Accident Overview
On February 1, 2016, at about 1015 central standard time, a Tecnam P92 light sport airplane, registration N323BR, impacted terrain near Arcola, Texas. The flight instructor was fatally injured, the student pilot was seriously injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was operated by Houston Light Sport Aviation, LLC, under 14 CFR Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from Houston Southwest Airport (AXH), Houston, Texas.
Flight History
A witness reported that the airplane departed on runway 9. When it was about midfield, the airplane was in a nose-high attitude. The left wing dropped, and the airplane entered a descending left turn. It then collided with two parked airplanes adjacent to a parallel taxiway, coming to rest on one of them. A post-crash fire consumed most of the accident airplane and one parked airplane.
The student pilot, interviewed while recovering in the hospital, stated that he and the instructor completed ground school and planned to conduct traffic pattern work. Before taxiing, they saw an airplane depart from runway 27 but believed, based on wind, that runway 9 should be in use. The student performed the takeoff with instructor assistance. After applying full power, about 200 ft above ground, the airplane began drifting left. He attempted to correct but felt the engine losing power and the nose dropping. Both he and the instructor pulled back on the controls; he realized a crash was imminent.
Personnel Information
The flight instructor held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane, as well as flight instructor and ground instructor certificates. He held a special issuance first class medical certificate issued July 27, 2015, and reported 6,161.1 total flight hours, with 30.5 hours in the previous six months. Club records showed 6 hours in the Tecnam P92.
The student pilot had four previous flights with the instructor and did not hold a student pilot certificate. Club records indicated approximately 5.1 total flight hours.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a Tecnam P92, a high-wing, single-engine, light sport airplane with fixed landing gear. It was powered by a 100-horsepower Rotax 912 engine and a fixed-pitch propeller. Its airworthiness certificate was in the Special, Light Sport (S-LSA) category. The last condition inspection was completed October 22, 2015, at a total time of 2,385.57 hours.
Meteorological Conditions
At 1015, the automated weather observation facility at AXH recorded wind 120° at 6 knots, visibility 7 miles, scattered clouds at 1,500 ft with a ceiling at 2,000 ft, temperature 68°F, dew point 64°F, and altimeter setting 29.88 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact
On-site examination revealed the airplane impacted a parked Cessna 172 and came to rest on a Gulfstream American AA5A. No ground scars were found between the runway and ramp area. The post-crash fire consumed much of the AA5A, the accident airplane, and limited examination. The wreckage faced the runway. The right wing had extensive thermal damage; the left wing was consumed. The main cabin was consumed, with only a tubular frame remaining. The empennage had thermal damage but was largely intact. The engine compartment and forward fuselage were mostly consumed. The propeller and nose cone were thermally damaged; only a piece of the two-bladed propeller was found outside the fire area. Aileron and rudder continuity were partially established; elevator push-pull tube was consumed forward of the empennage. The flap actuator position corresponded to a retracted position. The engine received extensive fire damage; it could not be rotated. The propeller speed reduction unit showed no internal discrepancies. Top spark plugs exhibited normal signatures. No preimpact abnormalities were noted.
Medical and Pathological Findings
An autopsy by the Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office determined the instructor's cause of death as blunt force trauma and thermal injury. Toxicological testing by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory was negative for ethanol and carbon monoxide. Tests were positive for glipizide in urine and blood, and salicylate in urine. Glipizide is a prescription medication for type 2 diabetes.