- Date
- June 16, 2007, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Springfield, VT
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N425DWNorthwing Design Apache Quest
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070616014919A
- Case key
- 66091
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The non-certificated pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control, due to the installation of an alternate wing design.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The non-certificated pilot was a co-owner of the aircraft kit manufacturing company, involving the accident airplane. On the day of the accident, the pilot planned to test an alternate wing design, which was to be sold in an aircraft kit to a new customer. The pilot did not have a fuselage available to test the wing, so he asked the owner of the accident airplane to fly to the airport, and assist him with testing the alternate wing. The owner of the airplane agreed, flew to the airport, and assisted the accident pilot in securing the alternate wing to the fuselage of his airplane. The pilot then departed from the airport, and shortly after takeoff, witnesses observed the airplane nose over and impact a lake. The pilot was unable to release his seatbelt, as he was not familiar with this type of fuselage, and was pulled from the airplane by a witness, prior to it sinking in the lake. Examination of the airplane revealed the wing was "defective," and not compatible with the fuselage.
Factual narrative
On June 16, 2007, at 1100 eastern daylight time, an amateur-built experimental light sport aircraft (E-LSA), Northwing Design Apache Quest, N425DW, was substantially damaged after takeoff from the Hartness State Airport (VSF), Springfield, Vermont. The non-certificated pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local test flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot was a co-owner of the aircraft kit manufacturing company; however, he was not a certificated pilot. On the day of the accident, he planned to test an alternate wing design, which was to be sold in an aircraft kit to a new customer. The pilot did not have a fuselage available to test the wing, so he asked the owner of the accident airplane to fly to VSF, and assist him with testing the alternate wing on his fuselage. The owner of the airplane agreed, flew to VSF, and assisted the accident pilot in securing the alternate wing to the fuselage of his airplane.
The pilot then departed from VSF, and shortly after takeoff, witnesses observed the airplane nose over and impact a lake. The pilot was unable to release his seatbelt, and was pulled from the airplane by witnesses, prior to it sinking in the lake.
Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed the wing was "defective," and not compatible with the fuselage. Substantial damage was observed to fuselage.
Weather reported at VSF, at 1054, included wind from 160 degrees at 5 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 23 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 14 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.98 inches of mercury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N425DW
- Reported as
- Northwing Design Apache Quest
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 63155
- Airframe hours
- 172
- Engine
- Rotax 503, 52 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Operator
- Jeff Nicolay
- Registered owner
- Dennis Dobe
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 1, 2006
- Departed
- VSF · Springfield, VT
- Airport
- VSF · Hartness State Airport
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- Serious
- Seat
- Front
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- VSF
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.