Gila Bend, AZ, USA
N8054Y
COVEY Tri Quickie
The pilot had recently purchased the airplane and was flying it back to his home airport with a passenger onboard. The pilot had stopped at the accident airport the evening before the accident and refueled the airplane for departure the following day. A witness observed the accident airplane taxi to the runway hold short line, where it remained for about 20 minutes with the engine running. The witness saw the airplane depart, and about a 1/3 of the way down the 5,200-ft-long runway, observed a dirt cloud and surmised that the landing gear must have departed the runway surface. The airplane returned to the runway centerline. The witness stated that the airplane continued, and about midway down the runway, it appeared the airplane was “yanked off the runway,” and struggled to gain altitude. The witness estimated that the airplane reached an altitude of about 50 ft above ground level when it turned to the left, stalled, and impacted the ground. Using recorded weather conditions from a nearby weather reporting station, the calculated density altitude was about 3,486 ft at the time of the accident. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation; however, the examination was limited due to thermal damage sustained in the post-impact fire. It is likely that the airplane’s takeoff performance was degraded by the high-density altitude conditions, which would have resulted in an increased takeoff distance and decreased climb performance. It is also likely that, after the airplane became airborne, the pilot inadvertently exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, loss of control and impact with the ground.
On June 15, 2021, about 0820 mountain standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Tri-Quickie, N8054Y, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Gila Bend, Arizona. The pilot was seriously injured, and the pilot-rated passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot had recently purchased the airplane and was flying it home to Texas from California. A friend of the pilot reported that he had told the pilot not to take a passenger with him on the trip until he had more experience in the airplane. According to the airport manager, the pilot and passenger arrived at the airport the evening before the accident and refueled the airplane that evening with 17.5 gallons of 100 low-lead aviation fuel. The pilot and passenger departed the following morning from runway 4 on the accident flight. A witness reported that he was working on his airplane when he saw two men perform a preflight and then board the accident airplane. The pilot started the engine and taxied the airplane to the runway hold short line where it sat for about 20 minutes with the engine running before the airplane departed. During the takeoff run, about a 1/3 of the way down the 5,200-ft-long runway, the witness observed a dirt cloud and surmised that the landing gear must have departed the runway surface. The airplane returned to the runway centerline and continued down the runway; about halfway down the runway, it appeared that the airplane was “yanked off the runway” and it “struggled” to gain altitude. The witness estimated that the airplane reached an altitude of about 50 ft when it made a left turn, stalled, and impacted the ground. The weight and balance information for the airplane was not located. Additionally, no performance specifications for the accident airplane were available. The closest weather reporting station to the accident airport was located 5 nautical miles southwest at Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Airport (GXF), Gila Bend, at an elevation of 883 ft mean sea level. The recorded weather conditions at 0758 included wind from 120° at 4 kts, temperature 93.2°F, dewpoint 42.8°F, and an altimeter setting of 29.81 inches of mercury. The calculated density altitude was 3,486 ft. At 0858, recorded weather conditions at GXF included wind from 280° at 3 kts, temperature 98.6°F, dew point 42.8°F, and altimeter setting of 29.81 inches of mercury. The calculated density altitude was 3,810 ft. The airplane came to rest about 200 ft west of runway 4, adjacent to the airport perimeter fence. The first identified points of impact were witness marks from the landing gear on the hard packed desert floor. The debris path continued an additional 140 ft before the airplane impacted a ditch and came to rest; a postcrash fire ensued. The airframe was mostly destroyed by the postcrash fire, exposing the inner hardware of the airplane. The main wreckage came to rest inverted with the wing and landing gear lying adjacent to the cockpit. Flight control cables were identified from the cockpit to each wing and the tail section. The engine separated from the airframe and was found near the main wreckage. The propeller hub remained attached to the engine crankshaft; however, all three propeller blades separated from the propeller hub. A visual examination of the engine revealed no holes in the crankcase. The engine had sustained thermal and impact damage to the accessory case and engine accessories. The crankshaft could not be rotated, and the engine was subsequently disassembled. Pooled molten metal was observed in the accessory case area. The cylinders and pistons displayed varying degrees of thermal damage. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the takeoff initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the reduced airplane performance due to high density altitude conditions.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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