Evolution Trikes REVO N98EV

Summary

On 11 March 2014 at about 19:10 local time, a Evolution Trikes REVO registered N98EV, operated by Birds In Paradise LLC, was involved in an accident near Kekaha, Hawaii, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 March 2014 at 19:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Kekaha, Hawaii, United States

Nearest airport

Port Allen Airport (PHPA)

Coordinates

21.9661, -159.6683

Aircraft

Evolution Trikes REVO

Registration

N98EV

Year built

2010

Engines

1

Operator

Birds In Paradise LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hanapepe → Hanapepe

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14FA135

2 people died.

The pilot's reconfiguration of the fuel venting system, which resulted in a loss of engine power and subsequent loss of aircraft control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The instructor was taking the student on an introductory instructional flight in a special light-sport weight-shift-control aircraft (trike). After departure, the instructor maneuvered the trike over the ocean and along the coast at an altitude of about 1,000 ft above ground level. About 20 minutes into the flight, the trike descended into terrain, impacted in a near vertical attitude, and was consumed by fire. Although the pilot was in radio communication with another trike, he did not report that he was having any difficulties. The pilot had recently experienced a problem with the trike's fuel system: during a previous flight, fuel was streaming out of the vent line due to suction created by its position in the airstream. Although the airframe manufacturer explained that this can be normal, the pilot decided to reposition the vent line. Before the accident flight, the pilot had re-routed the clear plastic vent line so that it ran up the mast and aft along the keel (inside the keel pocket) and then bent 180-degrees upward and around to face into the airstream. The severe impact and fire damage to the trike precluded determination of the events that led to the departure from controlled flight. However, the rerouted vent line may have become constricted due to the rerouted configuration, either by the tie wraps securing it to the keel or by the keel tube riding tightly against the keel pocket in flight. Such a constriction would lead to the fuel system becoming fully depressurized and the engine experiencing a loss of power due to fuel starvation. It is likely that the pilot became distracted by the loss of power and subsequently lost control of the trike.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.