Lite Flight DRAGONFLY N582DF

Summary

On 27 May 2018 at about 17:30 local time, a Lite Flight DRAGONFLY registered N582DF was involved in an accident near Mint Hill, North Carolina, 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

27 May 2018 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Mint Hill, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.1847, -80.6069

Aircraft

Lite Flight DRAGONFLY

Registration

N582DF

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Indian Trail → Indian Trail

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA306

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while maneuvering about 1,300 ft mean sea level (about 600 ft above the ground), he initiated a 180° right turn, and about halfway through the turn, the airplane began to descend rapidly and would not respond to flight controls. The airplane struck a tree, spun to the right, and came to rest on a residential house. Postaccident examination conducted by the pilot revealed that all controls were intact and operational. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. In a written statement provided to the local police department, the pilot reported that he lost control of the airplane, and it "spiraled down" and then struck a tree and a house. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Given the pilot's statement, it is likely that the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall/spin when the pilot exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack during a turn.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.