# NTSB CHI06CA050: Elliott Quad City Ultralight Challenger II, N115BT, California, MO, December 21, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: December 21, 2005, 16:38 local (21:38 UTC) - Place: California, MO - Coordinates: 38.633335, -92.533607 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.6333&lon=-92.5336&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report March 28, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Kansas City, MO, FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 63000 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI06CA050 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/63000/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI06CA050 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control due to his failure to comply with procedures/directives, and the inadvertent stall/spin he encountered on his turn to base. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, approach - procedures/directives - not complied with, pilot in command (cause) - lack of certification, pilot in command - aircraft control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - airspeed - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - stall/spin - inadvertent, pilot in command - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The experimental amateur-built airplane, operated by an unlicensed pilot, sustained substantial damage on impact with terrain following a flat spin encountered on base turn. The pilot, in part, stated, "I lost control, went into a stall-spin, and landed nearly flat in the ditch... . The accident was caused by pilot error. I forgot that the owner's manual said that "Solo flight is restricted to the front seat." ... I forgot that one either has to solo from the front seat or add weight to the front seat to solo from the rear seat. ... As I turned base to the west I was still trying to trim the plane and lost attention to airspeed." The pilot's safety recommendation was, "More training in type would have been useful. A placard could be required to "Solo from front seat only"." ## Factual narrative On December 21, 2005, about 1638 central standard time, an experimental amateur-built Elliott Quad City Ultralight Challenger II, N115BT, operated by an unlicensed pilot, sustained substantial damage on impact with terrain following a flat spin encountered on base turn to Phillips Field Airport (MO23), near California, Missouri. The personal flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The local flight originated from MO23 about 1500. The pilot, in part, stated: On Dec. 21, 2005, I ... lost control, went into a stall-spin, and landed nearly flat in the ditch just south of Little Moniteau Road. ... The accident was caused by pilot error. I forgot that the owner's manual said that "Solo flight is restricted to the front seat." ... I had started practicing landings on Dec. 21, 2005, at 3:00 PM. ... After two test flights I decided to see if I could taxi the plane from the rear seat. I did that and I noticed that I could see the entire instrument panel from the rear seat. I intended to taxi some more, but then impulsively I decided to take off. I forgot that one either has to solo from the front seat or add weight to the front seat to solo from the rear seat. ... As I turned base to the west I was still trying to trim the plane and lost attention to airspeed. It must have dropped below 40 mph. This plane stalls at about 32 mph. I was trying to turn left final but the plane swung right, then entered a stall-spin from about 400 ft. AGL. I tried two different maneuvers to get out of the spin, but they did not work. I put the nose down to regain airspeed, then I released the controls, to no avail. Then I kept some backpressure to keep the plane spinning flat, and it spiraled down and hit the ground about 4:38 PM. ... The pilot's safety recommendation was, "More training in type would have been useful. A placard could be required to "Solo from front seat only"." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N115BT](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N115BT), registered now, S/N CH2-01961436, built 2005 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Elliott Quad City Ultralight Challenger II - Registry model: [Quad City Ultralight/Elliott W CHALLENGER II](https://openairdocs.org/model/quad-city-ultralight-elliott-w-challenger-ii) (registry code 05620P2) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Rotax SEE BOMBADIER](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-see-bombadier) (registry code 55555, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: CH2-01961436 - Engines: Rotax 503 reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: William R. Elliott - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: MO23, California, MO ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 59; injuries: minor; medical: sport pilot; seat: rear; flight hours: 130 total, 100 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Observed at: JEF ## 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 20051221029899A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20051221029899A), Dec 21, 2005: Amtr CHALLENGERII, California, MO, Destroyed. (-23) The pilot [privacy data omitted] states that while practicing taxiing the tandem seat aircraft from the aft position, he "impulsively" decided to… 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.