What happened
On March 11, 2016, a Remos GX airplane, registration N28GX, crashed in the airport traffic pattern at Ohkay Owingeh Airport (E1CO) in Española, New Mexico. The flight was a personal mission involving a private pilot and a pilot-rated passenger. The aircraft had previously flown from Santa Fe Municipal Airport to Los Alamos Airport to practice specific takeoff and landing procedures.
Following a period of being parked on the ramp at E14, the aircraft departed for a second time. Witnesses near the runway observed the airplane enter left traffic for runway 16 and land. After a subsequent takeoff, the aircraft entered a left turn. One witness reported hearing a reduction in engine power and seeing the airplane descend toward the ground in a level pitch attitude. A second witness observed the airplane pitch nose-down during a left turn, followed by a large explosion and fireball upon impact.
The aircraft impacted the ground in an open field approximately 885 feet east of the runway 16 departure threshold. The impact occurred in a nose-low attitude, and the aircraft was destroyed by the collision and a subsequent post-impact fire. The pilot and the passenger sustained 2 fatal injuries.
The investigation
Engine disassembly revealed that while the oil pump shaft drive pin had fractured due to fatigue, the pin remained engaged with the camshaft yoke, and there was no evidence of oil starvation or mechanical failure that would have prevented normal operation. Investigators noted that the oil hoses used in the installation had an inside diameter of 9 millimeters, which is smaller than the 11 millimeters required by the Rotax 912 installation manual, and the oil cooler used a right-angle fitting instead of the specified full-flow angled fitting.
Maintenance records showed the aircraft had undergone a 100-hour inspection approximately 10 days prior to the accident. Toxicology results for both occupants were negative for alcohol and drugs.
Findings
Based on the impact geometry and witness accounts, investigators determined that the pilot likely failed to maintain sufficient airspeed during a left turn. This caused the aircraft to exceed its critical angle of attack, resulting in an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude.