Air Creation CLIPPER 58 N5138J

Summary

On 9 April 2009 at about 02:00 local time, a Air Creation CLIPPER 58 registered N5138J was involved in an accident near Anacortes, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 April 2009 at 02:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Anacortes, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Anacortes (74S)

Coordinates

48.4989, -122.6625

Aircraft

Air Creation CLIPPER 58

Registration

N5138J

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anacortes → Anacortes

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09CA186

1 person had minor injuries.

The partial loss of engine power due to the passenger's inadvertent movement of the engine throttle control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the experimental weight-shift-control light sport aircraft (trike) experienced a partial loss of engine power during initial climb. The pilot noticed that the engine's throttle went to an idle setting upon climbing to a maximum height of 50 feet above the runway. The pilot made a forced landing on grass-covered terrain adjacent to the runway and the airplane collided with the airport's perimeter chain link fence. One of the trike's fabric wings was ripped over a foot-long span, and the cockpit enclosure was cracked. The pilot reported that no maintenance had been performed on the airplane since he purchased it about 2 months prior to the accident. According to the pilot, although the propeller continued rotating when the engine power loss occurred, insufficient power was produced to sustain flight. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the trike and interviewed the pilot reported that the trike's throttle is accessible to occupants located in both the front and rear seats. In his statement, the pilot opined that during takeoff the throttle was inadvertently retarded by the passenger in the front seat.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.