On 1 Jan 2017, a LARSON ROGER H RV-7 A was involved in an aviation accident near Casa Grande, AZ. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s inadvertent application of the autopilot during short final, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and hard landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB.
A pilot reported that while adjusting the mixture on short final, he accidentally activated the autopilot, fought the controls, and the airplane stalled, resulting in a hard landing with substantial fire-wall damage.
Accident Details
During the second flight after installation of a new autopilot, a pilot observed on short final that the mixture was set too lean. While wearing a gloved hand, he pushed the mixture control to a richer setting and inadvertently activated the autopilot, which was located directly above the mixture control. The autopilot had been set to navigation, heading, and altitude modes from a previous flight. The pilot reported fighting the autopilot, and the airplane aerodynamically stalled, resulting in a hard landing.
Aircraft Damage
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall.
Pilot Report
The pilot stated there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.