Accident Overview
On September 6, 2008, at approximately 1100 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Airborne XT-912 weight-shift aircraft, registration N227EK, struck the ground following a loss of control during initial takeoff climb from the Lake Chelan Airport in Chelan, Washington. The private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local solo instructional flight, which was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight had originated from the Lake Chelan Airport about 1020.
Flight History
On the day of the accident, the pilot received his solo endorsement from his instructor and completed a 1-hour solo flight. After resting for approximately one hour, he began his second solo flight. The accident occurred about 40 minutes into this second flight. According to the instructor, who was flying with another student, radio communication was maintained with the pilot throughout his flight. Just prior to the accident, the flight instructor heard the pilot announce that he would be making a full stop landing.
Witness Accounts
Witnesses reported that the pilot performed several touch-and-go landings on runway 02 without incident. During the initial takeoff climb following another touch-and-go landing, the aircraft ascended at a "steep" angle. At an altitude of about 100 to 200 feet above ground level, the aircraft rolled left, nosed down, entered a spiral, and descended to the ground. One witness stated that the engine remained at takeoff power throughout the entire event.
Wreckage Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector conducted an on-scene examination of the wreckage. The inspector noted that the aircraft impacted in a near-vertical attitude on the taxiway west of the runway. The inspection revealed no evidence of any pre-impact damage or discrepancies.
Aircraft Information
Examination of the aircraft's maintenance records indicated that the aircraft was certificated in the experimental category for operating light sport aircraft on January 28, 2008. At the time of certification, the aircraft had a current condition inspection. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had accumulated approximately 35 to 40 hours of flight time. The pilot was reportedly in the process of purchasing the aircraft from the flight instructor.
Pilot Information
The pilot, age 74, held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land airplane rating. His last FAA medical certificate was issued in November 1970. According to the FAA inspector's review of the pilot's flight logbooks, the pilot had accumulated about 265 total flight hours, with 215 of those hours acquired prior to 1968. He resumed flying in October 2007, receiving instruction in weight-shift aircraft to obtain his sport pilot endorsement. In February 2008, he received about 10 hours of flight instruction in a Cessna 172 and successfully completed a biennial flight review. Following the flight review, the pilot flew about 30 hours, most of it in the accident aircraft.
Pre-Accident Observations
According to the flight instructor, on the morning of the accident, the pilot appeared well rested, alert, and in a positive frame of mind. Witnesses reported that between flights, the pilot engaged in several conversations with no abnormal observations noted.
Autopsy and Toxicology
An autopsy conducted by the Chelan County Coroner's Office reported the cause of death as "multiple internal injuries due to blunt impact to the head, trunk and extremities." The autopsy report did not note any pre-existing disease. Toxicology tests performed by the FAA's Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory detected ethanol at 10 mg/dL in muscle and 22 mg/dL in liver. The drugs amlodipine and atenolol were detected (unquantified) in liver and kidney.