Quad City Ultralight CHALLENGER LSS N95478

Summary

On 31 May 2008 at about 18:15 local time, a Quad City Ultralight CHALLENGER LSS registered N95478 was involved in an accident near Moses Lake, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 May 2008 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Moses Lake, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Moses Lake Municipal Airport (W20)

Coordinates

47.1419, -119.2378

Aircraft

Quad City Ultralight CHALLENGER LSS

Registration

N95478

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Moses Lake → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX08LA160

1 person died.

The pilot's inability to maintain control due to an in-flight separation of the vertical fin as a result of the failure of the airplane's builder to properly secure the vertical fin to the fuselage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was completing a local flight and entered the downwind leg of the traffic pattern at the destination airport. As the airplane was on the downwind leg and almost abeam the runway identifier numbers, the engine power reduced and the nose pitched up about 15 degrees. The airplane made a tight turn onto the base leg and then overshot final approach. The airplane was high and appeared to be configured in a slip (right wing low) while approaching the runway. When reaching about 30 feet above ground level (agl), the airplane pitched nose high, as if the pilot was attempting to flare. The engine power slowly increased and the airplane turned about 45 degrees, barely clearing a hangar and power lines. The airplane made numerous erratic maneuvers while varying altitudes between 45 and 300 feet agl. It then pitched up about 65 degrees nose high and made a left bank. It subsequently stalled and continued in a spin about 360 degrees before impacting a field located adjacent to the runway. A postaccident examination revealed that the vertical fin had separated from the fuselage attach points and remained attached to the airplane only by the horizontal tail plane struts, the elevator control push rods, and the rudder cables. Examination revealed that the vertical fin attach tubes (forward and aft) had not been secured to the fuselage attach tubing. The bolts designed to secure the vertical fin to the fuselage were not attached; rather, the bolts were secured to the fuselage tubing and the undrilled vertical fin attach tubing was resting on top of the bolts. The build manual for the airplane states that during assembly, the builder must remove the bolts secured to the fuselage attach tubing and insert the vertical fin attach tubing. Following insertion the builder is instructed to drill the vertical fin tubing and secure the bolt through both pieces of tubing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.