Accident Summary
A student pilot undertaking his first instructional flight toward a Light Sport Pilot certificate was being instructed by a commercial pilot holding a flight instructor certificate (CFI). Multiple witnesses observed the airplane enter a spin while turning from the upwind leg to the crosswind leg following a touch-and-go landing. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain in a left wing down, nose low attitude.
Aircraft and Weight
Postaccident examination of the airplane and its systems revealed no mechanical anomalies. The investigation disclosed that the airplane was over the certified gross weight at the time of departure for the accident flight.
Operational Manual
A review of the Aircraft Operating Instructions provided by the manufacturer revealed insufficient data to accurately calculate the effects of density altitude on the performance of the airplane for takeoff and landing. The manual also lacked sufficient data to calculate the fuel burn of the airplane for any altitude higher than an international standard altitude of 2,000 feet. This additional information is not specified as a requirement by the current ASTM consensus standards.
Density Altitude
The density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be 7,800 feet.
Probable Cause
As no mechanical reason was discovered for the loss of control, it is likely the CFI allowed the airspeed to decay until an inadvertent stall occurred, and he was unable to recover prior to impact.