14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, August 16, 2013 in Covert, MI
Probable Cause Approval Date: 04/23/2014
Aircraft: TRICK TRIKES STORM TROOPER, registration: N5157G
Injuries: 1 Serious,1 Minor.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The student pilot made two low-altitude passes in a weight-shift airplane over a congested, coastline beach area. Following these two passes, the airplane entered into a steep, right bank turn at low altitude and impacted the beach. The final seconds of the flight were captured by witness video and photos, which indicated that the engine was operating normally and that the wing structure appeared normal. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The student pilot’s loss of control while maneuvering at low altitude over a congested beach area. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s ostentatious display.
On August 16, 2013, about 1235 eastern daylight time, a Trick Trikes Storm Trooper weight-shift aircraft, N5157G, impacted terrain while maneuvering near Covert, Michigan. The student pilot was seriously injured and the passenger received minor injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which departed without a flight plan from an unknown location near Cassapolis, Michigan.
According to witnesses, the aircraft made two low altitude passes over a congested, coastline beach area. Following these two passes, the aircraft made a turn and impacted the beach area in a steep right bank, damaging the structure of the wings, landing gear, and front section of the aircraft. The final seconds of the flight were captured by witness video and photos. Engine noise was present on the video and no anomalies with the wing structure were indicated in the photos.
Examination of the airframe and engine by Federal Aviation Administration personnel revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Pilot and maintenance records were not available for the investigation. The pilot did not submit an NTSB Form 6120, despite repeated requests to do so.
http://tricktrikes.org
http://registry.faa.gov/N5157G
NTSB Identification: CEN13LA493
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, August 16, 2013 in Covert, MI
Aircraft: TRICK TRIKES STORM TROOPER, registration: N5157G
Injuries: 1 Serious,1 Minor.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On August 16, 2013, about 1235 eastern daylight time, a Trick Trikes Storm Trooper airplane, N5157G, impacted terrain while maneuvering near Covert, Michigan. The pilot was seriously injured and the passenger received minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which departed without a flight plan from an unknown location.
According to witness statements, the airplane made two low altitude passes over a coastline beach area. Following these two passes, the airplane made a turn and impacted the beach area in a steep right bank attitude, damaging the structure of both wings.
JONES, Mich. -- ABC 57 spoke exclusively with the fifteen year old boy who survived one of the most recent ultralight plane crash.
Dillen Smith, 15, suffered a broken nose, several broken ribs, an injured leg, and a concussion.
Smith says he does not remember falling out of the sky.
"We were turning to land and the pipe broke and knocked me out," Smith recalled.
Smith says since the accident he has focused on enjoying every second of his life.
For his mom, this journey has been a little more difficult.
She says there are no words to describe how she felt when she got the call that her son was in a plane crash.
"It could have killed my boy, but the way the pilot, Scotty braced him in his chair when he saw that they were going to crash saved my son's life at great costs to himself," said Smith's m other.
Smith’s uncle, who was flying the plane, says that he stuck his legs out to try to protect Dillen and take most of the impact.
He is still in the hospital, he broke his back in three different places and crushed his legs.
Story, Video and Related Content: http://www.abc57.com
Dillen Smith, 15, South Bend
(Facebook)
15-year-old Dillen Smith, a freshman at Clay High School, went flying with Timothy Feathers in the ultralight from Cassopolis to a beach along Lake Michigan. They were planning on a going for a swim.
Dillen and his mom, Yvonne Smith, called WSBT Friday night to tell us a wing broke off the ultralight while the small aircraft was 100 to 150 feet off the ground. They were approaching Covert Township Park Beach in Van Buren County when it happened.
Dillen suffered a concussion, broken nose and several broken ribs but has been released from the hospital.
Feathers, on the other hand, could be laid up in the hospital for a couple of weeks with two broken vertebrae and two broken legs.
Feathers is being treated at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo, but officials there won't release his condition due to privacy laws.
Dillen says there was no sign the plane was having any problems, but all of a sudden, the wing broke. That’s all he can remember. He says he woke up on the beach after the crash-landing.
Feathers was able to call Dillen tonight to say he was sorry the crash happened.
When asked if he would fly again, Dillen quickly said he would.
Source: http://www.wsbt.com
