Flight History
On April 27, 2009, at 1645 eastern daylight time, an experimental Explorer Aeronautique Ecoflyer airplane, Canadian registration C-IOFL, impacted terrain in Lebanon, New York. The pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Lt. Warren Eaton Airport (KOIC) in Norwich, New York, around 1630, and was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight.
The pilot had been returning to Trois-Rivieres Airport (CYRQ) in Quebec, Canada, after spending a week at "Sun and Fun" in Lakeland, Florida. He had departed Sebring, Florida, on April 26, 2009, and landed at Florence Regional Airport (KFLO) in Florence, South Carolina, where he spent the night. On the day of the accident, he departed KFLO around 0740 and stopped at Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport (KMRB) in Martinsburg, West Virginia, before continuing to KOIC.
Personnel at KOIC reported that the pilot landed around 1400. He told them he had encountered "rough air and wind gusts like he had never seen before" and was "very shook up." While on the ground, the pilot called his girlfriend and said the last leg was "horrible," with the airplane climbing to 8,000 feet with very little control. He added 10 gallons of fuel, topping the tanks, and contacted Buffalo Flight Service Station for information on restricted airspace. He departed about 1630, and airport personnel reported no anomalies with the departure.
On April 28, 2009, at approximately 1415, a landowner discovered the wreckage while performing routine surveillance. There were no witnesses.
Aircraft Information
The pilot was the sole owner and creator of Explorer Aeronautique Inc., which designed and built the accident airplane. He had purchased plans for the "Private Explorer" and built five of those, then designed the Ecoflyer as a smaller prototype for the "Advanced Ultralight" category. Construction of the accident aircraft, a prototype, was completed in June 2008. The pilot was in the commercialization phase and had begun taking orders.
The Ecoflyer was a high-wing monoplane with side-by-side seating, powered by a single Rotax 912 ULS engine. It had a fuel capacity of 30 gallons, a maximum gross weight of 1,320 pounds, a maximum cruising speed of 117 knots, and a range of 510 nautical miles. The design complied with "Design Standards for Advanced Ultra-light Aeroplanes" from the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association of Canada, and a signed Declaration of Compliance was on file with Transport Canada. A Statement of Conformity, signed by the pilot on July 10, 2008, stated the airplane conformed to the standards and was fit for flight.
Wreckage and Impact
Examination on April 29, 2009, revealed all major components accounted for except the right horizontal stabilizer. The debris path extended approximately 1/4 mile through heavily wooded terrain on a heading of 300 degrees magnetic. The left wing was the first piece found, with its outboard section suspended in a tree. The left wing strut was located 578 feet from the left wing. The right elevator was found 920 feet from the left wing. The main wreckage came to rest at the base of a tree on a heading of 080 degrees, with propeller slash marks at about 7 feet. Trees surrounding the airplane were virtually undisturbed, and there was no forward wreckage path. The right wing and strut were separated from the fuselage. The empennage was separated from the fuselage; the right horizontal stabilizer was missing. The engine was intact in the cockpit area, with the propeller hub separated and both blades fractured at mid-span.
Medical and Pathological
An autopsy by the Onondaga County Health Department on April 29, 2009, listed the cause of death as multiple injuries due to blunt trauma. Toxicological testing by the FAA detected no drugs or alcohol.
Tests and Research
The aircraft was equipped with an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) and data acquisition system. Data from the previous 10 hours of flight time, recorded on April 17, 18, 24, 25, 26, and 27, showed no anomalies, and g-loading never exceeded 1 positive G.
Examination at the NTSB Materials Laboratory revealed the wings were constructed of adhesively bonded composite materials with glass fiber fabric plies and foam core. Wing struts were extruded aluminum profiles. The left wing structure fractured around the aluminum plates connecting the spar to the strut, allowing separation. The spar web had two vertical fractures, and disbonding was observed between spar caps and wing skins. The left strut's protruding bar stock was bent, and the bottom end was fractured through the bolt hole. The right strut's steel plates showed deformation. The welded tubular framework at the bottom of the fuselage was fractured on both sides. The missing right horizontal stabilizer's attachment points showed evidence of overstress failure.
Additional Information
A representative from the engine manufacturer, who observed the airplane at "Sun and Fun," reported that the bottom strut attach brackets were "very poorly attached…with substandard welds and bracket design" and appeared to put the welds in tension.
In March 2007, the engineer who assisted in testing identified critical spots in the wing that would cause failure in-flight, particularly susceptible to loads over 4 Gs. Company personnel reported the pilot modified the wing design after the identification, but the exact changes were unknown.
Fuel from the supply at KOIC was tested and showed no contamination or anomalies.
The accident airplane was classified as an advanced ultralight in Canada, which requires a Declaration of Compliance but no Transport Canada inspection. The pilot intended to sell the Ecoflyer in the United States, where it would be classified as a Special Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA).