Moyes B/Bailey B DRAGONFLY N56FP

Summary

On 26 May 2012 at about 20:30 local time, a Moyes B/Bailey B DRAGONFLY registered N56FP was involved in an accident near Trenton, Georgia, 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

26 May 2012 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Trenton, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Lookout Mountain (0GE3)

Coordinates

34.9047, -85.4597

Aircraft

Moyes B/Bailey B DRAGONFLY

Registration

N56FP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Trenton → Trenton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA364

1 person died.

The airplane's entry into an uncontrolled descent for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation and it could not be determined whether the pilot had experienced an incapacitating medical event.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed in the experimental light-sport airplane without incident, climbed to an altitude of about 350 to 400 feet above ground level, and flew to a nearby ridgeline. Witnesses reported that the airplane looked slow as it flew parallel to the ridgeline and subsequently entered a left spiraling dive, making two descending 360-degree turns before it impacted trees. The nature of the airplane's departure from controlled flight was consistent with a stall. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was equipped with a ballistic parachute system that was found in the armed for flight position; however, it had not been activated. The pilot was familiar with the accident airplane and had flown it regularly during the previous 2 years. The pilot's most recent Federal Aviation Administration medical examination was performed about 9 years before the accident. At the time of the accident, the pilot was taking a medication for the treatment of hypertension. The medical examiner noted no significant gross natural disease or focal myocardial lesions during autopsy; however, it could not be determined whether the pilot became incapacitated before the airplane's descent.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.