American Aerolights EAGLE XL UNREG

Summary

On 26 June 1983 at about 16:59 local time, a American Aerolights EAGLE XL registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Sommerton, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

26 June 1983 at 16:59

Classification

Accident

Location

Sommerton, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

32.5298, -114.7095

Aircraft

American Aerolights EAGLE XL

Registration

UNREG

Category

Ultralight

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 103: Ultralight

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX83FU009

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A WITNESS IN ANOTHER ULTRALIGHT SAW THE PLT OF THE EAGLE XL CLIMB TO ABOUT 800 TO 1000 FT AGL AFTER TAKING OFF. THE WITNESS WAS APRX 500 FT AGL WHEN HE SAW THE EAGLE XL START A STEEP DESCENT FROM HIS 8 TO 9 O'CLOCK HIGH POSITION AND THOUGHT THE EAGLE XL PLT WAS DESCENDING TO MEET HIM. HE LOOKED AWAY TO SCAN FOR OTHER TRAFFIC AND WHEN HE LOOKED BACK HE SAW THE EAGLE XL JUST BEFORE IT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NEAR VERTICLE DIVE. HE NOTICED THAT BEFORE IMPACT THE LEFT WING APPEARED TO BE SWEPT BACK APRX 15 TO 20 DEG MORE THAN THE RIGHT WING. EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE LEFT FRONT FLYING WIRE WAS FOUND SEPARATED AT THE BOWSPRIT ATTACHPOINT. THE PILOT HAD PREVIOUSLY FAILED A FLIGHT PHYSICAL DUE TO HIS FAILURE TO PASS TWO DEPTH PERCEPTION TESTS. REPORTEDLY, THE PLT HAD PREVIOUSLY MADE RAPID DESCENTS AND HAD SAID HE ENJOYED DOING THESE MANEUVERS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.