# NTSB ANC18LA057: Aeros Venture 2000, N43865, Bad Axe, MI, July 23, 2018 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 23, 2018, 16:45 local (20:45 UTC) - Place: Bad Axe, MI - Coordinates: 43.780555, -83.000556 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.7806&lon=-83.0006&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Emergency descent](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/600) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Emergency descent: Inflight upset](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/271) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report August 11, 2020 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 97864 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC18LA057 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/97864/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=97864 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC18LA057 ## Probable cause The pilot's loss of aircraft control for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: descent/approach/glide path](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062040): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Attain/maintain not possible (probable cause); cases with it: [Aeros VENTURE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062040/cases.md?model=05904NV), [All aircraft, 809 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062040/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Aeros VENTURE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=05904NV), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Aeros VENTURE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md?model=05904NV), [All aircraft, 2,247 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Aeros VENTURE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=05904NV), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Inflight upset](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/271) (defining event); cases with it: [Aeros VENTURE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/271/sequence.md?model=05904NV), [All aircraft, 74 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/271/sequence.md) - [Uncontrolled descent: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Aeros VENTURE, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=05904NV), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis 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. ## Factual narrative 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. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N43865](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N43865-2018-12-27), registration cancelled 2018-12-27, S/N GS-001 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AEROS Venture 2000 - Registry model: [Aeros VENTURE](https://openairdocs.org/model/aeros-venture) (registry code 05904QO) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (registry code 99999) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Weight-shift - Serial number: GS-001 - Engines: Volkswagen / Great Plains 80 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental light sport (Special) - Departed: KBAX, Bad Axe, MI - Destination: Bad Axe, MI - Equipment: None ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 44; injuries: fatal; airline transport, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: helicopter, airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; seat: front; restraint: 4-point; toxicology performed; flight hours: 14,000 total, 1 in this make and model, 150 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 70° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 79 °F, dew point 66 °F - Altimeter: 29.90 inHg - Observed at: KBAX, 1 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20180723017669A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180723017669A), Jul 23, 2018: Aeros VENTURE, Bad Axe, MI, Destroyed, 1 fatal. 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… ## Other investigations on N43865 (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 DFW08CA158](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW08CA158), Jun 1, 2008: Aeros Venture (N43865), Baldwin City, KS, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain proper runway alignment and the instructor's delayed remedial action to abort the landing, which resulted in a collision with a mailbox and hangar. A factor was the… ## Docket (6 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 10, 2020, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=97864. 3.0 MB in all. - Accident Diagram (Provided by FAA) (item 1, .PDF, 162 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40485228&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Accident%20Diagram%20(Provided%20by%20FAA)-Master.PDF - Witness Statements (item 2, .PDF, 779 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40485229&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Statements-Master.PDF - FAA Inspector Statement (Galea) (item 3, .PDF, 542 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40485230&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Inspector%20Statement%20(Galea)-Master.PDF - FAA Inspector Statement (Gornowicz) (item 4, .PDF, 706 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40485231&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Inspector%20Statement%20(Gornowicz)-Master.PDF - Toxicological Report (item 5, .PDF, 190 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40485232&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report-Master.PDF - Photos (item 6, .PDF, 4 photos, 600 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40485233&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photos-Master.PDF 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.