The pilot bought the amateur-built Bower Challenger II about 1-1/2 weeks before the accident. This was his first flight. He had no previous flight time and he had not received any flight instruction. He told investigators he had some familiarization with flying obtained from the Internet.
He had planned only to taxi at the airport in Lettsworth, Louisiana, however a wind gust caused the airplane to become airborne, and he ultimately flew for about 25 minutes “to get the hang of things.”
He attempted to land several times but was unable because of turbulence.
After another landing attempt, he again decided to go-around due to the turbulence.
He thought the plane had cleared trees near the flight path, however the airplane was momentarily overcome by the continuing turbulence, which resulted in it hitting a tree.
The pilot, who was seriously injured in the crash, told investigators there were no issues with the airplane, noting it was “performing flawlessly.”
Probable Cause: The owner/pilot’s inability to maintain control of the airplane due to his lack of training and experience, resulting in a collision with a tree.
To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.
This March 2020 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
My first flight experience was in an Ercoupe well over a half century ago…, well over. It was a fabric job. I was twelve. The owner of a body shop where I did a lot of hanging out also owned the aircraft which he used to pick up parts for his collision business in rural Michigan. He said the plane made his business more efficient which was fairly obvious, the owner of an aircraft, a new home in the woods and so on…. He asked me one day if I would like to come along to which I responded faster than you hyperventilate in your first unintended stall. He uncoupled the tie-downs, had me sit in the left seat and said, “let’s go!” I don’t remember a pre-flight, I don’t remember priming anything, I just remember him telling me to turn the key, the thing started faster than my Ford A, and shook worse…, then to give it some gas demonstrating with the rod sticking out of the “dash,” and to drive it over “there,” which was one end of a grass strip that seemed to go on forever. There was nothing on the floor other than a little button sticking out in the middle. I asked him what it was and he said not to worry about it, “We’ll deal with that when we get there.” I gave it a little gas and he pushed the rod in all the way in and we were bouncing along in the grass like a jack rabbit in a hound hunt. “NOW WHAT?!” “Just hold the yoke right where it is. It’ll fly by itself when it’s ready. Just keep it between the ditches.” I did. It flew. The landing was just as uneventful, He pointed the way, finally pulled the power, and the plane settled like a butterfly with sore feet. It would not stall [something with which I was not familiar at that point]. Can’t pull back the yoke far enough. A genius design. It just comes down. Slow the descent? Add a little power, and I mean just a little. Drove it like a car when we landed, steered it over to some buildings [which we didn’t have at our ‘airport’], turned it off, got out, picked up the parts, and off we went, but this time with no commentary by the owner. He just sat there with a look on his face which to this day I am unable to translate, but he was happy, as was I. Little did he know….
At least the guy is being honest and not trying to blame the accident on the person who sold him the ultra-light. Some dishonest folks would try to shift the blame (and Financial responsibility) to someone else…
My My…all the rude remarks from the hollier than thou squadron.
Actually he did quite well. What he found out was he didn’t have enough airplane for the weather situation that apparently arose after his departure.
And how many pilots have fell victim to that scenario? Remember the two airliners at Dallas? Or CAP finding out sometimes 2000ft isn’t enough when crossing mountain ridges at a 45 degree angle in a C-172.
++1
Amen, bro. I’m always amazed, if not amused, at some of the comments people who are the perfect flyers make on this web site. What is absolutely amazing here, to me at least but apparently not to the perfect flyers, is the fact that this pilot, with no previous instruction, flew that plane like he did. It took me several hours of flight instruction before I could have done it.
He’s not a pilot, but he did stay at a Holiday Inn last night!!
Maybe that’s why!! Usually it’s the Holiday Inn “Express” where people get amazingly smart!!
I can’t believe there are still idiots out there that think they can fly an aircraft because they watched videos on YouTube. I remember when ultralights started to proliferate back in the 1980’s, people were routinely crashing for a myriad of stupid reasons. Mainly they looked at ultralights as though they were toys and didn’t require real piloting skills. Most learned the truth the hard way. Many paid with their lives. Ultralights are real planes and require real piloting skills, GET PROPER TRAINING !!!
“Some familiarization with flying obtained from the internet.”
Next he will say he has “some familiarization with bomb disposal obtained from the internet.”
Or “I’ll be your brain surgeon today, I have some familiarization with brain surgery obtained from the internet.”
I have had flight students indignantly complain to me that an airplane “doesn’t fly like that on Flight Sim version (whatever).”
Sigh. The real world quite often doesn’t work anything like the way the internet claims it does.
Video games are just that – games. Yes, cut the blue wire to disarm the nuclear bomb, mister Bond, I saw that on the internet . . .
Darwin’s law at work….
Ha ha, yep