Airborne Windsports Pty Ltd EDGE XT 912 L N98YW accident near Eustis, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot's exceedance of the weight-shift-control aircraft's critical angle of attack while maneuvering for landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the accident aircraft.

NTSB analysis

The pilot had recently purchased the weight-shift-control trike and was performing his first flight in it. The pilot completed three takeoffs and three landings within the length of the runway, each time taking off, climbing to about 30 ft above ground level, landing, and taking off again. The pilot then taxied back to the beginning of the runway and performed two more short takeoffs and landings. While performing a third takeoff, the pilot continued climbing the trike and joined the airport traffic pattern for landing.

Witnesses stated that the pilot overshot the turn from the downwind to base leg of the traffic pattern, and again overshot the turn to the final approach leg. The pilot then made a sharp left turn to intercept the final approach leg of the traffic pattern, and the wings of the trike began rocking up and down. The right wing then "went down," the engine was heard accelerating, and the trike impacted the ground.

Review of weather information revealed the presence of a 6 knot headwind for the landing runway about the time of the accident and no evidence of gusts or convective activity. Examination of the fuselage and wing found no evidence of fatigue on any flight control cable or wing support structure tubing, and the damage observed was consistent with impact. Examination of the engine, along with a postaccident engine run, also revealed no evidence of any preimpact failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot had flown another weight-shift-control aircraft for 5 1/2 years before purchasing the accident aircraft; however, the accident aircraft was equipped with a more powerful engine, was considerably faster, had a higher stall speed and this was the first time he had flown this particular make and model. The pilot overshooting both the base and final legs of the traffic pattern suggest that he may have been experiencing difficulty managing the aircraft's speed in the pattern, which would have been consistent with his lack of experience in the higher performance aircraft. He likely then let the aircraft's speed decay as he attempted a steep turn to intercept the final approach leg to the runway. The angle of bank during that turn would have resulted in an increased load factor and significantly increased the aircraft's stall speed, which was already higher than the pilot was accustomed to. As a result, the aircraft likely rapidly exceeded its critical angle of attack and subsequently experienced an aerodynamic stall at an altitude that precluded recovery.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA18LA089 for the full record.