Evolution REVO N889HT

Summary

On 25 September 2024 at about 11:10 local time, a Evolution REVO registered N889HT was involved in an accident near Zephyrhills, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 September 2024 at 11:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Zephyrhills, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Zephyrhills Municipal Airport (ZPH)

Coordinates

28.2267, -82.1556

Aircraft

Evolution REVO

Registration

N889HT

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Zephyrhills → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24FA395

2 people died.

The flight instructor’s failure to ensure the haul back cable was securely connected to the “J” hook prior to departing on the accident flight, which resulted in the cable becoming disconnected and the wings folding up during flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident occurred during an instructional flight in a weight-shift-control aircraft. A witness reported hearing a popping sound and then saw the aircraft descending in a nose-down attitude with what he thought were flames coming from the aircraft. The aircraft continued to descend and impacted on the terrain. An airport security video captured the aircraft in a nose-down attitude with the wings folded back as it descended. The video showed that in the early morning, low light conditions, the aircraft’s position lights were on. This was likely what the witness thought was flames coming from the aircraft. Postaccident examination of the wreckage confirmed that there was no evidence of an inflight fire; however, a postimpact fire consumed most of the wreckage. The examination also found that the flight control cables were all connected to their respective connections. The haul back cable was found disconnected at the “J” hook, and the “J” hook was otherwise intact. The haul back cable allowed the wings to be folded for transport and storage of the aircraft. An inflight disconnection would have allowed the wings to fold back during flight. Based on this information, it is likely that the flight instructor did not secure the end of the haul back cable into the “J” hook prior to departing and the haul back cable detached during flight, which allowed the wings to fold up.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.