Fatal Weight-Shift Airplane Crash at Red Bluff Municipal Airport (N123FJ)

Accident Overview and Flight Details On July 29, 2013, at 0951 Pacific daylight time, an Airborne Windsports Edge XT-912-L, registration N123FJ, impacted terrain immediately after takeoff from Red Bluff Municipal Airport in Red Bluff, California. The aircraft, a special light sport weight-shift airplane, was destroyed by the ground impact and a subsequent fire. The private pilot was fatally injured. The flight originated at Red Bluff and was destined for Chico, California, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. ## Witness Accounts and Wreckage Location A witness located approximately 300 feet away reported observing the weight-shift tricycle (trike) type airplane take off, execute a very steep climb, roll to the right, and descend vertically to the ground. The witness described the engine noise as full power throughout the climb and vertical descent. The witness pulled the pilot from the wreckage before the post-accident fire consumed the aircraft. The wreckage was located about 75 yards west of runway 15, near the touchdown zone markings. ## Personnel and Aircraft Information The pilot, age 65, held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land and a third-class airman medical certificate with a limitation for near-vision glasses. His logbook showed 419 total flight hours and 7.1 hours in the accident airplane, including four instructional flights between June 29 and July 23, 2013, and a solo flight on July 27, 2013. The tandem two-seat weight-shift motorized trike, serial number XT-912-0294, was manufactured in 2008 and powered by a Rotax 912UL 80-hp reciprocating engine with a Bolly Optima 3-bladed fixed-pitch propeller. The most recent conditional inspection was performed on March 5, 2013, at 404.46 airframe hours, and a new Airborne SST 0-hour wing was installed on May 2, 2013. ## Medical and Pathological Findings An autopsy performed on July 30, 2013, identified the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. FAA medical records indicated the pilot had high blood pressure controlled with atenolol. Toxicology results were negative for carbon monoxide and cyanide, but atenolol was detected in the liver and blood. The autopsy report did not identify specific injuries associated with a lap or shoulder belt. ## Additional Information A certified flight instructor (CFI) specializing in trike weight-shift aircraft assisted in documenting the accident scene at the request of the NTSB investigator-in-charge. The CFI noted that without the seatbelt fastened, moving the weight of the trike would pull the pilot out of the seat. A review of photographs did not reveal visual evidence of airframe failure or malfunction.