# NTSB WPR10LA021: Aerotrike Naked Cobra, N10LK, Virgin, UT, October 17, 2009 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 17, 2009, 17:00 local (23:00 UTC) - Place: Virgin, UT - Coordinates: 37.26472, -113.098335 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.2647&lon=-113.0983&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 28, 2010 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 74916 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR10LA021 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/74916/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=74916 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR10LA021 ## Probable cause A loss of engine power during cruise flight for undetermined reasons. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause) ## Analysis The student pilot reported that the engine lost power during cruise flight. He subsequently force-landed the weight-shift-control experimental airplane in wooded terrain, where it sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wing spar. The pilot subsequently disassembled the airplane and removed the wreckage from the accident site. Despite multiple requests, the pilot did not provide any written statement regarding the accident and did not make the airplane available for examination. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 17, 2009, about 1700 mountain daylight time, an Aerotrike Naked Cobra, N10LK, collided with wooded terrain during cruise flight in Zion National Park near Virgin, Utah. The student pilot was operating the weight-shift-control experimental airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot was not injured; the passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wing spar. The personal flight departed from a private airstrip in St. George, Utah, about 1600, with a planned destination of General Dick Stout Field Airport, Hurricane, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot reported to the National Park Service (NPS) Ranger who responded to the scene that he was flying at an altitude of 500 feet above ground level (agl), when the engine experienced a loss of power. He attempted to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful. Unable to locate a suitable landing area he performed a forced landing into trees. The pilot stated that he held a "Sportsman's License." During a subsequent interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot revealed that he held a student pilot certificate, and that he had been flying at 2,000 feet agl when the engine lost power. The airplane was equipped with an experimental two-stroke Rotax 582 series engine, serial number 4016143. The accident occurred in a remote area of Zion National Park, and as such an on-scene examination could not be performed. According to the NPS Ranger, the pilot removed the engine from the accident site on November 25, 2009, without prior approval or permission of the NPS. The remaining fuselage was recovered by the pilot and NPS personnel on December 5, 2009, and January 7, 2010. Despite numerous attempts, the pilot did not provide either a written statement, or a copy of the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, Form 6120.1/2. Additionally, the pilot did not respond to multiple requests to make the airplane or engine available for examination. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event) - [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440) - [Emergency descent: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N10LK](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N10LK-2016-08-15), registration cancelled 2016-08-15, S/N 0001, built 2001 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Aerotrike Naked Cobra - Registry model: [Krick Leonard S AEROTRIKE NAKD COBRA](https://openairdocs.org/model/krick-leonard-s-aerotrike-nakd-cobra) (registry code 0590095) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Rotax 582DCDI](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-582dcdi) (registry code 55562, 2 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Weight-shift - Serial number: 0001 - Engines: Rotax 582 65 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: PVT, Saint George, UT - Destination: 1L8, Hurricane, UT - Airport: PVT, Saint George ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Student pilot; age 28; injuries: none; student; medical: unknown; seat: front ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 260° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 90 °F, dew point 30 °F - Altimeter: 30.02 inHg - Observed at: SGU, 28 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 20091017020109A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20091017020109A), Oct 17, 2009: Amtr AEROTRIKE, Kolob Canyon, UT, Substantial damage. Pilot was on a scenic flight with a passenger. Pilot stated that as he began his descent the aircraft lost power and the engine stopped. Pilot attempted to… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 2, 2010, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=74916. 2.3 MB in all. - National Park Services Ranger Statement (item 1, .PDF, 16 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40327963&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=National%20Park%20Services%20Ranger%20Statement-Redacted.PDF - Photo 1: Main Wreckage - Photograph by National Park Service (item 2, .PDF, 779 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40327877&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%3A%20Main%20Wreckage%20-%20Photograph%20by%20National%20Park%20Service-Master.PDF - Photo 2: Engine and Fuselage - Photograph by National Park Service (item 3, .PDF, 723 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40327878&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202%3A%20Engine%20and%20Fuselage%20-%20Photograph%20by%20National%20Park%20Service-Master.PDF - Photo 3: Accident Location - Photograph by National Park Service (item 4, .PDF, 826 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40327879&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%203%3A%20Accident%20Location%20-%20Photograph%20by%20National%20Park%20Service-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.