Northwing APACHE SPORT N61740

Summary

On 13 May 2009 at about 12:30 local time, a Northwing APACHE SPORT registered N61740 was involved in an accident near Franklinton, Louisiana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 May 2009 at 12:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Franklinton, Louisiana, United States

Nearest airport

Franklinton Airport (2R7)

Coordinates

30.8194, -90.1125

Aircraft

Northwing APACHE SPORT

Registration

N61740

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Franklinton → Franklinton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09LA299

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in a stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of flight experience in the weight-shift trike.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On the second takeoff of the day, the weight-shift trike reached an estimated speed of 40 knots before the pilot pushed the flight control bar forward. The trike rotated, departed the runway, and climbed steeply to an altitude of around 100 feet. The passenger, a pilot with approximately 150 hours in a similar model trike, noted that the pilot did not return the control bar to the neutral position and the trike stalled. The passenger attempted to take control, but moments later the trike impacted the ground and came to rest in an inverted position on an adjacent golf course. The accident pilot was estimated to have purchased the trike three to four months previously and to have logged approximately 5 hours in type. Due to the extent of his injuries, the pilot was not able to be interviewed nor was he able to submit a NTSB accident form 6120.1. No record of an airman certificate was located for the pilot during the investigation. The passenger reported that he did not observe any mechanical anomalies with the trike before or during the attempted flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.