Seymour SKYRANGER N936LS

Summary

On 13 September 2012 at about 20:20 local time, a Seymour SKYRANGER registered N936LS was involved in an accident near Perris, California, United States. One person was 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

13 September 2012 at 20:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Perris, California, United States

Nearest airport

Perris Valley (L65)

Coordinates

33.7772, -117.3447

Aircraft

Seymour SKYRANGER

Registration

N936LS

Category

Airplane

Year built

2004

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Corona → Perris

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12LA417

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of aircraft control during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight in the experimental amateur-built airplane, the pilot heard a "bang" sound, and the airplane immediately began to descend and roll to the left. He applied opposing aileron and right rudder control inputs and was able to regain partial control; however, as the descent progressed, the airplane's turn rate began to increase. The airplane struck the ground in a left-wing-low attitude, sustaining substantial damage. Examination of the airframe did not reveal any failures or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Although postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed two separated cables (a wing brace and an elevator trim tab cable), physical evidence indicated that the cable separations most likely occurred during the accident sequence.  Additionally, if the elevator trim tab cable had separated in flight, the movement of the trim tab to the up position likely would not have resulted in the flight control difficulties experienced by the pilot. Thus, it was not possible to determine why the airplane departed controlled flight and why the pilot was unable to regain control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.