Factual Information
On 2 September 2023, a Colomban MC-15 Cri-Cri ultralight aircraft, registration OM-M644, was involved in an accident at Hosín Airport (LKHS) during an airshow organized by the Aeroklub České Budějovice. The aircraft had arrived from Trenčín Airport (LZTN) with approximately 10 liters of BA-95 gasoline. After landing, 8 liters of a mixture of BA-95 gasoline and T2 Shell Advance oil in a 35:1 ratio were added.
Sequence of Events
The pilot took off from runway 24R and performed a low pass. During a second pass, while turning left, the left engine began running irregularly and shortly thereafter failed completely. The pilot attempted to return to the airfield using full power on the right engine but was unable to sustain flight and crashed into a cornfield adjacent to runway 06R (grass). A witness reported seeing the aircraft at about 30 meters altitude turning left after the pass, and after the engine failure it continued descending left towards the airfield but lacked sufficient height.
Emergency services on site extracted the pilot from the wreckage. A police breathalyzer test was negative. The pilot was taken to the traumatology department of České Budějovice hospital for examination and was released that evening. No injuries were reported.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The ultralight aircraft was destroyed. The left engine remained attached to its forward pylon; the right engine separated with its pylon and lay on the ground ahead of the aircraft. One blade of the right propeller was broken off. The rear fuselage and empennage were broken upward just behind the cockpit. The right wing’s main spar was fractured and the wing partially separated; the left wing had a damaged tip and aileron, with a deformed spar at the fuselage. The front and right main landing gear legs were broken off. The cockpit canopy was undamaged and open; instruments and cockpit interior showed no visible damage.
The pilot, a 54-year-old male foreign national, held a valid ultralight pilot license issued by the Slovak Federation of Ultralight Flying (SFÚL), valid until June 2025, and a valid LAPL medical certificate. He had accumulated 135 total flight hours on Diamond DA20 and Cessna 150 aircraft, including 48 hours on the Colomban MC-15 type.
Investigation Findings
The pilot reported that the left carburetor malfunctioned, leading to the engine failure. The official investigation determined the cause as the failure of the left engine due to unreliable function of the left carburetor. No safety recommendations were issued.