Quad City Ultralight Aircraft Challenger LSS accident near Moses Lake, WA
On May 31, 2008, a Quad City Ultralight Aircraft Challenger LSS (airplane) was involved in an accident near Moses Lake, WA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 31, 2008
- Place
- Moses Lake, WA
- Aircraft
- Quad City Ultralight Aircraft Challenger LSS · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 47.142°N, 119.238°W
- NTSB ID
- 20080605X00798
NTSB summary
On May 31, 2008, about 1115 Pacific daylight time, an experimental light sport airplane (ELSA) Quad City Ultralight Aircraft Challenger LSS, N95478, impacted a field near Moses Lake Municipal Airport, Moses Lake, Washington. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The light sport pilot, the sole occupant, was killed; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal local area flight departed from Moses Lake, about 0945. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. In a telephone conversation with a National Transportation Safety Board investigator, a witness reported that he assisted the pilot in the building of the accident airplane. He stated that he was washing the airplane when the pilot arrived at the airport. The pilot seemed happy and eager to fly the airplane, as he had only amassed about 10 hours in the airplane and was planning a flight across the United States. After fueling the airplane with full tanks (about 16.5 gallons), the witness observed the pilot start the airplane and eventually taxi to the active runway. Following a run-up, the pilot departed. The pilot had planned to circle the airplane over a friend's house and then perform practice touch-and-go takeoff and landings in Quincy, Washington. The witness further stated that about 1 hour 20 minutes after the airplane departed, he heard the pilot transmit over the common frequency that he was about 5 to 10 miles southwest of the town. He then reported that he was on the 45-degree interception to the downwind leg of the t
Probable cause
The pilot's inability to maintain control due to an in-flight separation of the vertical fin as a result of the failure of the airplane's builder to properly secure the vertical fin to the fuselage.
More accidents in WA
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Browse: Washington
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
