Evektor-Aerotechnik A S SPORTSTAR N616EV

Summary

On 15 September 2007 at about 19:43 local time, a Evektor-Aerotechnik A S SPORTSTAR registered N616EV was involved in an accident near Erie, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 September 2007 at 19:43

Classification

Accident

Location

Erie, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Erie Municipal Airport (EIK)

Coordinates

40.0006, -105.0347

Aircraft

Evektor-Aerotechnik A S SPORTSTAR

Registration

N616EV

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Erie → Erie

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN07FA158

2 people died.

The flight instructor's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed during takeoff-initial climb to avoid a stall/spin. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's inadequate preflight planning, his failure to calculate the airplane's weight and balance, the high density altitude, inadequate information for preflight planning provided by the manufacturer, and the insufficient standards for Pilot Operating Handbook information required by the ASTM consensus standards.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident flight was the student pilot's first instructional flight towards a Light Sport Pilot certificate. He was receiving instruction from a commercial pilot with a flight instructor certificate (CFI). According to multiple witnesses, the airplane entered a spin while turning from the upwind leg to the crosswind leg following a touch-and-go landing. The airplane impacted terrain in a left wing down, nose low attitude. Postaccident examination of the airplane and its systems revealed no mechanical anomalies. The investigation disclosed that the airplane was over the certified gross weight at the time of departure for the accident flight. A review of the Aircraft Operating Instructions provided by the manufacturer, revealed insufficient data to accurately calculate the effects of density altitude on the performance of the airplane for takeoff and landing. The manual also lacked sufficient data to calculate the fuel burn of the airplane for any altitude higher than an international standard altitude of 2,000 feet. This additional information is not specified as a requirement by the current ASTM consensus standards. Density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be 7,800 feet. As no mechanical reason was discovered for the loss of control, it is likely the CFI allowed the airspeed to decay until an inadvertent stall occurred, and he was unable to recover prior to impact.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.