Summary
On May 01, 2018, a Cosmos PHASE III (N6466) was involved in an accident near Fernandina Beach, FL. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury, with 1 person uninjured out of 2 aboard. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The student pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control and the flight instructor’s failure to adequately monitor the student pilot before aircraft control was lost at a low altitude.
On May 1, 2018, about 0845 eastern daylight time, a weight-shift-control Cosmos Phase III, N6466, sustained substantial damage after it impacted terrain shortly after departure from Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport (FHB), Fernandina Beach, Florida. The flight instructor sustained serious injuries, and the student pilot was not injured. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the flight instructor as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
This accident is documented in NTSB report WPR18LA132. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N6466.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The student pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control and the flight instructor’s failure to adequately monitor the student pilot before aircraft control was lost at a low altitude.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On May 1, 2018, about 0845 eastern daylight time, a weight-shift-control Cosmos Phase III, N6466, sustained substantial damage after it impacted terrain shortly after departure from Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport (FHB), Fernandina Beach, Florida. The flight instructor sustained serious injuries, and the student pilot was not injured. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the flight instructor as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at 0830 from FHB.
In a telephone interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the flight instructor reported that the student pilot was manipulating the controls and flying the aircraft. During the initial climb, at about 700 ft above ground level, the airplane suddenly entered a "hard" left bank. The flight instructor took control of the aircraft, however, was unable to recover and the aircraft impacted terrain in a nose down attitude. The flight instructor does not recall if there was a mechanical anomaly, but reported that the student pilot was known to freeze on the controls and he could have been fighting him.
The student did not provide a statement as to the circumstances of the accident.
Neither the flight instructor nor the student pilot completed or submitted the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1 to the investigator in charge.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# WPR18LA132