- Location: Gila Bend, Arizona
- Accident Number: WPR24FA112
- Date & Time: March 17, 2024, 09:42 Local
- Registration: N4425L
- Aircraft: HOLMES WILLIAM B AIR CREATION TWIN
- Aircraft Damage: Substantial
- Defining Event: Loss of control in flight
- Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Minor
- Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional
https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/193945/pdf
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193945
On March 17, 2024, about 0942 mountain standard time, an experimental light-sport weightshift control Air Creation Twin, N4425L, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Gila Bend, Arizona. The pilot sustained fatal injuries and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The aircraft was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
The non-pilot-rated passenger in the front seat reported that he was in the process of purchasing the weight-shift-control aircraft from the pilot seated in the rear seat. The pilot was providing the passenger with instruction to gain flight experience and to familiarize him with the flight characteristics of the aircraft. Before departure, the pilot briefed the passenger that they would take off and fly in the local area then return to the airport to practice touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. The pilot briefed that the passenger would fly the approach and that the pilot would perform the landing.
The passenger reported that the flight was about 45 minutes and they had performed one touch-and-go. During the second approach, on the final leg of the airport traffic pattern, the passenger was on the controls, the pilot called out “my airplane” and took the flight controls. The aircraft drifted to the right of the runway centerline and overflew the unimproved desert surface that consisted of brush and mesquite trees. The pilot increased the engine power and maneuvered the aircraft to the left toward the runway. During the descending left turn back to the runway, the aircraft’s approach speed was fast, and the aircraft collided with a 10-ft tall mesquite tree, subsequently impacting the ground about 85 ft to the right of the runway surface. The passenger reported that the engine sounded strong, and there were no observable aircraft malfunctions before the collision with the tree. The nearest weather reporting facility, 5 miles from the accident site, recorded calm wind at the time of the accident.
Postaccident examination of the aircraft revealed no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have contributed to a loss of control.
- Probable Cause: The pilot’s loss of control and subsequent collision with a mesquite tree on approach to land.
I hope that the passenger hadn't yet written the final check for this piece of junk. No maintenance records, pilot low time, and not a CFI, what else could go wrong with this demo flight? Very fortunate the passenger wasn't killed, too, and he should reconsider his choice of rust buckets to fly.
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