Air Trikes Tourist accident near Middlebury, VT
On September 20, 2006, an Air Trikes Tourist (airplane) was involved in an accident near Middlebury, VT. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 20, 2006
- Place
- Middlebury, VT
- Aircraft
- Air Trikes Tourist · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.971°N, 73.178°W
- NTSB ID
- 20061006X01480
NTSB summary
On September 20, 2006, at 1934 eastern daylight time, an unregistered amateur built Air Trikes Tourist, was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain while maneuvering near Middlebury, Vermont. The certificated private pilot/owner and the certificated sport pilot were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which departed from a private airport in Middlebury, Vermont. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. Two witnesses observed the accident aircraft, as it maneuvered and performed several takeoffs and landings over the period of about an hour. The witnesses described that while maneuvering, the aircraft was "flying up to high altitudes and cutting the engine." The aircraft would then glide to a lower altitude before restarting the engine and repeating the process. Additionally, the aircraft performed several steep bank turns at a "lower than normal" altitude. Just prior to the accident, one witness called out to the other and told her to look at the aircraft, because it was "doing all sorts of crazy maneuvers." The witness looked up, saw the aircraft "spinning" to the left, and descending vertically to the ground. The witness described the spinning motion as "corkscrewing," and that the aircraft was rotating around the tip of one wing. The aircraft then disappeared from view behind a tree line, but "at the last second" both witnesses heard the engine briefly increase power, followed by silence. Another witness observed the aircraft as it spiraled towards the ground. He described the
Probable cause
A loss of control for undetermined reasons.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
