ATL05LA140

The instructor pilot and student pilot departed on an instructional flight in a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) certified in the Special category. When the airplane did not return to the departure airport, a search was initiated and the airplane was located in an open field with no survivors. Examination of the wreckage revealed the airframe damage consistent with a low-energy impact following an uncontrolled descent. The right wing was pushed aft and forward with diagonal crushing extending from the leading edge of the wing root outboard 116 inches and the wing tip cap was broken. The left wing was accelerated forward and the leading edge of the wing was not damaged except for 2 inches outboard of the wing root leading edge. The airplane's operating manual states the airplane will experience an aerodynamic stall at 48 mph indicated airspeed with flaps at position one and at idle engine power. The flaps were found extended 15 degrees at position one. Examination of the airframe and systems did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. The engine was removed from the airframe, examined, and functionally checked on a test stand at an authorized repair facility. A test club propeller, engine controls, ignition grounding wires, and various gauges were installed. The engine was started and ran at idle power. The throttle was advanced to 4,000 rpm and an ignition check was completed. The throttle was advanced to full power and stabilized. No anomalies were noted during the engine run, and no obvious preimpact mechanical malfunctions were discovered during the engine exam. The manufacturer of the airplane, the distributor of the airplane, and the FAA inspector who issued the airworthiness certificate for the airplane did not ensure that all items required by the ASTM Consensus Standards for LSA airplanes were included in the Pilot Operating Handbook during the airplane certification process. (Information was omitted for regarding fuel capacity, service ceiling, best angle and rate of climb, short field takeoff and landing, balked landing, and towing/tie-down). FAA Order 8130.2F, Airworthiness Certification of Aircraft and Related Products, Change 1, dated April 1, 2005, did not contain any information pertaining to the Consensus Standards or Maintenance Quality Assurance System. There were no written procedures or guidance in FAA Order 8130.2F for FAA inspectors regarding the required items that are included in the Statement of Compliance. No evidence was found to indicate that the findings regarding the Consensus Standards were related to this accident. In its final review of the "Certification of Aircraft and Airmen for the Operation of Light-Sport Aircraft", the FAA stated: "The FAA believes that the manufacturer's statement of compliance is appropriate for determining whether a light-sport aircraft meets consensus standards."

History of flight

On August 7, 2005, at an undetermined time, a Fantasy Air Allegro 2000 light sport airplane, N9164M, registered to and operated by Sport Inc., as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, collided with the ground in the vicinity of Supply, North Carolina. The airplane was located during an aerial search on August 7, 2005, at 1630. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage. The flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured. The flight originated from Brunswick County Airport, Oak Island, North Carolina, on August 7, 2005, at approximately 1030 eastern daylight time.

Personnel information

Flight Instructor.

Review of information on file with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airman's Certification Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the flight instructor was issued a commercial pilot certificate on August 19, 2005, with ratings for rotorcraft-helicopter and instrument helicopter. The flight instructor also held a private pilot certificate issued on August 19, 2005 with ratings for airplane single engine land. The flight instructor was also issued a ground instructor certificate on August 19, 2005.

The flight instructor was issued a Sport Pilot Flight Instructor certificate on June 11, 2005. The flight instructor's last recorded flight review was conducted on May 8, 2005. The flight instructor indicated on his application for the Sport Pilot Flight Instructor certificate that he had accumulated 2,149 total flight hours of which 20 hours were in the Allegro 2000 airplane. The flight instructor's logbook was not located in the airplane in accordance with 14 CFR Part 61.51 (c) (5). Review of the flight instructor's logbook revealed he had logged a total of 2,995.5 total flight hours of which 2,708.7 hours were as pilot-in-command. The flight instructor's first flight in an Allegro 2000 was on November 17, 2004. The flight instructor had accumulated 104.2 total flight hours in the Allegro 2000, of which 3 hours were dual instruction, and 67.7 hours were as a Sport Pilot instructor. The flight instructor had flown 104.2 hours in the last 90 days and 53.7 hours in the last 30 days not including the accident flight.

The flight instructor held an FAA third-class medical certificate issued on August 23, 2004, with the restriction "must have available glasses for near vision. Not valid for any class after August 31, 2005." Review of the flight instructor's application for the third-class medical certificate revealed the flight instructor had accumulated 2,850 total flight hours of which 50 were flown in the last six months. The flight instructor's pilot's logbook or other evidence of required authorized instructor endorsements on all flights when providing flight training was not located in the airplane in accordance with 14 CFR Part 61.51 (c) (5).

