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20230922018359A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Aircraft · Arlington, WA · September 22, 2023

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Date
September 22, 2023 · 14:56 local
Place
Arlington, WA
Airport
Arlington Municipal
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
Ultralight vehicle (Part 103)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
NONE
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
0

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.

An ultralight aircraft departed the non-towered airfield and was attempting to land back at the airfield when the pilot loss control of the aircraft. The pilot appeared to have trouble controlling the aircraft in flight while on approach to the landing runway. The pilot flew into the active airport runway air space, which was not standard operating procedure for ultralights at this airport. The ultralights have their own landing area away from the active runway. The aircraft was about 300 feet above and 100 feet behind the active runway 16 and appeared to be climbing when the aircraft suddenly rolled over, loss altitude, and broke up in-flight. The pilot did not survive, and the wreckage landed to the right of the active runway 16. The aircraft did not meet the requirements to be an ultralight under CFR 103. This aircraft was modified beyond the requirements of CFR 103 and was an illegally operated uncertificated aircraft. Furthermore, it had non-airworthy maintenance repairs to the front wing spar. Which could have contributed to the pilot's loss of control and the in-flight breakup of the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

AN ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE NON-TOWERED AIRFIELD AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND BACK AT THE AIRFIELD WHEN THE PILOT LOSS CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT APPEARED TO HAVE TROUBLE CONTROLLING THE AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT WHILE ON APPROACH TO THE LANDING RUNWAY. THE PILOT FLEW INTO THE ACTIVE AIRPORT RUNWAY AIR SPACE, WHICH WAS NOT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR ULTRALIGHTS AT THIS AIRPORT. THE ULTRALIGHTS HAVE THEIR OWN LANDING AREA AWAY FROM THE ACTIVE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABOUT 300 FEET ABOVE AND 100 FEET BEHIND THE ACTIVE RUNWAY 16 AND APPEARED TO BE CLIMBING WHEN THE AIRCRAFT SUDDENLY ROLLED OVER, LOSS ALTITUDE, AND BROKE UP IN-FLIGHT. THE PILOT DID NOT SURVIVE, AND THE WRECKAGE LANDED TO THE RIGHT OF THE ACTIVE RUNWAY 16. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE AN ULTRALIGHT UNDER CFR 103. THIS AIRCRAFT WAS MODIFIED BEYOND THE REQUIREMENTS OF CFR 103 AND WAS AN ILLEGALLY OPERATED UNCERTIFICATED AIRCRAFT. FURTHERMORE, IT HAD NON-AIRWORTHY MAINTENANCE REPAIRS TO THE FRONT WING SPAR. WHICH COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE PILOT'S LOSS OF CONTROL AND THE IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP OF THE AIRCRAFT.