Cessna E162 N162CE

Summary

On 19 March 2009 at about 14:50 local time, a Cessna E162 registered N162CE, operated by Cessna Aircraft Company, was involved in an accident near El Dorado, Kansas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 March 2009 at 14:50

Classification

Accident

Location

El Dorado, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Cessna Aircraft Airport (CEA)

Coordinates

37.9806, -96.8297

Aircraft

Cessna E162

Registration

N162CE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Cessna Aircraft Company

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cessna Airport → Cessna Airport

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09FA220

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the Ballistic Recovery System to disconnect due to twisted attachment straps.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting spin testing in an experimental, pre-production, light sport airplane. The airplane was equipped with a non-production Ballistic Recovery System (BRS) chute which was modified to allow for chute jettison after chute deployment. During a full aft center of gravity (CG) test flight, the airplane was placed in a left spin. The pilot attempted to recover from the spin but was unsuccessful. The pilot described the spin as "uncontrollable." After three turns the pilot elected to deploy the BRS, as per the briefed procedures. After BRS deployment, the airplane continued to spin, twisting the BRS chute attachment straps. The pilot attempted to jettison the chute, but could not due to the twisting of the straps. The parachute-equipped pilot remained with the airplane until it reached the ground in the BRS chute. The airplane was substantially damaged when it was drug by the chute in surface winds. The winds four minutes after the accident, 30 miles to the southwest, were reported as being at 14 knots, gusting to 23 knots. After the accident the manufacturer made design changes to the airplane's elevator, aileron, and rudder systems to improve the airplane's spin recovery capabilities.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.