N566RL

Substantial
Serious

LAMMERS SJEF J APACHES/N: 12056

Accident Details

Date
Friday, May 20, 2011
NTSB Number
CEN11CA360
Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Event ID
20110531X94940
Coordinates
38.940555, -104.401947
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
Highest Injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Serious Injuries
1
Minor Injuries
0
Uninjured
0
Total Aboard
1

Probable Cause and Findings

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft during take-off in a cross wind, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.

Aircraft Information

Registration
Make
LAMMERS SJEF J
Serial Number
12056
Engine Type
2-cycle
Year Built
2001
Model / ICAO
APACHEBPAT
Aircraft Type
Weight Shift Control
No. of Engines
1
Seats
2
FAA Model
APACHE

Registered Owner (Current)

Name
LAMMERS SJEF J
Address
22655 JONES RD
City
CALHAN
State / Zip Code
CO 80808-7840
Country
United States

Analysis

On the morning of the accident, the pilot had removed his single-surface wing and installed a dual-surface wing on his weight shift aircraft. The winds were calm and he conducted an uneventful test flight. The pilot returned to his hanger and made some adjustments to the control bar but elected to not do another test flight because the winds were increasing at the airport. Later that afternoon, the pilot decided to do a second test flight because the wind had decreased some. The pilot departed with an 80 degree crosswind between 5 and 10 knots. He said that he did not build up sufficient airspeed on the takeoff roll and once he got airborne he was about 5 knots above stall speed and very slow. When the aircraft was approximately 100 and 150 feet in the air, he encountered wind shear and the right wing stalled and dropped. The pilot was unable to recover and the aircraft crashed on the right side of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the entire aircraft.

Data Source

Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN11CA360