What happened
The accident occurred shortly after the aircraft was acquired by the pilot. The owner had purchased the airplane only two days prior to the incident. During the final flight, the pilot completed a swath run, which is typically associated with agricultural or surveying operations. Immediately following this maneuver, the aircraft initiated a right turn before transitioning into a left turn.
The pilot reported that the aircraft became difficult to control during this sequence. When attempting to correct the left turn by applying full right stick travel, the airplane failed to recover. The aircraft continued its descent and impacted the ground while in a left bank with a nose-down attitude.
Prior to the accident flight, the pilot had made four additional flights in the same aircraft. During these earlier flights, the pilot noted that the airplane was out of rig. To maintain straight and level flight, the pilot was required to hold the control stick halfway to the right. This condition persisted throughout the four flights leading up to the accident.
The investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) coordinator requested that the pilot complete an NTSB Form 6120.1 to provide detailed information about the incident. However, the pilot did not submit this form. As a result, significant data required to complete the official NTSB Form 6102.4 was missing and coded as unknown or not reported.
Because of the lack of submitted documentation, the investigation relied primarily on the limited statements provided by the pilot regarding the aircraft's handling characteristics and the sequence of events leading to the crash.