N45YB

On December 10, 2006, at 0952 mountain standard time, a Special-Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA), Higher Class Aviation Super Hornet, N45YB, impacted terrain near Chandler, Arizona. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and the right horizontal stabilizer. The local area personal flight was departing Chandler Municipal Airport (CHD), Chandler. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

During interviews with the National Transportation Safety Board, the pilot reported that since taking delivery of the airplane, he had been having difficulty flying in a level attitude without applying left stick and left rudder. The pilot had contacted the factory and was advised as to what adjustments needed to be made. According to the manufacturer, those adjustments needed to be completed by a certificated mechanic. The pilot reported to the Safety Board investigator that he made the adjustments himself, even though he is not a certificated mechanic.

In a written statement, the pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, when the airplane was approximately 400 feet above ground level (agl), it banked and yawed to the right. The pilot applied left stick control and left rudder input, however, the airplane did not respond. The pilot stated that he was forced to land off the runway because he could not prevent the airplane from banking right.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the accident scene reported that there was a small debris field in a straight line on a magnetic heading of 305 degrees from the initial point of impact of the berm to the airplane's final resting point. The airplane came to rest on its right side. The accident site was 0.63 miles southwest of the departure end of runway 22R.

The FAA inspector performed a continuity check of all flight controls, with no mechanical anomalies noted. The right fuel tank was not compromised, and remained full of fuel. The left fuel tank sustained impact damage during the accident sequence, and was breeched. The inspector observed fuel leaking from the left fuel tank at the accident scene. Both fuel bowls of the engine's dual-carburetor system were observed full of fuel when opened. The three-blade propeller was undamaged allowing the inspector to manually rotate it with no binding.

The airplane had a Garmin 296 portable GPS on board, which was still operating. The FAA inspector retrieved the unit for further investigation. Likewise, the airplane was recovered for further investigation.

The Safety Board investigator reviewed recorded data obtained from the GPS. The recorded data indicated that after takeoff, the airplane began to bank to the right, approximately 100 degrees in 21 seconds. It continued to bank to the right, completing a full 360-degree turn by the time of the crash approximately a minute later.

Investigators examined the wreckage at Air Transport, Phoenix, Arizona. Investigators found that the airplane had been trimmed to fly to the left. No other mechanical abnormalities were found.