Moyes Bailey MICROLITE N7008Z

Summary

On 22 December 2010 at about 22:30 local time, a Moyes Bailey MICROLITE registered N7008Z was involved in an accident near Newberg, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 December 2010 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Newberg, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Sportsman Airpark (2S6)

Coordinates

45.2589, -122.9389

Aircraft

Moyes Bailey MICROLITE

Registration

N7008Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Newberg → Hubbard

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11CA079

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper recovery from a dive, which resulted in a loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he leveled the experimental, amateur-built airplane in cruise flight and gripped the control stick with his legs in order to free his hands to perform some aerial photography. The pilot had done the same thing on previous flights, and he was aware that the airplane had a tendency to pitch down and accelerate when not monitored and controlled continuously. After he took some photographs, he grasped the stick with one hand and applied back pressure to reduce the airspeed. While attempting to stow the camera, he inadvertently let go of the control stick, and the airplane descended and accelerated again. Although the control stick was free to move, the pilot was unable to correct the flight path with the elevator, and he deployed the ballistic recovery parachute, and retarded the engine to idle. The airplane impacted terrain nose-first and sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any preimpact anomalies or failures. The pilot reported that after the accident, he learned it was necessary to retard the throttle in order to successfully recover from a dive.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.