Chehalis, WA, USA
N440LS
SIMPSON Amphibeous Trike/No
The pilot reported that, just after liftoff from the runway, the trike began to pull "hard" to the left. The pilot then looked to the left and saw the left wing flapping. He subsequently performed a modified traffic pattern to return to the runway to land. After turning onto the final leg of the traffic pattern, the trike began to oscillate, but the pilot was able to land the trike. As soon as the trike touched down on the runway, the left wing "grabbed," and the trike flipped over and then came to rest on its left side. The pilot reported that the trike lost the left wing prong after takeoff, and a responding police officer found a piece of the left wing prong near the runway departure point. The loss of the wing prong likely led to the left wing flapping after departure and the pilot's subsequent inability to maintain directional control after landing.
On January 25, 2014, about 1515 Pacific standard time, an experimental Simpson Amphibious Trike, N440LS, made a forced landing shortly after takeoff, and came to rest on its side at the Chehalis-Centralia Airport (CLS), Chehalis, Washington. The sport pilot/owner operated the trike under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The trike sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that was departing at the time, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was destined for the Toledo State Airport (5S4), Toledo, Oregon. In an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that as soon as the trike lifted off the runway, it began to pull hard to the left. He looked to his left, and saw the left wing flapping. He radioed that he was having a problem, and flew a modified pattern to land. As the pilot turned the trike onto the final leg for landing, it began to oscillate in the air. As soon as it touched down, the left wing "grabbed" and the trike flipped over, coming to rest on its left side. The pilot stated that a police officer located the left wing spring assembly broken on the runway. According to the responding police officer, the pilot informed him that he had conducted his preflight check prior to departure, and the trike appeared to be in good working condition. Upon takeoff, the pilot reported that the trike lost the left wing prong. He circled back to land, but was not able to maintain control of it, and crashed upon landing. The officer stated that he located the piece of wing prong on the runway near the departure point. The trike was inspected by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. The FAA inspector reported that the cord that secured the wing baton on the aircraft had broken, however, it was not known if the bungee cord had broken at takeoff or after landing. The pilot did not complete or turn in the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report Form 6120.1.
The failure of the left wing prong.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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