Ellefson T-BIRD II N8106C

Summary

On 5 September 2012 at about 16:00 local time, a Ellefson T-BIRD II registered N8106C was involved in an accident near Richfield, Utah, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 September 2012 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Richfield, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Richfield Muni Airport (RIF)

Coordinates

38.7364, -112.0989

Aircraft

Ellefson T-BIRD II

Registration

N8106C

Category

Ultralight

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Richfield → Richfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12LA413

1 person was seriously injured.

A loss of control during landing due to a pitch control malfunction. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to continue flight with a known mechanical problem.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the new owner of the ultralight had reassembled it and found that it oscillated during level flight and that the owner then contacted him for assistance in diagnosing the issue. He reported that he conducted a preflight inspection and noted no anomalies. Immediately after takeoff, the ultralight began to oscillate up and down with no elevator input. The pilot stayed in the traffic pattern, and the oscillations continued at different altitudes and airspeeds. During landing, the ultralight touched down about 45 knots with upward oscillations. The pilot decided to take off again and experiment with different trim settings. Upon liftoff, the ultralight again began to oscillate with no throttle or elevator inputs. The pilot decided to depart the traffic pattern to further experiment with the trim and power settings; however, different trim and power settings had no effect on the oscillations. The pilot indicated that the oscillations were random, so he could only react to the direction with flight control corrections and could not anticipate which flight control corrections would be needed. The pilot reentered the traffic pattern for landing and, during the landing, when the ultralight was about 5 feet above the ground and at 40 knots, the oscillations began again. The pilot pushed the yoke forward, which stopped the oscillations; however, the rear main landing gear touched down on the runway, which forced the ultralight back into the air. The pilot recalled that the ultralight's nose then pointed downward and that he pushed full left rudder before the ultralight impacted the ground. After the accident, the pilot learned that the owner had reassembled the ultralight without assistance from a mechanic. While inspecting the ultralight after the accident, the pilot noted that, if the pitch control cable was loose, it would randomly move. The ultralight was not made available by the owner for examination; therefore, the reason for the oscillations could not be determined; however, it is likely that the pitch control cable was loose, causing the random oscillations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.