Accident Summary
On September 18, 2008, at approximately 1145 central daylight time, a single-engine Cessna 162 Skycatcher experimental airplane, registration N162XP, was destroyed when it impacted terrain during an uncontrolled descent near Augusta, Kansas. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, had parachuted from the airplane moments earlier and was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Cessna Aircraft Company. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 test flight.
Flight Details
The flight originated at approximately 1100 to assess the aircraft's spin characteristics. Sixteen spins in four different configurations were planned. The aircraft completed the first configuration with four spins, and the pilot then completed three of the four spins in the second set. At 10,000 feet, the pilot initiated a spin to the left. After the spin was established, the pilot made planned control inputs, but the airplane failed to recover. Despite several recovery attempts, the aircraft continued spinning. At the planned altitude of 6,000 feet, the pilot attempted to deploy the aircraft's recovery parachute by pulling the activation handle, but the parachute did not deploy. The pilot then jettisoned the cabin door, exited the airplane, and deployed his personal parachute.
Wreckage and Parachute Examination
The airplane impacted terrain in a wooded area and was destroyed. The wreckage was retrieved and secured for evaluation. An examination on September 24, 2008, at Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas, under NTSB and FAA supervision, involved technical representatives from the engine, parachute, and aircraft manufacturers. Control continuity was established to all flight controls.
Initial examination of the aircraft's parachute system revealed that the rocket system used to deploy the parachute had activated, but the parachute failed to pull from its canister. The packed parachute assembly was tested at BRS, Inc., where it required approximately 50 pounds of pull force to extract the parachute, near the upper limit for that system. The incremental cord, which pulls the parachute out, was undamaged but all "Bar tabs" (stitching that tears at a predetermined load) were torn, indicating the rocket motor pulled with full force. The steel cable end had separated, displaying signs consistent with ductile overload and shear-type separation; cable testing at Cessna showed it met specifications.
The four Kevlar straps securing the parachute bag were examined. Three appeared typical, but strap #3 displayed tightening of the weave (deformation set) and separated stitching, consistent with a large tension load. During installation, strap #3 was positioned toward the left-rear quarter of the airplane. The steel cable had a Nicopress sleeve and thimble eye that showed impact damage: the soft copper sleeve had contact marks, and the steel thimble eye was bent and distorted.
An inspection of the airplane's right flap cable swage revealed two contact areas with light gouges and scratches. These signatures on the BRS system and aircraft components were consistent with the incremental cable contacting the right flap cable/turnbuckle cable during the rocket launch sequence, compromising parachute deployment. Additionally, a video recorded by a chase airplane indicated that the angle between the rocket trajectory and parachute canister may have been too severe for proper extraction.
During flight testing and subsequent data review, it was discovered that an unrecoverable spin could develop in this aircraft. The accident airplane was a preliminary configuration, and the manufacturer abandoned this configuration for production aircraft.