2022 N1908A Kalispell

[Nev]

Brief:
On April 30, 2022, about 0804 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Bearhawk LSA, N1908A, sustained substantial damaged when it was involved in an accident near Kalispell, Montana. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

Aviation Safety Network Link

NTSB Final Report

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/105021/pdf

[Frank]

It's been almost 15 months and no NTSB report yet. I want to know what detailed analysis revealed.

[jaredyates]

Me too. Was it always that they took this long to get out information? I can see how they got here but it seems contrary to the mission to take so long. It's like they are more interested in making it perfect than making it useful.

[Bcone1381]

The Kalispel accident may not be investigated by the NTSB.
This is what I found...

"The NTSB's involvement in investigating general aviation accidents depends on several factors, including the severity and circumstances of the accident.
While the NTSB may not investigate every general aviation accident, it plays a crucial role in studying and analyzing accident trends, identifying safety issues, and making recommendations to enhance general aviation safety across the United States."

So, I think the FAA may give an account of their findings. It will be a short report I would think. I'm not saying I agree with that policy.

[Battson]

There's definitely more to share here, although I am not particularly comfortable posting it publicly.

[jaredyates]

Unfortunately we don't have a venue here that isn't public, but hopefully in time there will be enough public information to better understand this case.

[Frank]

I'm starting to pester the NTSB and Montana FSDO for a final report. NTSB told me two years is not an unreasonable length of time for a final report, and most probably there will be a final report.

I'd really like to establish there was not a weld failure; the preliminary suggests not. And if the lift strut failed, what were possible causes? Undersized material? Bolts? Bird impact? Hangar rash? Violent maneuver at 115 knots?

[PropMan]

all indications are excessive negative G load, guess we will see soon what the investigation says.

[jaredyates]

I agree with your frustration about how long they take. I wish the folks doing it and the folks funding/underfunding them could understand that this kind of thing makes us all safer if it is released in a timely way.

[BradW1062]

I have been told that this delay is because of insurance claims and lawsuits. It's not that is "takes this long", it's that they are "taking this long on purpose".

[jaredyates]

I don't understand this logic. If the NTSB is providing more facts and knowledge, how can the lawsuits proceed before the report is published? If a case was tried and then the final report was released, could the case be revisited after the report? I have a friend who is a retired aviation attorney, I'll try and ask him about this because I'm very curious.

[Frank]

Attached here is the NTSB reply to my inquiry. Stay tuned.

NTSB Investigation AccidentWPR22FA169.pdf

[stinger]

1980-01-01 LSA Fairings Mar 1018 001.jpg My scratch built LSA . After reading the NTSB reports and concerns about the lift struts I did an experiment with a two foot section I have remaining after cutting off excess. I placed this section in my hydraulic press and smashed it flat by process of smashing it alternating the force. I could NOT get it to crack across the cord . I did observe small fractures along the trailing edge however at this point it was totally destroyed. I purchased my strut material about six years ago from Carlson Co. in Ohio . My grandson and I are closing in on 400 hours. Good Luck Stinger

[Frank]

[I received this from the NTSB today. I hope this information will be useful, even if distressing.]

The National Transportation Safety Board plans to release the Final Report and accident docket associated with the Bearhawk LSA aircraft accident that occurred near Kalispell, Montana, tomorrow, April 10, 2024, shortly after 3:00 p.m. (ET).

This report provides a summary of the factual information collected by the NTSB, the results of our analysis, the findings, and the probable cause of this accident. This will be the final document associated with this investigation that will be released by the NTSB.

Below are instructions to access this report on the NTSB website when they become available tomorrow, but please know I will provide you with a copy after it is released.

NTSB Aviation Investigation Database Search Instructions:

• Visit: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/keyword-search
• Input the investigation number WPR22FA169 into the NTSB Number field
• Click the “Search” button on the right or hit the “Enter” key on your keyboard
• Once the search concludes, the investigation record will include a link to the accident docket and a PDF copy of the Final Report

I would like to make you aware that the docket contains photographs of the accident aircraft wreckage at the accident site, witness statements, toxicological analysis report, as well as a video of the aircraft accident sequence. These may be difficult for some to view.

[alaskabearhawk]

I saw only the PDF, no docket was present.

[jaredyates]

I think we have about another 9 hours to go Paul.

[OhioLSA]

The descriptions and photos are chilling. Hopefully this inspires us all to proceed with caution.

[jaredyates]

The pilot built the airplane from plans, and its primary fuselage structure was made of tubular steel covered in fabric. He used an unapproved welding process to construct the airframe and used thicker walled tubing to compensate. Postaccident examination of the wreckage showed the weld quality was generally poor, and a set of structural bracing components in the main wing spar carry-through section was omitted. Even with the poor build quality, the steel airframe structure appeared to be intact before impact. The omission of the braces alone would not have resulted in the failure of the wing as observed: however, the combined effect of the omission and modifications would have affected the overall structural integrity of the airplane.

From the airframe section:
The tube diameters of the steel airframe members met the diameters specified in the plans; however, most tubes were about 30% thicker. The steel tube members appeared to have been welded using the metal inert gas (MIG) arc welding technique contrary to both the kit manufacturer’s recommendations and FAA requirements for certified aircraft. According to friends of the pilot, he had elected to use thicker gauge tube because he was using a MIG welder and was aware of the increased weight penalty using the thicker tube would incur.

The weld quality was generally poor with multiple areas of incomplete fusion, porosity, and burn-through. The left fore-aft lower wing box longeron exhibited an incomplete weld to the left aft vertical support with no penetration. However, the remaining airframe welds in all other locations appeared intact, with the separation failures appearing to have occurred in overload, just beyond the welds.

[jaredyates]

The airplane was equipped with dual controls including a center stick. The passenger, who was seated in the rear of the airplane had not flown with the pilot in the airplane before. The passenger’s seatbelt was not buckled when examined, and although it had sustained damage it still appeared to operate. The damage observed did not explain why it was unbuckled. If the passenger was unrestrained, inadvertent flight control operation could not be ruled out.

[PropMan]

The elevator pitch trim control arm was mounted just above the pilot and to the left. The trim system was intact except for the right trim tab push-pull tube, which had broken away from the fitting on the control surface. The break appeared clean and granular in appearance; there was no evidence of corrosion and no damage to the skin in that area.

Could this be the cause of "inadvertent flight control operation" ?

[Bissetg]

Looking for learnings in this and other events, pilots or pax with unsecured seatbelts/harnesses seems to be a recurring theme. There have been two recent incident's locally where the intention was only to taxi and not to fly that resulted in unrestrained personnel being ejected from the aircraft. Fortunately no fatalities, but only by good luck.

While the unfastened pax belt may or may not have been causative in this accident it’s a timely reminder to brief ourselves and our pax to keep belts fastened until we shutdown.