14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, October 30, 2011 in Amherst, VA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 02/06/2012
Aircraft: AEROS LTD TRIKE, registration: N6111F
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The student pilot was conducting his first solo flight in the experimental light sport, weight-shift control aircraft. He reported that he lost control of the aircraft during the initial climb after takeoff. According to a witness and the pilot's flight instructor, the pilot stalled the aircraft several times while maneuvering around the traffic pattern. During a right turn onto the final leg of the traffic pattern, the aircraft entered a steep descent and impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot stated that there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the aircraft. He reported 16 hours of total flight experience, which included 1 hour in the same make and model as the accident aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:The student pilot's inadequate aircraft control and improper airspeed while maneuvering to land, which resulted in a stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model of the accident aircraft.
Sussex County Councilman Vance Phillips is improving at a Virginia hospital after crash-landing a light experimental aircraft Sunday during his first solo flight.
An announcement today at a Sussex County Council meeting said his condition has improved from serious to fair.
Phillips was recovering from back surgery at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Va., said Glen Urquhart, chairman of the Sussex County Republican Party and a close political ally of Phillips.
A week ago, Phillips posted a photo of the open-cockpit aircraft on his Facebook page and dubbed it his "new toy."
The 49-year-old Laurel farmer told friends he was working on obtaining a sport pilot's license but that "survival is first priority."
Phillips, a former Delaware Republican Party vice chairman, made headlines last week when Sussex County Sheriff Jeff Christopher accused him of throwing a notebook at his eye and kneeing him in the groin during a heated argument at county GOP headquarters in Georgetown.
Phillips crashed the aircraft just before dusk Sunday during a solo training flight at a central Virginia airfield for ultralight aircraft owned by Buffalo Ridge Air Sports of Amherst, Va., according to authorities.
"He came in too fast and too steep and he realized it was too late," said Virginia State Police Trooper Donald Milton, who investigated the accident.
Phillips' flight instructor and another witness found him conscious when they pulled him from the wreckage of the Aeros trike, a three-wheeled, single-engine aircraft with a hang glider wing, said Gary Roakes, director of public safety in Amherst County, Va.
"He was very fortunate with the impact and a crash of that nature," Roakes said.
In August 2010, a pilot died after his light sport aircraft caught fire upon impact when he crashed near the same grass landing strip, Roakes said.
Phillips was the only person in the two-seat aircraft. Ronald Dixon, an instructor at Buffalo Ridge Air Sports, and a Lovingston, Va., man were on the ground and witnessed the crash, which was reported to police about 6:30 p.m., Milton said.
Phillips was taken by ambulance 16 miles south to Lynchburg, Va., General Hospital before being airlifted to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Roakes said.
The severity of his back injury was unknown Monday, but authorities in Virginia said it was not believed to be life-threatening. Phillips was recovering in the hospital's intensive-care unit, Urquhart said.
'A total loss'
The plane's wing was ripped, the body was damaged and the landing gear was twisted, Milton said.
"It looked like a total loss to me," Milton said.
An initial Federal Aviation Administration investigation determined the Aeros trike was destroyed in the crash, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.
Because of the extent of the damage to the aircraft, the FAA has turned over its investigation to the National Transportation Safety Board, Peters said.
The NTSB investigation will focus on whether there were any mechanical issues or if the crash was caused by operator error, NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said.
Phillips was flying a "weight-shift" light sport aircraft of a type that is no longer manufactured, said Dick Knapinski, spokesman for the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wis.
The pilot uses a metal bar to shift the wing and control the aircraft, Knapinski said.
A licensed pilot can fly at an altitude of 10,000 feet, but most sport pilots fly the aircraft at lower altitudes for the scenic view at less than 50-mph speeds. Phillips wrote on his Facebook page on Oct. 23 that he would use the aircraft for "photography opportunities."
According to an FAA database, there are 1,144 experimental light sport aircraft in the country and 105 certified instructors.
To receive a sport pilot's license, the FAA requires a minimum of 20 hours of flight training, including five hours of solo flights.
Local troubles
Christopher, the Sussex sheriff, and Phillips, both Republicans, have been feuding recently over the sheriff's request for additional training and squad cars for his deputies. Christopher has insisted he's not trying to turn the sheriff's office -- which delivers court papers and foreclosure notices -- into a full-fledged police agency.
Phillips was mum about the incident in Georgetown last week, releasing a statement Friday saying he'll "be happy to chat at the appropriate time."
Georgetown police turned Christopher's complaint over to the Attorney General's Office, which as of Monday had made no decision on whether to charge Phillips with a crime.
Phillips' friends and colleagues on County Council were hoping Monday that he recovers quickly from his injuries.
"The thoughts and prayers of everyone here at Sussex County government are with Vance and his family this morning," County Council President Michael Vincent said in a statement Monday. "Vance is a strong and determined man. We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to him returning to the important business of representing the people of Sussex County."
No comments:
Post a Comment