AIRCRAFT MFG & DVLPMT CO CH601XLi SLSA — Towanda, PA

What happened

The student pilot had just completed a 20-minute local flight and had returned to the airport to conduct touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. During the pilot's second touch-and-go landing, witnesses reported that the engine seemed to be producing partial power during the initial climb and the airplane appeared to stall and recover three times during climb out. As the pilot continued to climb, he bypassed several areas off the departure end of the runway and north and west of the extended runway centerline in which to conduct a forced landing in an open field. The airplane made a shallow turn to the right, then, about 1.5 miles southwest of the airport, it made left a turn south. The pilot declared an emergency over the airport's common traffic advisory frequency, stating that he was attempting to return to the runway; the airplane continued to turn left towards rising terrain. During the turn, the left wing dropped and the airplane descended at a steep angle into trees and rising terrain. The airplane's ballistic recovery system was activated; however, it could not be determined if it was deployed before impact or if accident dynamics caused activation of the system. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation; however, the scope of the examination was limited due to thermal damage.

The weather conditions at the time of the accident were in the area of a carburetor icing probability chart that was conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at descent power and light carburetor icing at cruise or descent power. The pilot operating handbook for the airplane required the application of carburetor heat before landing. If the pilot did not apply carburetor heat during the approach and landing, carburetor ice may have formed, and when he added power for the subsequent takeoff, the engine power would have been reduced. However, the carburetor heat lever could not be functionally tested due to impact and thermal damage, so it could not be determined whether the pilot used the carburetor heat or not; thus the reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined. Suitable off airport landing locations were available on the extended runway centerline and to the northwest of the extended runway centerline; however, the pilot elected to turn south toward rising terrain. The pilot subsequently exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack while attempting to return to the airport following the partial loss of engine power, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.

The pilot had significant heart disease with an enlarged heart, aortic valve replacement, and some arrhythmia that required treatment with a pacemaker, all of which put him at increased risk for sudden incapacitation. However, his heart disease would not have affected his decision-making nor his ability to respond to an inflight emergency, and there is no evidence that his heart disease contributed to the accident.

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