Gt Ultralights AIRBORNE EDGE X UNREG

Summary

On 5 August 2008 at about 23:25 local time, a Gt Ultralights AIRBORNE EDGE X registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Franklin, Maine, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 August 2008 at 23:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Franklin, Maine, United States

Coordinates

44.5783, -68.2167

Aircraft

Gt Ultralights AIRBORNE EDGE X

Registration

UNREG

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Franklin → Franklin

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA08LA161

1 person died.

The pilot's improper decision to perform low-altitude maneuvers and his failure to maintain clearance from the surface of the bay. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's impairment due to alcohol.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses observed the non-certificated pilot with a passenger on board the unregistered, experimental light sport aircraft. The pilot of the weight-shift trike was performing a low-level maneuver above the bay when the trike made contact with the water and crashed. One witness, a friend of the pilot, reported that the pilot commonly performed the low-level maneuver as a greeting to the local residents in the area. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of a preimpact failure or malfunction with the trike and its systems. The postmortem toxicology testing revealed the pilot had a blood alcohol level of 159 mg/dl (0.159%). The pilot would have been substantially impaired and may have been alcohol dependent given his apparent tolerance to the sedative effects of alcohol.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.