# NTSB WPR14LA104: Simpson Amphibeous Trike/No, N440LS, Chehalis, WA, January 25, 2014 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: January 25, 2014, 15:15 local (23:15 UTC) - Place: Chehalis, WA - Coordinates: 46.676944, -122.98278 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=46.6769&lon=-122.9828&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Takeoff: Aircraft structural failure](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/337) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report October 19, 2015 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 88723 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR14LA104 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/88723/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=88723 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14LA104 ## Probable cause The failure of the left wing prong. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Wing structure](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035700): Aircraft › Aircraft structures · Failure (probable cause); cases with it: [Simpson Laurence Ray AMPHIBEOUS TRIKE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035700/cases.md?model=05627FP), [All aircraft, 48 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035700/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: directional control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Attain/maintain not possible; cases with it: [Simpson Laurence Ray AMPHIBEOUS TRIKE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md?model=05627FP), [All aircraft, 3,958 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Takeoff: Aircraft structural failure](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/337) (defining event); cases with it: [Simpson Laurence Ray AMPHIBEOUS TRIKE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/337/sequence.md?model=05627FP), [All aircraft, 290 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/337/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Simpson Laurence Ray AMPHIBEOUS TRIKE, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=05627FP), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Nose over/nose down](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096); cases with it: [Simpson Laurence Ray AMPHIBEOUS TRIKE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096/sequence.md?model=05627FP), [All aircraft, 2,287 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot reported that, just after liftoff from the runway, the trike began to pull "hard" to the left. The pilot then looked to the left and saw the left wing flapping. He subsequently performed a modified traffic pattern to return to the runway to land. After turning onto the final leg of the traffic pattern, the trike began to oscillate, but the pilot was able to land the trike. As soon as the trike touched down on the runway, the left wing "grabbed," and the trike flipped over and then came to rest on its left side. The pilot reported that the trike lost the left wing prong after takeoff, and a responding police officer found a piece of the left wing prong near the runway departure point. The loss of the wing prong likely led to the left wing flapping after departure and the pilot's subsequent inability to maintain directional control after landing. ## Factual narrative On January 25, 2014, about 1515 Pacific standard time, an experimental Simpson Amphibious Trike, N440LS, made a forced landing shortly after takeoff, and came to rest on its side at the Chehalis-Centralia Airport (CLS), Chehalis, Washington. The sport pilot/owner operated the trike under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The trike sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that was departing at the time, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was destined for the Toledo State Airport (5S4), Toledo, Oregon. In an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that as soon as the trike lifted off the runway, it began to pull hard to the left. He looked to his left, and saw the left wing flapping. He radioed that he was having a problem, and flew a modified pattern to land. As the pilot turned the trike onto the final leg for landing, it began to oscillate in the air. As soon as it touched down, the left wing "grabbed" and the trike flipped over, coming to rest on its left side. The pilot stated that a police officer located the left wing spring assembly broken on the runway. According to the responding police officer, the pilot informed him that he had conducted his preflight check prior to departure, and the trike appeared to be in good working condition. Upon takeoff, the pilot reported that the trike lost the left wing prong. He circled back to land, but was not able to maintain control of it, and crashed upon landing. The officer stated that he located the piece of wing prong on the runway near the departure point. The trike was inspected by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. The FAA inspector reported that the cord that secured the wing baton on the aircraft had broken, however, it was not known if the bungee cord had broken at takeoff or after landing. The pilot did not complete or turn in the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report Form 6120.1. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N440LS](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N440LS), registered now, S/N H20041, built 2008 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: SIMPSON Amphibeous Trike/No - Registry model: [Simpson Laurence Ray AMPHIBEOUS TRIKE](https://openairdocs.org/model/simpson-laurence-ray-amphibeous-trike) (registry code 05627FP) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Rotax 582UL](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-582ul) (registry code 55558, 2 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Weight-shift, amateur-built - Serial number: H20041 - Year built: 2008 - Engines: Rotax 582UL 65 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Condition, August 1, 2013 - Departed: CLS, Chehalis, WA - Destination: 5S4, TOLEDO, OR - Airport: CLS, Chehalis-Centralia, runway 34, 5,000 × 140 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 67; injuries: none; sport pilot; medical: sport pilot; seat: front ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 7 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 55 °F, dew point 37 °F - Altimeter: 30.31 inHg - Observed at: CLS ## 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 20140125000229A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140125000229A), Jan 25, 2014: Simpson Laurence Ray AMPHIBEOUS TRIKE, Chehalis, WA, Substantial damage. Pilot stated he took off from Chehalis airport and noticed craft pulling hard to the left with noted vibration. Looked to left and noted wing flapping. Had… ## Other investigations on N440LS (1) 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. - [NTSB SEA08LA207](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA08LA207), Sep 23, 2008: Simpson Amphibious Trike (N440LS), Lake Chelan, WA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb, which resulted in an inadvertent aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 16, 2015, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=88723. 938 KB in all. - Pilot's Statement (item 1, .PDF, 246 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40431825&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%27s%20Statement-Master.PDF - FAA Photos (item 2, .PDF, 5 photos, 480 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40431826&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Photos-Master.PDF - Chehalis Police Department Report (item 3, .PDF, 213 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40431827&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Chehalis%20Police%20Department%20Report-Redacted.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.