Polaris Polar Star — Dewees Island, SC, 2011

Polaris Polar Star — Dewees Island, SC

2 fatal

Date	July 20, 2011
Location	Dewees Island, SC
Aircraft	Polaris Polar Star
Purpose of flight	Personal
Conditions	Day · Visual Meteorological Cond
Phase / occurrence	Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
Pilot age	40
Pilot total time	Unknown
Time in type	Unknown
Fatalities	2

Probable cause

The non-certificated pilot’s operation of the unregistered airplane while impaired by alcohol. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s performance of aerobatic maneuvers that exceeded the structural limits of the aircraft, which resulted in failure of the wing due to overload.

NTSB findings

Personnel issues-Physical-Impairment/incapacitation-Alcohol-Pilot - C
Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Qualification/certification-Pilot - C
Aircraft-Aircraft structures-Wing structure-(general)-Capability exceeded - F
Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - F

What happened

Witnesses observed the non-certificated pilot perform a loop and start to perform another. As the weight-shift-control aircraft was at the top of the second loop, inverted, at an estimated altitude of 1,000 feet above the water, the wing folded. The aircraft dropped straight down into shallow water. Although the aircraft, which consisted of a fabric-covered wing attached to an inflatable boat, met the definition of a light sport aircraft and should have been registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), it was not registered. The aircraft was not certificated to perform aerobatic maneuvers. Toxicology testing on the pilot’s blood was positive for .069 g/dL ethanol. FAA regulations prohibit operation of an aircraft with blood alcohol levels above .040 g/dL.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.