Synopsis
On 23 May 2023, a Joker Trike Hang Glider ultralight aircraft, registered OM-H747 from Slovakia, crashed in the Cantón Plan del Mango area of Rosario de Mora, San Salvador, El Salvador. The accident occurred at 08:15 local time (14:15 UTC). The pilot, the sole occupant, died as a result of the impact. The aircraft was destroyed.
Flight History
The ultralight took off from the private Las Mesas airstrip at 07:30 local time for its first test flight after assembly. It departed north to south and then turned right. After approximately 35 minutes of flight in the San Diego area, it returned to the airstrip from the south. Witnesses on the ground observed the aircraft performing abrupt ascent and descent maneuvers parallel to the runway before it descended and struck the ground in a mountainous, heavily vegetated area on a path in the Vegas del Río hamlet.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft was a Joker Trike Aeros Ltd. Hang Glider model, serial number 007.17, manufactured on 23 February 2017. It was a three-axis ultralight trike with two seats. The engine was a Bombardier Rotax 582 two-stroke, 64 hp, driving a three-blade AERO 1700 propeller. The aircraft was fueled with a mixture of vehicle gasoline and two-stroke oil. A placard noted maneuvering limits: no more than 60° bank, no more than 30° pitch up or down, no inverted flight, and not for aerobatic use.
The pilot was a Salvadoran national. He held no pilot license, no medical certificate, and had no recorded flight experience. According to Salvadoran regulations, ultralight pilots do not require a license to operate in uncontrolled airspace.
Weather
At the time of the accident, weather conditions were reported as scattered dark clouds with localized rain, moderate visibility, winds from 8 to 5 knots, and a temperature of 25 °C. These conditions were considered adequate for the intended test flight near the airstrip.
Wreckage and Injuries
The impact destroyed the aircraft. The pendulum control tube, attachment point, wing components (tension cables, suspension points, leading edge) were broken and detached. The main landing gear and nose gear were separated, and the brake control cable was cut. The seat and pilot's seatbelt were broken. The instrument panel came loose with some instruments destroyed. The engine detached both carburetors, the radiator was deformed, and engine control cables were cut. The propeller blades were destroyed by ground impact.
There was one fatality: the pilot. No other persons were injured, and no ground damage occurred.