After stopping for fuel, the pilot departed for the second leg of a cross-country flight. About 45 minutes after departing, witnesses observed the special light sport airplane banking and yawing before one of its wings "folded up" and the airplane descended to the ground. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the left wing had failed in an upward (or positive) direction due to a fracture of the lower left wing spar chord. The subsequent overload failure of the wing resulted in a loss of control of the airplane. Metallurgical examination did not reveal any evidence of preexisting conditions or design or material deficiencies that may have contributed to the in-flight structural failure.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
Index for Apr2008 | Index of months