ANC18LA057

The pilot flew his newly acquired weight-shift control aircraft from his home to a nearby airport, where he performed two low passes over the runway before landing. After landing, he stated to a coworker that he experienced difficulty controlling the aircraft during the two low passes and described the aircraft as "very squirrely" at low speeds. He stated that he was concerned about the return flight to his home and his ability to land there. The pilot subsequently departed back to his home. Shortly thereafter, witnesses reported seeing the aircraft in a spiraling, descending turn as it maneuvered toward a roadway. As the airplane neared the roadway, the wings momentarily leveled, and the aircraft immediately became inverted. The witnesses said that as the aircraft began to recover, it struck a tall stand of trees that bordered the roadway. The accident pilot reported to another friend and coworker that he needed to order some tubing to make a repair to the aircraft; however, the friend was unaware of what repair was needed or if it had been accomplished before the accident flight. Although examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions, impact damage precluded determination of the pre-accident configuration of the aircraft, specifically its wing assembly and hang point mechanism, and whether the configuration of these components may have affected the controllability of the aircraft. Given the witness accounts of the accident and the statements of friends and coworkers regarding control problems, it is likely that the pilot encountered an inflight control anomaly. It is possible that the pilot was maneuvering toward the road to conduct an emergency landing and experienced a loss of control; however, the nature of the control anomaly could not be determined based on the available information.

The accident aircraft comprised a fabric-covered wing, often referred to as the sail, attached to a tubular structure equipped with wheels, seats, an engine, and a propeller. The tubular wing structure was fabric-covered. The component that connected the wing to the tubular structure below is commonly known as the "hang point." The aircraft was equipped with a Volkswagen 1830-series engine. On July 23, 2018, about 1645 eastern daylight time, an Aeros Venture 2000 experimental light sport weight-shift control aircraft, N43865, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Bad Axe, Michigan. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The aircraft was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations CFR Part 91 personal flight. According to a family member, the pilot had recently purchased the accident aircraft, which required that it be disassembled and trailered to his home. The family member reported that the accident flight was either the pilot's first or second flight since the purchase. The family member also noted that the pilot had owned three weight-shift control aircraft in the past and had significant weight-shift control experience. Witnesses reported seeing the accident aircraft in a spiraling, descending turn as it maneuvered toward a rural roadway. As the aircraft continued to descend and neared the roadway, the wings momentarily leveled, then the aircraft immediately rolled inverted. The witnesses said that as the aircraft began to recover, it impacted a stand of tall trees that bordered the roadway, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. No personal flight records were located for the pilot, and the aeronautical experience listed in this report was obtained from FAA records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. On his first-class medical certificate application, dated October 27, 2017, he indicated that his total aeronautical experience was 14,000 flight hours, of which 150 were accrued in the previous 6 months. A friend and coworker of the accident pilot reported that the accident pilot had mentioned, in passing, that he needed to order some tubing to make a repair to the accident aircraft; however, the friend was unaware of what repair was needed or if it had been accomplished. Coworkers reported that, on the day of the accident, the pilot flew two corporate flights for the company he worked for and returned about 1325. The accident pilot then left the airport and presumably drove to his home a short distance from the airport. One coworker reported that, about 1516, he watched the accident aircraft make two separate low passes over runway 22 at Huron County Memorial Airport (BAX), but the aircraft eventually landed on runway 17. After landing, the pilot related that he was having trouble controlling the aircraft at low airspeeds during the two low passes that he made over runway 22. The pilot expressed concerns about the returnflight to his house, especially being able to land there. The pilot stated, in part: "…the aircraft is very squirrely below 55 knots, almost like the wing has lost its wash." All major components of the aircraft were found at the accident site adjacent to a tree-lined rural roadway. The wreckage site was about 60 ft west of the roadway. The entire roadway was surrounded by 75- to 100-ft tall trees. The aircraft collided with a stand of trees about 75 ft tall. The wreckage came to rest about 25 ft from the ground and was suspended by several large tree limbs and toppled trees. The aircraft's engine, fuel tank, and landing gear were severed upon impact, and all were found on the ground near the base of the trees. The fuel tank was breached and was found to be empty. A closer inspection of the fuel lines revealed only residual amounts of fuel remaining, and there was no trace of fuel remaining in either fuel filter assembly. A detailed examination of the engine and airframe revealed no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation; however, impact damage precluded the ability to determine the pre-accident configuration of the aircraft, specifically its wing and hang point mechanism.