History of Flight
On March 9, 2015, at about 1807 eastern daylight time, an unregistered Rainbow Aircraft (Pty) Ltd. Aerotrike weight-shift aircraft took off from a private airstrip near Chesnee, South Carolina. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft veered to the right and struck a tree. The flight was a personal local flight operating under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
The passenger reported that earlier that day, the pilot flew the aircraft to the airstrip, landing around 1745. After landing, the pilot instructed the passenger to board, telling him to not resist the controls. The passenger sat in the front seat with access to the control bar, while the pilot occupied the rear seat and controlled the wing via cables attached to the control bar.
Prior to takeoff, an engine run-up was performed with no issues. The flight departed to the southwest, flew over a field, and returned for a full-stop landing to the northeast. The pilot then taxied, turned around, and departed again to the southwest, completing a left traffic pattern and landing full-stop to the southwest. After taxiing back, a third takeoff was initiated to the northeast.
When the aircraft reached about 100 feet above ground level (agl), near tree-top height, a slight breeze was present. The passenger stated that the aircraft drifted right, which the pilot corrected. Then the aircraft suddenly veered right toward a tree line about 50 yards away. The passenger opened his palm, and the pilot moved the control to the right in an attempt to correct left, but the bottom of the aircraft contacted the top of a tree while in a climbing attitude with the engine running. The aircraft leveled off, descended 10 feet into the tree, and became wedged about 50 to 60 feet agl.
The passenger felt a solid thud and believed the aircraft was secure, but the pilot expressed concern that the tree would not support their weight and instructed the passenger to exit. The pilot jumped to a nearby limb, caught it with his left arm, but slipped and fell to the ground. The passenger called out but received no response. After about 20 minutes, someone noticed them and stopped. The passenger remained in the aircraft for about two hours before being rescued.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 50, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating issued November 11, 1990, and a sport pilot endorsement for weight-shift control land issued November 17, 2006. His most recent third-class medical certificate, issued March 29, 1996, expired March 31, 1998. On the medical application from 1996, he reported 150 total flight hours.
The front-seat occupant, aged 44, held a student pilot certificate issued July 3, 2014. On his last medical application, he reported 73 total flight hours. He had flown a Cessna 152, accumulating 50–55 hours between 2005 and 2011 or 2012.
Aircraft Information
The two-seat weight-shift aircraft was manufactured by Rainbow Aircraft (Pty) Ltd. and was marked in part with "Aerotrike" and "To be used for instruction only"; no serial number was evident. It was equipped with a Rotax 503 engine and a 10-gallon fuel tank. Instruments included a tachometer, altimeter, airspeed indicator, exhaust gas temperature gauge, two cylinder head temperature gauges, and a digital tachometer/hour meter reading 0271. The aircraft was not equipped with a GPS receiver or engine monitor. It had a single control bar for the front seat; no control bar was provided for the rear seat. No maintenance records were available.
Meteorological Information
A surface observation at Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport (SPA), about 10 nautical miles from the accident site, reported at 1815: wind from 190 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 19°C, dewpoint 2°C, and altimeter 30.20 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site, determined by the passenger using Google Earth, was located at 35°03′50.84″N, 081°53′11.29″W, about 817 feet from the approach end of the east-northeast oriented runway at a bearing of 086 degrees.
Before NTSB initiated an investigation, the wreckage was removed from the tree and recovered to the passenger's address, where the engine was subsequently run with no issues. Later, FAA inspectors examined the wreckage. The wing/canopy was intact except for tears on both sides and a tear at the right leading edge. Two tears were similar on both sides, likely from a support cable attached to the rear of the wing. After the tree impact, the wing forward support tube failed, allowing the wing to fall back toward the engine. A small cable attached to the rear of the wing became tangled in the propeller, tearing the wing and breaking the cable. One propeller blade exhibited leading edge damage consistent with cable contact. The main spar tube was broken at the right leading edge tear, consistent with tree contact. All other control cables were intact.
The trike portion had damage to the left gear support tube and the main vertical tube, which showed rearward bending. Fuel level was just below the 5-gallon mark. The Rotax 503 engine was started and ran, producing sufficient power for flight.
Medical and Pathological Information
A postmortem examination of the pilot was limited to external examination. The cause of death was listed as "Internal injuries secondary to fall from tree." Forensic toxicology on femoral blood specimens was negative for barbiturates, cannabinoids, salicylates, acetone, ethanol, isopropanol, and methanol.
Survival Aspects
The passenger reported that after the collision, the pilot sustained only cuts and scratches and was talking. The passenger felt the aircraft was secure in the tree, but the pilot advised him to exit, expressing concern that the tree would not support their weight. The passenger was rescued from the aircraft, which remained suspended in the tree, and sustained minor injuries (scratches) from the collision.