NTSB Factual Report

On October 3, 2013, about 0833 eastern daylight time, an Airborne Edge Executive weight shift control aircraft, N927H, registered to and operated by a private individual, was landed hard during a forced landing shortly after takeoff from Mid Florida Air Service Airport (X55), Eustis, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight from X55. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the pilot, the sole occupant sustained serious injuries. The flight originated about 1 minute earlier from X55.

The pilot had successfully performed 3 takeoff's and landing's earlier that day with his instructor and was then signed off for solo flight. He departed with about 6 gallons of fuel and about the departure end of the runway at 350 feet above ground level, the engine suddenly quit. He turned to the right towards a field then back to the left to line up for the field, and just before touchdown he reported he over-flared. The airplane then hit, bounced 20 feet into the air, cleared a 3 foot-tall fence, then touched down and came to rest.

The pilot's flight instructor reported that the previous 3 takeoff's and landings during a 30 minute flight were uneventful; there were no discrepancies with the engine during the flight. He witnessed the accident flight and noted that when the flight was at the departure end of the runway, he observed the aircraft bank hard to the left then saw the nose pitch down. He did not witness the impact but went to the site. Upon arrival the pilot was out of the aircraft, conscious. He asked the pilot what happened and he said the engine quit. He (flight instructor) reported that he was too far away to hear the engine. Following the accident he recovered the aircraft.

A witness reported hearing the engine "cut-out" then observed the aircraft climbing, followed by the engine "shut down again." The witness reported seeing the aircraft climb to 40 feet, then reported the engine, "cut out completely and [the] aircraft nose dived at that point."

The accident occurred during the Federal Government shutdown in October 2013; therefore, there was no federal inspection of the accident site, aircraft, or engine by FAA and/or NTSB Personnel. Additionally, the aircraft was sold before being investigated by NTSB.

The pilot's flight instructor reported inspecting the airframe and engine following recovery and stated there was nothing wrong with the flight controls. He also noted the fuel lines were full of fuel but the sight level was empty; he attributed that to be because it was broken at the bottom of the fuel tank. He looked into the exhaust port of the cylinders and did not see any scoring of the piston; he reported the cylinders looked perfect. He did not inspect the carburetor bowls, and reported they remained attached. The engine controls remained connected, and he did not observe any issues with the air induction system. He reported that the mast and base tube were broke in half, and one blade of the three bladed composite ground adjustable propeller was broken. No determination was made as to the reason for the reported loss of engine power.

The pilot did not return the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report that was sent to him via e-mail.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's inadvertent stalling of the wing following a total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examinations, which resulted in a hard landing.