Cosmos PHASE II accident near El Mirage, CA
On September 20, 2010, a Cosmos PHASE II was involved in an accident near El Mirage, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 20, 2010
- Place
- El Mirage, CA
- Aircraft
- Cosmos PHASE II · WSFT
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.630°N, 117.619°W
- NTSB ID
- 20100920X21917
Official records · WPR10LA462
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On September 20, 2010, about 0740 Pacific daylight time, a Cosmos Phase II, experimental light-sport weight-shift-control trike, N56078, collided with terrain shortly after takeoff from a private dirt strip in El Mirage, California. The pilot was operating the aircraft under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The non-certificated pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the trike sustained substantial damage to the wing and fuselage structure. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight. A witness and friend of the pilot stated that the pilot usually starts the engine while seated in the aircraft. Once started, his standard procedure was to then exit the aircraft while the engine warms up, and put on his helmet and glasses. On this occasion, he was seated in the airplane, and was having difficulty starting the engine. The witness then observed him move the throttle to the full forward position. As the pilot attempted to start the engine again, it started, and immediately accelerated to high power. The pilot remained seated and appeared to be "panicking" while holding onto the base bar of the control frame. The witness noted that the base bar remained in a fixed position, and that the pilot was struggling to stay within the aircraft. The aircraft began to accelerate forward, rotated, and started a steep climbing left turn to about 50 feet agl, followed by a 180-degree turn and descent to the left. It collided with the ground about 250 feet beyond the takeoff point. The trike was equipped with a Ga
Probable cause
The pilot's improper preflight and starting procedures, which resulted in an inadvertent takeoff with the gust lock still installed.
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Browse: California
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
