What happened
On March 25, 2026, at approximately 14:53 EDT, an experimental homebuilt Airshark, registration N220AS, was involved in a fatal accident near Statesboro, Georgia. The aircraft was being prepared for a ferry flight from Statesboro to Carrollton, Georgia, when the pilot conducted a local flight to verify the airplane's performance.
The aircraft struck a tree approximately 42 feet above the ground while in a 14-degree right wing low attitude, traveling on a 062-degree magnetic heading. Following the impact, the airplane traveled through a ground scar created by a propeller strike and came to rest inverted in a wheat field, 245 feet from the tree. The pilot sustained 1 fatal injury.
The investigation
An examination of the wreckage revealed that the flight control system and surfaces, including the ailerons, rudder, and elevators, were functional and showed no anomalies. The aircraft had been fueled to its 118-gallon capacity, and the fuel selector was set to the left tank.
Investigators found the following regarding the fuel system:
- The left fuel tank finger screen was 30% to 40% obstructed by material consistent with solder used in the screen's manufacturing.
- The gascolator bowl contained approximately 1/2 teaspoon of water.
- The paper-style fuel filter was clean and showed no signs of water.
- No leaks or anomalies were found in the fuel lines, fuel injector servo, or fuel flow divider.
An examination of the engine revealed:
- All six cylinders showed proper compression and suction.
- The left magneto failed to produce a spark when rotated by hand, while the right magneto produced a spark when rotated with a drill.
- The oil suction screen contained approximately 1/4 teaspoon of dark granular material.
- The propeller remained attached, though all three blades exhibited varying degrees of bending and twisting.
A Levil Flight Aviation broadcasting outer module (BOM) was recovered from the ground near the aircraft. This device, which was installed on the day of the accident, had not been configured for flight data transmission due to time constraints.