Ultralite Sro STINGSPORT N494N

Summary

On 17 November 2018 at about 16:20 local time, a Ultralite Sro STINGSPORT registered N494N was involved in an accident near Clermont, Florida, 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

17 November 2018 at 16:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Clermont, Florida, United States

Coordinates

28.4214, -81.6911

Aircraft

Ultralite Sro STINGSPORT

Registration

N494N

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Arcadia → Apopka

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19LA050

1 person had minor injuries.

An inflight failure of the airplane’s horizontal stabilizer.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was in cruise flight when he received an automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast traffic alert of traffic approaching from his one o'clock position and closing at "a high rate of speed." The pilot went on to describe control inputs and airplane attitudes during his response to the perceived threat, which ultimately resulted in a loss of control and aerodynamic spin. During the pilot’s attempted recovery from the spin, the nose of the airplane pitched forward uncontrolled and the airplane entered a high-speed, nose-down descent. It is likely that during these remedial actions to regain control, the structure surrounding the horizontal stabilizer failed, and the stabilizer separated from the airplane. The pilot then successfully deployed the airplane’s ballistic parachute system, and it landed in a pasture. Examination of the failed structure surrounding the horizontal stabilizer revealed areas of delamination with dry glass fibers indicative of improper material layup with inadequate resin application. It could not be determined to what extent the inflight separation of the horizontal stabilizer was due to this defect, or whether the pilot’s control inputs during the response to the traffic warning, departure from controlled flight, and subsequent attempted recovery attempt imparted forces onto the horizontal stabilizer that were beyond its nominal structural capability.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.