TL2000 PLT ENCOUNTERS SEVERE TURB AND MOUNTAIN WAVE. ALT LOSS WAS 3000 FT PRIOR TO RECOVERY.

Date: 2006-01 · Aircraft: Ultralight · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|inflight-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

Synopsis

TL2000 PLT ENCOUNTERS SEVERE TURB AND MOUNTAIN WAVE. ALT LOSS WAS 3000 FT PRIOR TO RECOVERY.

Narrative

I WAS FERRYING A LIGHT SPORT ACFT (STING SPORT) TL2000. SOME DISTANCE E OF ABQ; I ASKED CTR WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD XING ALT FOR THE RIDGE JUST E OF ABQ INTL AND FOR THEIR TFC. AT THE TIME I WAS AT 8500 FT. THEY SUGGESTED 9500 FT AND SWITCHED ME TO ABQ APCH. APCH ADVISED ME TO MAINTAIN AT OR ABOVE 9500 FT FOR DEPARTING TFC. A SHORT TIME LATER; I STARTED EXPERIENCING A HVY DOWNDRAFT AND ADVISED APCH I WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN 9500 FT. SHORTLY AFTER THAT I STARTED EXPERIENCING SEVERE TURB AND THE ACFT WAS BASICALLY OUT OF CTL AND THE MOUNTAIN WAVE OR WHATEVER IT WAS; SPIT ME OUT AT ABOUT 6500 FT. ALL ITEMS IN THE SMALL COCKPIT THAT WERE NOT SECURELY FASTENED CAME LOOSE AND SCATTERED ALL OVER. THE TURB ENDED JUST NE OF ABQ INTL. I MANAGED TO RETRIEVE MOST OF MY CHARTS AND ASSESSED THAT I WAS STILL IN ONE PIECE. I LANDED AT GALLUP; NM; INSTEAD OF KINGMAN; CLOSED MY FLT PLAN AND INSPECTED THE AIRPLANE. THERE WAS NO APPARENT DAMAGE. NEITHER CTR NOR APCH GAVE ME ANY EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT I ENTERED. I CAN ONLY PRESUME THEY WERE UNAWARE OF THE MOUNTAIN WAVE ACTIVITY. FSS ONLY MENTIONED OCCASIONALLY MODERATE TURB BELOW FL180.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.