CEN24LA332

The non-certificated pilot departed from a private grass airstrip on his second flight in the weight-shift-control aircraft. According to a witness, the aircraft departed and flew low to the ground. There were no witnesses to the impact with the roof of the garage near the airstrip. The aircraft came to rest inverted and partially imbedded in the roof of the garage. Postaccident examination of the aircraft revealed signatures consistent with impact damage. All three propeller blades separated about midspan consistent with rotation at the time of impact. There were no mechanical anomalies with the aircraft, engine, or related systems that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not have any flight training or flight experience other than the accident flight and the one before it. It was unlawful for the pilot to perform a solo flight in the aircraft. Postmortem toxicological testing identified potentially impairing drugs. As the non-certificated pilot was operating the aircraft outside the guardrails of federal regulations, detailed evaluation of the toxicological results was not within the scope of this investigation.

On September 2, 2024, about 1215 central standard time, an Apex Cross-5X weight-shift-control aircraft, N223CL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Columbus, Nebraska. The non-certificated pilot sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Two witnesses spoke with the pilot just before the accident flight and provided permission for the aircraft to depart from their airstrip. The pilot told these witnesses that he had just purchased the aircraft and had no previous experience flying any aircraft. One witness saw the aircraft take off from the private airfield and fly low to the ground; the aircraft did not climb. Another witness, who was flying a similar aircraft at the time, took off ahead of the accident aircraft and watched as the aircraft descended and did not climb back up. None of the witnesses observed the impact. The aircraft impacted the roof of a garage in a residential neighborhood, adjacent to where the aircraft took off. The aircraft came to rest inverted, partially penetrating the roof. The wing/sail of the aircraft was impact separated and came to rest on the ground adjacent to the garage. Fuel was observed leaking from the fuel tank. The aircraft was recovered from the roof and relocated to a facility for further examination. All fasteners and control cables remained attached and routed as designed. The wing, fuselage, and flight controls were impact-damaged. The propeller remained attached to the engine and all 3 propeller blades were impact damaged about midspan. There were no mechanical anomalies with the airframe, engine, or related systems that would have precluded normal operation. According to FAA records, the pilot did not hold any pilot certificates or ratings. According to the pilot’s family, he did not have any previous flight training or experience. His spouse reported that he had flown the aircraft on one previous occasion but never climbed above 10 ft above the ground during that flight. The pilot had just purchased the weight-shift-control aircraft several days before the accident and spent several days reassembling it. The maintenance records did not document the completion of a condition inspection. An autopsy of the pilot was performed by Physicians Laboratory Services, as authorized by the Platte County Attorney. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was blunt force injuries. The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory toxicology report is in the docket for this investigation.