Accident Overview
On May 29, 2009, at approximately 1130 central daylight time, an experimental Gentry Chinook Plus 2 ultralight, registration N31773, sustained substantial damage after colliding with trees in a nose-down attitude. The accident occurred while the aircraft was preparing to land at the Sears private airstrip near Bridgeport, Texas. The certified flight instructor and the private pilot aboard were both seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Witness Accounts
The wife of the private pilot reported that her husband had purchased the ultralight in 2008, and this was his first flight. He had waited until spring to fly with an instructor. She stated that after the two departed, they made two circuits around the airstrip. During the third circuit, as the aircraft turned onto the downwind leg, she observed a sudden left bank followed by a pitch-down attitude.
Another witness, who was outside a friend's home, first saw the ultralight at an estimated altitude of 500 feet and about 800 yards away. The witness noted that the aircraft appeared to be preparing to land when it turned south and "nosed dived" into the ground. He commented that the engine sounded like it was "running good" and he did not observe any anomalies with the ultralight prior to the accident.
Flight Instructor's Report
In a written statement, the flight instructor described the events leading up to the accident. Upon arrival at the private airstrip, he and the private pilot conducted a preflight inspection. The instructor then taxied up and down the runway before departing on a short solo flight. During that flight, he performed basic turns and discovered that a small amount of aileron input required a much larger rudder input to maintain coordinated flight. After landing, he informed the private pilot about this rudder/aileron relationship and noted that it would be too noisy for him to provide instruction. The private pilot was agreeable and asked the instructor to fly "one round" with him, to which the instructor agreed. The instructor recalled that after takeoff, while on the downwind leg, the private pilot turned around and tried to tell him something, but he could not hear. His next memory was seeing a large tree, uncertain whether they were in the air or on the ground. Subsequent recollections were intermittent.
Post-Accident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector conducted an on-scene examination of the ultralight. The inspector reported that the aircraft was heavily fragmented due to impact with the trees. It was also noted that the fuel in the fuel tank had a foul odor. According to the private pilot's wife, he had purchased aviation gasoline at the Bridgeport Airport when he bought the ultralight the previous year and had not purchased any fuel since. The reason for the foul odor could not be determined.
Weather conditions recorded at Bridgeport Municipal Airport (XBP), approximately six miles northwest of the accident site, at 1025, included winds from 130 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 26 degrees Celsius, dew point 16 degrees Celsius, and a barometric pressure of 30.11 inches of mercury.