History of Flight
On March 19, 2009, at 0950 central daylight time, a Cessna Aircraft Company E162 model Skycatcher experimental airplane, registration N162CE, was substantially damaged during a test flight near El Dorado, Kansas, following a Ballistic Recovery System (BRS) deployment and subsequent landing. The airline transport pilot was not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The local test flight originated at Cessna Aircraft Field Airport (CEA), Wichita, Kansas, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The pilot departed CEA about 0900 to conduct spin testing in the pre-production experimental airplane. The purpose of the flight was to accomplish spins in various flap and power configurations with an aft center-of-gravity limit condition. During a planned test condition, the airplane entered a left spin. The pilot initiated spin recovery procedures, but the airplane continued spinning without apparent response. The pilot described the spin as "uncontrollable." After the third revolution, the pilot deployed the airplane's BRS parachute, which had been specifically modified to allow jettisoning if altitude and conditions permitted. After deployment, the airplane stabilized under the parachute but continued to spin. The pilot attempted to jettison the chute several times, but each attempt was unsuccessful. The pilot then opened the airplane door to bail out and use a personal parachute but realized he was too low and elected to stay with the airplane. The pilot shut down the engine prior to landing.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 50, held an Airline Transport Pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and multi-engine land, and a Flight Instructor certificate for single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument airplane. His last FAA first-class medical certificate was issued on June 2, 2008, with limitations "Must wear corrective lenses." Examination of his logbook indicated total flight time of 5,500 hours, of which 220 hours were in the accident airplane. He logged 36 hours in the previous 90 days, 11 hours in the previous 30 days, and one hour in the previous 24 hours. His last biannual flight review was completed December 13, 2007.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna E162 experimental light sport airplane, serial number E16200001, was a high-wing, metal-covered airplane with fixed tricycle landing gear, configured for two occupants. It was powered by a Teledyne Continental E-0200DX1CS engine, rated at 100 horsepower, driving a two-bladed Sensenich fixed-pitch propeller.
Meteorological Information
Weather at Colonel James Jabara Airport (AAO), Wichita, Kansas, at 0954 was reported as temperature 48°F, dew point 28°F, visibility 10 miles, and winds from 070° at 14 knots, gusting to 23 knots.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane landed upright in an open field, breaking off the nose gear and partially splaying the main landing gear. The pilot exited and attempted to disengage the BRS chute, but surface winds inflated the parachute and dragged the airplane approximately 0.6 miles before it caught a fence and flipped over. Examination revealed the right wing bent upward, left and right ailerons damaged, and the horizontal stabilizer bent. Flight control cable continuity was verified from cockpit controls to each aileron, elevator, and rudder. One propeller blade was broken off at the midpoint with no leading edge marks; the second showed no impact marks.
Test and Research
The airplane was equipped with a non-production, factory-modified BRS chute designed to allow deployment and subsequent jettisoning to recover the airplane if altitude and conditions permitted. The modified BRS consisted of a canopy attached via four nylon straps to four points on the fuselage roof near the cockpit corners. The straps were sewn into a single-point attachment with a disconnect mechanism. The disconnect mechanism comprised a metal ring sewn into the single-point strap, designed to insert into a metal D-ring on the riser. A metal pin and nylon loop held the connection. A nylon cord ran from the pin along the rear left attachment strap to a cockpit release handle. To jettison, the pilot would pull the handle, pulling the pin and releasing the ring.
Examination by BRS personnel and investigators revealed fraying and stretching of the attachment straps consistent with them twisting together after deployment. When twisted, the release cord could not be pulled along the strap.
As a result of this accident, Cessna Aircraft Company made design changes to the airplane’s elevator, aileron, and rudder systems to improve spin characteristics.