P&M Aviation Ltd PEGASUS QUIK 912S accident near Hanalei, HI
On May 17, 2011, a P&M Aviation Ltd PEGASUS QUIK 912S was involved in an accident near Hanalei, HI. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 17, 2011
- Place
- Hanalei, HI
- Aircraft
- P&M Aviation Ltd PEGASUS QUIK 912S · WSFT
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 22.167°N, 159.660°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110517X13240
Official records · WPR11FA225
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 17, 2011, about 1043 Hawaiian standard time, a P&M Aviation LTD Pegasus Quik 912S, light sport weight-shift-control (WSC) aircraft, N705PM, sustained substantial damage during impact with the ocean near Honopu Beach in Na Pali Coast State Park, Hanalei, Hawaii. The sport pilot instructor and his student sustained fatal injuries. Kauai Aerosports was operating the aircraft under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local instructional flight, which had originated from Port Allen Airport, Hanapepe, Hawaii, about 30 minutes before the accident. A flight plan had not been filed. Two video cameras on the WSC aircraft documented an uneventful takeoff/departure and pre-accident portion of the flight; the video documentation stopped approximately 15 seconds before impact, due to data buffering time. Witnesses on Honopu Beach and on a boat immediately off-shore observed the aircraft flying southwest along the shoreline towards Honopu Arch about 400 feet above the ground (agl). It flew over the rock arch, back towards the ocean, and around a rock pinnacle. As the aircraft headed back towards Honopu beach in level flight, its altitude was about 150 to 200 feet agl, and its airspeed had slowed to about 40 knots. One witness said that, as the aircraft flew over the sandy beach heading inland, the pilot applied full power and entered an abrupt, steep climb. All the witnesses said that it looked like the pilot was attempting to clear the 450-foot rock cliff to reach Honopu valley. At about 300
Probable cause
The pilot's continued operation of the aircraft with deteriorated wing fabric and his aggressive maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in the right wing fabric’s failure during flight. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's loading of the aircraft in excess of the maximum gross weight limit.
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Browse: Hawaii
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
