Folland Aircraft Co Ltd GNAT T 1 N18GT accident near Georgetown, South Carolina

Probable cause

The loss of airplane control for reasons that could not be determined due to postcrash fire damage. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to perform an aerobatic maneuver at low altitude, which did not allow sufficient time for him to regain airplane control.

NTSB analysis

Witnesses at the airport reported that the pilot radioed them while on approach to let them know he was coming in to land, and they went outside to view the landing. The airplane crossed over the midfield of the airport and entered a right downwind. The airplane then made a high-speed flyby over the runway between 100 and 200 ft above ground level. At the end of the runway, the airplane pitched up about 30 degrees and began rolling left. According to the witnesses, the first 180 degrees of the aileron roll was "perfect," but, when the airplane reached about the 190-degree point, it abruptly pitched down to the right and collided with the ground. A postcrash fire ensued.

Postcrash fire damage precluded a determination of whether a hydraulic system failure led to the loss of the tailplane/elevator pitch control. However, examination of the two switches on the control stick that operate the electric standby tailplane trim system, which can be used in the event of a hydraulic failure, revealed that the nose-down side of the right switch was inoperative. If a hydraulic failure occurred and this switch was inoperative, the pilot would not have had full tailplane authority during his aerobatic flight maneuver. Although the airplane was equipped with an additional, independent switch that would have allowed control of the tailplane/elevator in the event that this switch failed, the functionality of this switch could not be determined due to damage. Regardless of whether a mechanical problem initiated the pitch anomaly, the low altitude at which the pilot performed the flight maneuver allowed insufficient time for him to regain airplane control before the airplane impacted the ground.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA13FA340 for the full record.