Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Green Valley, Arizona 85629
Saturday, January 19, 2008 10:00 MST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The flight instructor and his new student pilot departed in the student's experimental weight-shift-control aircraft (trike) for a local area instructional flight on a day with calm winds. No witnesses reported observing the trike after it took off, and the trike's route of flight was not determined. The trike impacted the desert in a nose-down attitude, without disturbing surrounding vegetation. The preimpact integrity of the trike's flight control system was confirmed, with no evidence of incorrect assembly. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunction was found with the engine or propeller assembly. No evidence of ethanol or drugs was found in either pilot. Autopsies revealed that both pilots sustained injuries consistent with a rapid-deceleration-type impact. The reason for the trike's departure from controlled flight and uncontrolled descent was not determined.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
An in-flight loss of control and an uncontrolled descent into terrain for undetermined reasons.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/19/2008 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1000 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Standard Time |
| Event City | Green Valley |
| Event State | ARIZONA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 85629 |
| Event Date Year | 2008 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 315626N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1110454W |
| Event Location Airport | -- |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1653 Mountain Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 23 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | TUS |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 2643 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 13 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 7 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -9 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | -- |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | -- |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | KTUS 191553Z 17004KT 10SM CLR 03/M09 A3029 KTUS |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 25149 |
| NTSB Notification Source | AWP-6 Operations Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 20 2008 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 4 2009 3:31PM |
| User who most recently changed record | coos |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Scottsdale, AZ |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N614LF |
| NTSB Number | LAX08LA050 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Air Creation |
| Aircraft Model | Clipper |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1998FR |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 883 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Conditional |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 28 2007 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 1936 |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | Unknown |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Fred Romanelli |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Green Valley |
| Aircraft Owner State | AZ |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 85614 |
| Operator is an individual? | Yes |
| Operator Name | Edgar D. Stephens |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | Hereford |
| Operator State | AZ |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 85615 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | 14AZ |
| Departure City | Green Valley |
| Departure State | AZ |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 900 |
| Departure Time Zone | MST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | 14AZ |
| Destination City | Green Valley |
| Destination State | AZ |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Unknown |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 4 2009 3:32PM |
| User who most recently changed record | coos |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | N/A |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |