE CHARGER WAS OF SIMILAR COLOR AND SHAPE TO THE FLAP HANDLE, AND COULD BE MANIPULATED UP AND DOWN SIMILAR TO THE FLAP HANDLE. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE DAMAGE PLASTIC USB CHARGER, THE OWNER REPORTED THAT HE WAS SURE THAT HE WAS MANIPULATING THE FLAP HANDLE AND NOT THE USB CHARGER, AND THAT THE DAMAGE TO THE PLASTIC CHARGER MUST HAVE HAPPENED WHEN THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND.