History of Flight
On October 24, 2014, about 0900 Pacific daylight time, a Slingsby T67M-260, N456FR, impacted terrain near Ridgecrest, California. The flight instructor and student were fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to L'Avion, Inc., Mojave, California, and operated by the National Test Pilot School (NTPS) as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions existed near the accident site, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from Mojave Airport at about 0832.
NTPS representatives indicated the flight was part of the Flight Test Engineer Training Program, which includes the Basic Flight Awareness Program (BFAP). The purpose was to perform stalls and spins. After air traffic controllers lost radar and radio contact, a search was initiated, and the wreckage was located by a pilot in a company aircraft. Radar data showed the airplane at about 11,800 ft msl before entering a spin sequence.
Another flight instructor reported flying with the student 3 days earlier in a different airplane of the same make and model. During a phase-c stall with full left rudder and full aft stick for 3 seconds, the airplane did not recover as expected. The student attempted recovery per flight manual procedures, but the airplane continued spinning. The instructor took control and applied recovery techniques, including full opposite rudder and full aft stick, but recovery was not achieved until after additional rotations. The instructor noted no flight control binding on the return flight.
The NTPS President reported that after the previous incident, both T67M-260 airplanes were grounded to verify control rigging. The non-accident airplane was found at maximum rigging limits; maintenance corrected it. The accident airplane's rigging was within limits. The accident airplane had been spun hundreds of times without issues.
Personnel Information
The flight instructor, age 68, held an airline transport pilot certificate with multiengine land, single-engine land, rotorcraft helicopter, and instrument helicopter ratings. He held a second-class medical certificate issued January 16, 2014, with no limitations. He reported 7,845 total flight hours. Review of his logbook from December 2012 to October 2014 showed a flight review on September 10, 2013, in a Piper PA-34. Between January and October 2014, he logged 160.3 hours, including 49.9 hours in airplanes (5.3 in accident make/model) and 94.6 hours in helicopters. He logged 2.3 hours in the accident airplane on October 7 and 8, 2014. He had flown the accident airplane for 1 hour on April 15, 2014, with spins noted. His total time in the accident make/model could not be determined. NTPS reported he had military flight experience, including as a primary instructor in T-34C aircraft. He had been employed with NTPS since January 2006.
The student did not hold any flight or medical certificates but was a student in the Flight Test Engineer training program, which allowed nonpilot-rated students to conduct maneuvers. His actual flight experience could not be determined.
Aircraft Information
The two-seat, low-wing, fixed-gear airplane, serial number 2257, was manufactured in 1996. It was powered by a 260-horsepower Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5 engine and equipped with a three-bladed Hoffman adjustable-pitch propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed August 6, 2014, at 5,104.8 airframe hours. The airplane was within weight-and-balance and center-of-gravity limits.
Meteorological Information
At 0855, a weather station about 27 miles southwest of the accident site reported calm wind, visibility 10 miles, clear sky, temperature 15°C, dew point -4°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.09 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted open desert about 12 miles south of Ridgecrest, coming to rest upright on a heading of about 027° at an elevation of 2,345 ft msl. Wreckage debris was within about 10 ft. Vegetation near the tail was undamaged. The left and right wings remained attached; flaps were partially separated. The empennage was intact except the rudder was separated at the upper hinge. Flight control continuity was established from cockpit to all primary surfaces with no breaks or separations. The fuselage had cracks aft of the cockpit. Dirt/sand was observed on the right cowling. Both five-point restraints were separated from the clasp assembly. The canopy was separated and in an open position. The wreckage was recovered for examination; no evidence of binding or restricted travel was found. The left seat control stick was fractured due to overload. Engine examination showed rotational continuity, thumb compression on all cylinders, and spark from both magnetos.
Additional Information
Review of the BFAP F9 flight card indicated 10 maneuvers, including spins: right and left spins of 3 and 6 turns with various aileron inputs. The stall series and 3-turn spins were to be executed at 9,000 ft msl; 6-turn spins at 10,000 ft msl; recoveries initiated by 7,500 ft msl; bailout altitude was 6,000 ft msl.
A GoPro camera recovered from the wreckage captured video from ramp to accident. The video showed that after takeoff, the airplane conducted a stall (maneuver 2) and a left 2-revolution spin. Subsequently, a 4-revolution right spin (maneuver 5) and a left 4.5-revolution spin (maneuver 6) were performed. The airplane then entered a right spin (maneuver 7). After about 21 revolutions, the student reported 6,000 ft and later 5,500 ft. The canopy was opened between revolutions 24 and 25. The instructor's right arm grabbed the canopy between revolutions 27 and 28; the student stood and jumped between revolutions 29 and 30. Little-to-no movement of the instructor was observed. The airplane completed about 34 revolutions at impact.
The Pilot's Operating Handbook spin recovery procedure required: throttle idle, flaps up, hold stick back with ailerons neutral, apply full opposite rudder, pause one second, move stick progressively forward until spin stops, then centralize rudder and recover from dive with 3-g pullout. A warning noted that out-of-sequence controls may delay recovery.
Medical and Pathological Information
The flight instructor's autopsy listed cause of death as multiple blunt force trauma. Examination identified left ventricular hypertrophy, mild focal coronary artery disease, and no significant natural disease. Toxicology tests found 0.013 gm/dl ethanol in kidney but not in muscle; postmortem production could not be ruled out.
The student's autopsy listed cause of death as multiple blunt force trauma. Toxicology tests were negative for carbon monoxide and volatiles, and positive for salicylate in urine.