What happened
On May 3, 2013, a Cora 200 Arius F ultralight aircraft, registration OH-U395, crashed near Lake Ylä-Vehkajärvi in Sysmä, Finland. The aircraft, equipped with floats, had departed from the pilot's lakeside property, likely intending to perform a short local flight.
Immediately following takeoff, witnesses observed the aircraft climbing at an excessively steep angle and oscillating from side to side. The aircraft then entered a nose-dive into a wooded area near the shore. The high-speed impact caused the aircraft to catch fire, resulting in the destruction of the wreckage. Both the pilot and the passenger sustained fatal injuries.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's performance, the pilot's medical history, and the aircraft's technical documentation. Investigators analyzed the aircraft's weight and balance, the pilot's recent flying experience, and the specific flight characteristics of the Cora 200 Arius F. The inquiry also reviewed the medical certification process and the accuracy of the aircraft's flight manuals and weight certificates.
Findings
The primary cause of the accident was an excessively steep climb angle and a failure to recognize the onset of a partial stall, which led to an abrupt stall at a low altitude. The pilot's degraded physical capacity was a critical factor; although the pilot had a valid medical certificate, they had repeatedly failed to disclose significant illnesses and medications on their application forms that would have precluded certification.
Several contributing factors were identified, including:
- Significant overload of the aircraft.
- The pilot's insufficient experience regarding slow flight, stalls, and floatplane operations.
- The unexpected stall characteristics of the Cora 200 Arius F type.
- Inconsistencies and shortcomings in the aircraft's flight manuals and weight/balance documentation.
- The pilot's limited recent flying experience.
Safety action
The investigation resulted in four safety recommendations:
- The Finnish Transport Safety Agency should establish standardized requirements for additional medical examinations and the minimum content for medical opinions.
- The Finnish Transport Safety Agency should ensure that specialists (such as psychiatrists, neurologists, and cardiologists) are aware of the procedures for consulting aviation medical examiners and reporting patient conditions that may affect flying.
- The Finnish Transport Safety Agency should ensure that ultralight flight manuals provide precise descriptions of slow flight and stall characteristics for both wheeled and float configurations across all permissible weights.
- The Finnish Aeronautical Association should ensure that training syllabi for ultralight pilots and instructors include sufficient training on stall recognition and emergency procedures.