Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB ERA12LA537
QUAD CITY ULTRALIGHTS CHALLENGER II — Ocala, FL
| Date | August 30, 2012 |
| Location | Ocala, FL |
| Aircraft | QUAD CITY ULTRALIGHTS CHALLENGER II |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 50 |
| Pilot total time | 47 hrs · Student / very low time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadvertent overstress of the airplane, which resulted in the in-flight separation of the outer section of the right wing.
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft structures-Wing structure-Spar (on wing)-Capability exceeded - C
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C
What happened
After takeoff, the pilot remained in the traffic pattern, performed a low pass, and then departed to the southeast. When the airplane was about 4 miles away from the departure airport with no adverse weather nearby, the airframe was overstressed, which resulted in the in-flight separation of the outer 3 feet of the right wing and a portion of the right flaperon. The airplane then descended uncontrolled and impacted terrain. No preexisting cracks were noted in the fracture surfaces of the forward and aft spars of the right wing. Inspection of the engine and flight controls revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction.