Haessler COSMO PHASE II N9022F

Summary

On 17 June 2000 at about 19:00 local time, a Haessler COSMO PHASE II registered N9022F was involved in an accident near Banks, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 June 2000 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Banks, Oregon, United States

Coordinates

45.6607, -123.1500

Aircraft

Haessler COSMO PHASE II

Registration

N9022F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Portland → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA00LA107

1 person died.

The pilot's improper installation, i.e., reversed connection, of the rudder control cables resulting in reverse rudder operation and a subsequent stall/spin. A contributing factor was the pilot's intentional design change/addition of a rudder to the aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner assembled the French Cosmos Phase II single-engine, two place, experimentally registered aircraft and then modified the aircraft with the addition of a rudder. During the fourth flight a witness observed the aircraft 'out of control' and turning/descending in a nose-down attitude to ground impact. An acquaintance of the pilot reported that the pilot had confirmed with him in a conversation the day before the accident and following the third flight in the aircraft, that he was experiencing problems with controllability when using the rudder. Specifically, with the application of substantial rudder, the aircraft would initially yaw in the appropriate direction, and then begin a rapid uncommanded roll in the opposite direction (i.e., right roll with left rudder). Post-crash examination by an FAA inspector revealed that the rudder cables were connected opposite to conventional rigging practices, and that when the right rudder was applied at the foot pedals, a left deflection was observed. Additionally, the rudder pedals were observed to be jammed in the full right rudder position (right pedal forward) at the crash site, and the damage to the wing leading edges was consistent with a left spin at ground impact.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.