Accident Overview
On January 19, 2008, at an undetermined time after 1000 mountain standard time, an Air Creation Clipper, registration N614LF, descended into desert terrain approximately 8 miles northwest of Green Valley, Arizona. The experimental category light sport, weight shift control aircraft (trike) was substantially damaged. The sport flight instructor and the student pilot were killed. The trike was registered to the student pilot. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the privately owned Ruby Star Airpark in Green Valley at an undetermined time before 0900.
No witnesses reported observing the accident. The pilots were reported overdue on the evening of January 19, and the wreckage was found the following day. The accident was originally reported to the National Transportation Safety Board as involving an ultralight vehicle; an FAA aircraft registration number was subsequently observed on the aircraft.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The 57-year-old flight instructor (pilot-in-command) held a private pilot certificate with a glider rating and a repairman, experimental aircraft builder certificate issued in December 2005. In November 2007, he was issued a flight instructor certificate with a sport pilot limitation. His personal flight logbook showed an endorsement dated October 4, 2005, indicating proficiency as pilot-in-command of weight shift control land light sport aircraft. No logbook evidence indicated he had given dual flight instruction as of the last logged entry on January 11, 2008. The instructor did not hold an FAA aviation medical certificate.
The student pilot held no pilot certificate. No logbook or flying records were provided to investigators. Family members reported that the student purchased the accident trike in October or November 2007 and had flown it on about two occasions with an instructor, with no previous dual flight instruction.
The manager of Ruby Star Airpark reported that on the morning of the accident, between 0900 and 1000, he observed the trike flying in the vicinity with nothing unusual noted. The weather was described as "beautiful" with calm wind and sunny conditions. The trike was based in a hangar at the airpark. A 5-gallon fuel tank was observed at the hangar.
The instructor's wife reported that her husband had completed the 5-hour Phase One flight test in the accident trike within 7 days preceding the accident and that the accident occurred during his first introductory flight with the student.
Examination Findings
An FAA airworthiness inspector examined the terrain surrounding the accident site. A ground scar was confined to the area where the trike came to rest; no impact evidence was observed in the surrounding terrain, and native vegetation a few yards away appeared undisturbed. Based on the absence of ground scar and structural deformation, the inspector reported that the trike appeared to have descended into the ground in a steep nose-down attitude.
The engine assembly and broken airframe structure were examined. Evidence of fuel was found in the engine's carburetors and fuel delivery line. The propeller was rotated, and the engine's driveshaft turned freely. Several airframe components were bent in an aft direction, including the right wing spar broken approximately 3 feet from its tip. There was no evidence of the spar flailing during flight.
The Air Creation distributor examined the trike and accident site. The trike was equipped with a Rotax 582 engine and what appeared to be a Power Fin brand propeller, which was not a model offered in the Air Creation design. An Air Creation model Kiss 13 square meter/400 kilogram wing was mounted, with several feet of duct tape covering cosmetic damage on the leading edge, indicating possible previous mishap. All assembly points were intact, and set-up bolts were present. The fuselage body had been modified. The distributor reported that the trike appeared to have crashed in a nose-down attitude.
Toxicology tests performed on specimens from both pilots showed no evidence of drugs or ethanol. Autopsies revealed that both pilots were killed due to multiple blunt force traumatic injuries. The coroner noted that the flight instructor had evidence of ischemic heart disease, with severe coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial fibrosis.