Student Pilot.

The student pilot held a valid North Carolina, Class C drivers license with no restrictions in accordance with 14 CFR Part 61.303, Subpart J, Sport Pilot (a) (2). An FAA third class medical certificate was not required. Review of the student pilot's logbook revealed he had flown seven dual flights with the flight instructor for a total of 10.6 hours not including the accident flight. No endorsements were recorded in the logbook.

Aircraft information

The Fantasy Air Allegro 2000 is a high-wing, single-engine, light sport airplane manufactured in the Czech Republic and distributed by B-BAR-D Aviation in Whitsett, North Carolina. The two-seat airplane was certified as a production aircraft by the FAA in the Special Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA) category.

The airplane maintenance logbooks were not located.

The Allegro 2000 Operating Manual indicates that the stall speed at the maximum take-off weight 560 lbs-level flight is "…53 miles per hour (MPH) indicated airspeed (IAS) or 51 MPH calibrated airspeed (CAS) with zero flaps at idle engine power. The airplane will stall at 48 MPH IAS or 47 MPH CAS with flaps at position one at idle engine power. The airplane will stall at 45 MPH IAS or 44 MPH CAS with flaps at position two at idle engine power."

Meteorological information

The Brunswick County Airport, Oak Island, North Carolina, 1440 surface weather observation was: winds 100-magnetic, at six knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 81 degrees Fahrenheit, dew-point 66-degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter 30.15.

Wreckage site information

The wreckage was located in an open field adjacent to a highway in Supply, North Carolina. Examination of the crash site revealed the airplane collided with the ground on a heading of 060-degrees magnetic and came to rest 40 yards past the initial point of impact. One propeller blade was separated at the initial point of impact and was delaminated. The FAA inspector on scene stated there was no evidence of broken tree branches from a tree line located about 35 yards northwest of the initial point of impact. A friend, who was also a student of the deceased instructor pilot, stated a broken tree branch was located about 30 feet from the tree line. The friend and the FAA could not determine where the tree branch came from or if there was any other damage in the trees. Browning of vegetation was located along the crash debris line extending 20 yards along the direction of travel behind the main wreckage.

The wreckage was recovered by a local wrecker service and transported to the flight instructor's hangar located at Brunswick County Airport, Oak Island, North Carolina, on August 7, 2005. The wreckage was picked up and transported to Griffin, Georgia, on August 10, 2005 by a recovery company under the supervision of Safety Board investigators.

Examination of the wreckage revealed the following:

The engine assembly was displaced to the left; the engine mount remained attached to the front engine bulkhead and was bent upward under the No. 2 engine cylinder. The engine mount bolt located under the No. 2 cylinder was sheared. The engine firewall was bent upward. The upper and lower engine cowling was in place. The propeller assembly remained attached to the propeller crankshaft flange. The composite propeller spinner was cracked. One propeller blade's forward one-half outer lamination had separated and was not located. The remaining propeller blade was fractured, delaminated, and exhibited leading and trailing edge damage. The nose wheel leg remained attached to the front engine bulkhead. The nose wheel fork separated to the left with a 6-inch piece of the nose wheel leg attached.

Examination of the fuselage cabin structure revealed the transparent windshield had separated from the fuselage, the cabin floor was compressed upward, and the cabin roof was compressed downward. The left and right cabin seats remained in the cabin area. The left seat lower left and right seatbelt attachment brackets were intact. The left upper inner attachment bracket was intact. The left upper outer attachment bracket was missing. The right seat lower left and right seatbelt attachment brackets were intact. The right seat upper inner and outer attachment brackets were intact.

The instrument panel was separated. The fuel pump and auxiliary fuel pump were found in the "ON" position. The left and right fuel accelerator lever was separated from the fuselage and the cable was intact. The choke control lever was separated and found in the "L" position. The master switch and ignition switches were in the on position. The fuel and fuel pressure gauge indicated zero. The fuel selector lever was damaged and in the on position. The engine water thermometer gauge indicated zero. The engine oil thermometer and oil pressure gauge indicated zero. The tachometer gauge indicated 0. The Hobbs meter indicated 90 hours. The altimeter indicated 165 feet. The airspeed indicator indicated 0. The vertical speed indicator indicate