N/A N/A UNREG

Summary

On 26 March 2014 at about 21:00 local time, a N/A N/A registered UNREG, operated by Emerito Guzman, was involved in an accident near Patillas, 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 March 2014 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Patillas, United States

Nearest airport

Patillas Airport (X64)

Coordinates

17.9753, -66.0208

Aircraft

N/A N/A

Registration

UNREG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Emerito Guzman

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Patillas → Patillas

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA174

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during approach for landing, which resulted in a stall/spin.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident flight was reportedly the pilot's first flight in the unregistered airplane. There were no witnesses to the accident; the airplane was found about 750 ft from the runway threshold on an approximate 45-degree angle from the runway. Although there were no witnesses or other recorded data available documenting the moments leading up to the accident, the location of the wreckage in relation to the runway suggested that the airplane might have been turning from the base to the final leg of the airport traffic pattern when the accident occurred. The orientation of the wreckage was consistent with the airplane having been in an aerodynamic stall/spin at impact. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies. Paperwork recovered from the pilot's home indicated that the airplane was based on a commercially available set of plans for an ultralight aircraft and that the pilot used these plans when he constructed the airplane. However, he made modifications that could have resulted in unanticipated adverse handling characteristics. Federal Aviation Administration guidance on amateur-built aircraft recommends developing a flight test plan to detect any hazardous operating characteristics and to determine the airplane's performance and operating envelope; however, no documents were located indicating that the pilot had developed or intended to perform a flight test plan.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.