Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB WPR17FA139
NORTH WING UUM INC SPORT X2 912 — Chelan, WA
| Date | July 1, 2017 |
| Location | Chelan, WA |
| Aircraft | NORTH WING UUM INC SPORT X2 912 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 70 |
| Pilot total time | 6,000 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 3,013 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - F
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - F
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Mountainous/hilly terrain-Ability to respond/compensate
What happened
The flight instructor and the student pilot were conducting a local flight in the weight-shift-control aircraft. An onboard camera captured the accident flight and showed that, at the time of the accident, the instructor was demonstrating a spiral dive maneuver. The video showed that the maneuver was initiated at an altitude that appears to be below 1,000 ft AGL which is a minimum required recovery altitude. During the maneuver, the aircraft's bank angle continued to increase until the aircraft entered a nearly-vertical descent and impacted terrain. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.