History of Flight
On May 24, 2016, about 1625 eastern daylight time, an experimental light sport Jihlavan KP 5 ASA (Skyleader 500), registration N440JM, was destroyed when it impacted terrain in Rhoadesville, Virginia. The flight originated from Culpeper Regional Airport (CJR) about 1530 under visual meteorological conditions as an instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was filed.
Radar data indicated that, after departing CJR, the airplane flew southwest to Orange County Airport (OMH), Orange, Virginia, where radar returns disappeared and reappeared four times, consistent with approaches below radar coverage to runway 26. After the fourth approach, the airplane proceeded northeast and later turned east. Groundspeed slowed from 94 to 62 knots, consistent with slow flight and stall practice. The last radar target was recorded near the accident site at 1624:28.
Witnesses near the accident site reported hearing a sound like thunder or a crack, then seeing a parachute deploy and the airplane's nose pointed straight down before impact. A witness photograph showed the parachute attached and partially inflated.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 57, held a sport pilot certificate with endorsements for airplane single-engine land and powered-parachute land. He had accumulated about 121 total flight hours, including 2.5 hours in the accident airplane (two prebuy flights on March 20 and 22, 2016, logged as dual instruction but without instructor endorsements). He had no other experience in the make and model.
The flight instructor, age 81, held an airline transport pilot certificate with multiengine land rating, commercial pilot certificates for single-engine land and sea, and a flight instructor certificate for single-engine and instrument airplane. He had about 32,840 total flight hours, with 100 hours in the previous 90 days. He had no prior experience in the accident airplane make and model.
Aircraft Information
The two-seat, low-wing, retractable tricycle landing gear airplane (serial number 5141163M, manufactured 2007) was powered by a Rotax 914 UL, 115-horsepower engine with a DUC Swirl ground-adjustable three-blade propeller. It had an experimental light sport aircraft (E-LSA) airworthiness certificate. Its maximum gross takeoff weight was 1,279 lbs.
According to the previous owner, during stall practice the airplane tended to yaw abruptly right and enter a spin. The Pilot's Operating Handbook stated: "Acrobatic, intentionally driven stalls and spins are prohibited!"
The airplane was equipped with a Galaxy Rescue Systems (GRS) ballistic parachute. The parachute attached via four risers: two shared a single front anchor bolted to an aluminum bulkhead behind the seats, and two attached to anchors at each wing root. The front anchor was designed to carry the majority load; the rear risers were for stabilization and could not support the full load if the front anchor failed. The first in-flight deployment of this parachute on this make and model occurred during the accident flight.
Weight and Balance
The basic empty weight was 819.82 lbs. On the accident day, 9.1 gallons of fuel were added (total capacity 16.9 gallons, 101.4 lbs). The pilot weighed 270 lbs and the flight instructor weighed 170 lbs, resulting in a total weight of 1,361.22 lbs, which exceeded the maximum takeoff weight of 1,279 lbs by 82.22 lbs. After about one hour of flight, fuel consumption of about 5 gallons per hour reduced the weight to approximately 50 lbs above the maximum at the time of parachute deployment.
Parachute Deployment and Failure
The parachute activation handle was found in the pulled position. Examination revealed that the two risers attached to the wing anchors had separated near the anchors with broomstrawed wire ends, consistent with overload separation. The two risers attached to the shared front anchor were still connected to the anchor, but the anchor itself had separated from the airframe. The aluminum skin around the front anchor was approximately 0.022-inch thick and had torn away. Metallurgical testing of the separated risers showed overstress features; pull-testing indicated they exceeded design specifications by about 1,000 lbf. The airplane manufacturer could not provide data on the skin's load capacity.
Medical Information
Autopsies determined the cause of death for both occupants as blunt force trauma. Toxicological testing detected several medications in the pilot: carvedilol, doxazosin, doxepin, methadone, nordoxepin, and quetiapine (the latter not detected in blood). The pilot had a history of multiple medical conditions including obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, benign prostatic hypertrophy, a clotting disorder, myositis ossificans, chronic pain treated with methadone and oxycodone, insomnia, and depression treated with seroquel and doxepin. Despite these conditions, he held a valid driver's license and was permitted to fly under sport pilot rules, which require that the pilot not know of any medical condition that would impair safe operation.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage was located in open terrain at about 400 ft elevation. The airplane was found inverted, with significant fore-to-aft crushing damage to the nose and both wings. Control continuity was confirmed from flight control surfaces to cockpit controls. The drogue parachute was in a nearby field; the main parachute was in trees about 100 yards east. The parachute canopy was undamaged.