N616EV

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On September 15, 2007, at 1343 mountain daylight time, an Evektor-Aerotechnik a.s. SportStar special light sport airplane (S-LSA), N616EV, owned and operated by SkyRaider Aviation, Inc., was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain at the Erie Municipal Airport (EIK), Erie, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The student pilot and commercial certificated flight instructor were fatally injured. The local flight departed at 1237.

According to Global Positioning System (GPS) data recovered from the accident airplane, the airplane departed EIK at 1237:32 and proceeded as far north as Loveland, Colorado (37 miles north of EIK). The airplane climbed to a GPS altitude of 8,000 feet mean sea level (msl) and performed multiple course reversals. Towards the end of the flight the airplane proceeded south towards EIK. The altitude, airspeed, and flight path of the last two minutes of the flight are consistent with a touch and go landing on runway 15 at EIK. The last line of GPS data was recorded at 1342:53 at a ground speed of 3 miles per hour and an altitude of 5,220 feet msl.

The Erie Police Department took witness statements from 9 individuals. The National Transportation Safety Board (Safety Board) Investigator in Charge (IIC) received 2 written statements and interviewed 3 witnesses. These witnesses were located to the east and west of the impact location along highway 7, and north of the impact location at EIK. According to these witnesses, the airplane was performing a touch-and-go landing on runway 15 (4,700 feet by 60 feet, concrete). The owner of SkyRaider Aviation observed the airplane touch down and initiate a takeoff roll and climb. He stated the airplane "looked normal" and he looked away. Several witnesses observed the airplane reverse course 180 degrees from a southerly heading to a northerly heading. The airplane nose pitched up and then dropped. The airplane spun to the ground, impacting in a slight nose low, right wing low attitude.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

Certified Flight Instructor

The flight instructor, age 41, held a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land, airplane multiengine land, and instrument rating, last issued on January 3, 2006. He held a flight instructor certificate with airplane single-engine, multiengine, and instrument airplane privileges. He was issued a second class airman medical certificate on January 31, 2006. The certificate contained no limitations.

A copy of the flight instructor's flight log was provided by the family. A review of the logbook indicated that he had logged no less than 418.3 hours total time; 330.9 hours in single-engine airplanes, 56.7 hours dual given, and 2.2 hours in the make and model of the accident airplane. The flight instructor's first flight in an Evektor SportStar was logged as a "dual given" flight on July 1, 2007; total flight time of 1.1 hours. He received an "LSA" checkout in the Evektor SportStar on July 23, 2007; total flight time of 1.1 hours. The flight included power off stalls, power on stalls, steep turns, and touch and goes.

The flight instructor's logbook contained an endorsement with regard to him receiving "necessary instruction on spin entry and recovery" and he was found proficient on the "associated teaching methods." The endorsement was not dated.

Student Pilot

The student pilot, age 58, held a valid Wyoming drivers license with the restriction of "lenses." According to the SkyRaider Aviation - Member Information Sheet, filled out by the student pilot the day of the accident, he had not logged any flight experience in the previous 12 months. The student pilot was pursuing training for a Sport Pilot Certificate and was not required to apply for or hold a medical certificate; the only requirement was to hold a valid driver's license. This was the student's first training flight and he did not hold or maintain a formal pilot flight logbook.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident airplane, an Evektor-Aerotechnik SportStar S-LSA (serial number 20060709), was manufactured in 2006 in the Czech Republic. It was registered with the Federal Aviation Administration on a special airworthiness certificate for light sport operations on December 19, 2006. The airplane was powered by a ROTAX 912ULS engine rated for 100 horsepower at 5,500 rpm. The engine was equipped with a 3-blade, Woodcomp Klassic 170/3/R propeller.

The airplane was registered to and operated by SkyRaider Aviation, Inc., of Erie, Colorado, and was maintained in accordance with the Evektor Periodical inspection checklist. SkyRaider Aviation was the sole owner of the airplane. A review of the maintenance records indicated that an "annual inspection" had been completed on September 7, 2007, by VectorAir Aircraft Inspection and Repair of Erie, Colorado, "in accordance with FAR 43 appendix D and Evektor Periodical inspection checklist," at an airframe total time of 587.1 hours. The airplane had flown approximately 20.2 hours since the last inspection and had accumulated a total airframe time of 607.3 hours. Prior to the annual inspection, a 100 hour inspection was performed on July 20, 2007, at an airframe total time of 486.3 hours. The last 50 hour inspection was performed on March 9, 2007, at an airframe total time of 150.9 hours.

According to the Aircraft Maintenance and Inspection Procedures Manual for the SportStar, "the manufacturer recommends maintenance checks and periodic inspections after every 50 hours (plus or minus 3 flight hours) and after every 100 hours (plus or minus 5 hours or annual inspection.)"

According to a pilot who flew the accident airplane the day of the accident, he "inadvertently activated the elevator trim with [his] thumb." He stated that the airplane went into "an immediate violent abrupt climb attitude." He stated that the attitude was corrected and the flight continued without further incident.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The closest official weather observation station was Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC), Denver, Colorado, located 7 nautical miles (nm) southwest of the accident site. The elevation of the weather observation station was 5,673 feet msl. The routine aviation weather report (METAR) for BJC, issued at 1345 reported winds, 120 degrees at 10 knots; visibility, 40 miles; sky condition, scattered 6,000 feet, towering cumulonimbus, broken 20,000 feet; temperature 30 degrees Celsius (C); dewpoint, 4 degrees C; altimeter, 30.14 inches.

Density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be 7,800 feet.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

EIK, is a public, uncontrolled airport (Class G) located 3 miles south of Erie, Colorado, at 40 degrees, 0 minutes, 36 seconds north latitude and 105 degrees, 2 minutes, 52.7 seconds west longitude, at a surveyed elevation of 5,130 feet. Class E airspace begins at 700 feet agl and continues to an altitude of 10,000 feet msl at which point Class B airspace begins. The floor of the Class B airspace drops to 8,000 feet just south of EIK. The airport had one open runway, runway 15/33 (4,700 feet by 60 feet, concrete).

FLIGHT RECORDERS

A Garmin 296 GPS receiver was mounted on the instrument panel of the accident airplane. The GPS was removed from the airplane by the Safety Board IIC and sent to the Safety Board vehicle recorders division in Washington D.C. for data extraction. Recorded tracklog data was recovered corresponding to four flights on the date of the accident. The duration of the first flight was 39 minutes; the second flight, 24 minutes; the third flight, 25 minutes. The accident flight duration was recorded at 1 hour and 5 minutes.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The accident site was located in sparsely vegetated, up sloping terrain. The accident site was at an elevation of 5,160 feet msl and the airplane impacted on a magnetic heading of 350 degrees.

The main wreckage came to rest upright, approximately 300 yards southwest of the departure end of runway 15. The wreckage was confined to the impact area and consisted of the left and right wings, the empennage, fuselage, and engine/propeller assembly. No ground scaring or debris preceded the main wreckage. Both main landing gear assemblies and the nosewheel were crushed up and aft.

The left wing, to include the left aileron and flap, remained attached to the fuselage at the wing root. The wing exhibited a diagonal wrinkle at midspan and leading edge crushing. Due to impact damage, aileron continuity could not be confirmed. The left wing flap was observed in the retracted position. Fuel was observed in the left wing tank.

The right wing, to include the right aileron and flap, remained attached to the fuselage at the wing root. The wing was buckled at midspan and exhibited diagonal leading edge crushing along the entire span of the wing. Due to impact damage, aileron continuity could not be confirmed. The wing flap was observed in the retracted position. The right fuel tank was compromised and no fuel was observed inside. The ground directly beneath the wing was wet with fluid consistent in smell with fuel.

The fuselage, to include the cabin, instrument panel, and engine assembly exhibited aft accordion crushing from the firewall aft to the wing roots. The upper skin, just aft of the baggage compartment, was torn along the circumference of the upper fuselage. The engine cowling was crushed up and aft and had separated partially from the engine. All three propeller blades separated from the engine at the propeller hub.

The throttle control was full forward in a position consistent with full power. All engine instruments displayed a zero indication. The airplane's cabin instruments displayed the following indications:

Airspeed - zero

Altimeter - 5,280 feet

Kollsman Window - 30.10

Turn and Bank Indicator ...