N7008Z

On July 7, 2014, about 2020 Pacific daylight time, an experimental light-sport Bailey-Moyes Microlights Dragonfly B airplane, N7008Z, impacted trees after the pilot activated the onboard parachute near Flying H Ranch Airport, Buckley, Washington. Private individuals owned and operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot sustained minor injuries; the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The pilot departed Burnett Landing Airport, Wilkeson, Washington about 2000 for a local personal flight.The pilot reported that about 15 minutes after departure, he was maneuvering the airplane to the west of Flying H Ranch Airport. While maneuvering at an airspeed of about 33-34 mph, he initiated a right turn. The airplane then assumed a nose-low attitude with the right wing low. The pilot felt no feedback pressure on the control stick and determined that there was a flight control malfunction. The descent continued so he activated the onboard BRS emergency parachute when the airplane was about 100 feet above the trees. The airplane subsequently collided with the trees and came to rest inverted about .4 nautical miles from the airport.

The airplane was involved in an accident in December 2010 (WPR11CA079), where the probable cause was attributed to the pilot's improper recovery from a dive that led to a loss of in-flight control; the pilot was not the accident pilot or current owner. Following the accident, that pilot reported that he was aware that the airplane had a tendency to pitch down and accelerate when not monitored and controlled continuously. He stated that during a maneuver, although the control stick would move freely, he was unable to correct the flight path with the elevator and deployed the BRS parachute system.

According to two other Dragonfly pilots, they have been in similar situations of temporarily encountering a control delay, all of which were easily rectified by adding engine power to get more airflow over the elevator.

The airplane was disassembled for recovery purposes which prohibited investigators from determining the configuration prior to the accident. The examination of the disassembled flight control system revealed no evidence of any pre impact failures or malfunctions which would have affected normal operation of the flight controls. According to maintenance records the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on June 30, 2014, or 6 days prior to the accident. At the time of the inspection, the airplane had accrued 449.7 total hours of operation and, according to that Hobbs meter, had acquired 5.4 hours since then. The pilot reported that he had amassed a total flight time of 700 hours, of which 5.8 hours were accrued in a Dragonfly. He had flown 1.1 hours in the last 30 days and all of the 5.8 hours were accumulated in the past 90 days.