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| Date: | Monday 25 October 2021 |
| Time: | c. 10:50 |
| Type: | Oldfield Baby Great Lakes |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | ZK-ULM |
| MSN: | BLUL-01 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2012 |
| Engine model: | Simonini Victor 2 Plus |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Twizel, Canterbury -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Omarama Airport (NZOA) |
| Omarama Airport (NZOA) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA NZ |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Baby Great Lakes, ZK-ULM, was operated on a private flight that departed Omarama aerodrome (NZOA) shortly after 10:30.
The purpose of the flight was likely a local flight, possibly to test a makeshift elevator trim tab that the pilot had attached to the aircraft a couple of weeks earlier.
The aircraft departed from controlled flight and impacted terrain on farmland near Omarama around twenty minutes after departure. It is likely the aircraft entered an unintentional spin at an altitude that was too low for the pilot to recover.
Conclusions:
1 The aircraft departed from controlled flight and entered a spin from which it did not recover.
2 Based on the evidence available, the investigation concluded that the pilot likely entered an unintentional spin when the airspeed reduced below the aircraft’s stall speed during a climb or descent.
3 The low altitude at the time of spin entry was the predominant factor that reduced the likelihood of a successful recovery.
4 It is likely that the pilot did not apply the correct recovery techniques on entry to the spin, further reducing the likelihood of a successful recovery in the height available.
5 It is unlikely that the makeshift trim tab contributed to the stall and spin entry. However, it may have hindered the pilot’s ability to recover from the stall and spin.
6 The aft C of G possibly contributed to the entry to the stall and spin and may have affected the pilot’s ability to recover.
7 It is likely that the pilot’s eyesight impairment, combined with the additional human factors identified, contributed to his inability to recognise the approach to the stall and implement correct recovery actions.
8 The pilot had not held a valid pilot licence or certificate and medical combination since January 2020 and was, therefore, operating in breach of Civil Aviation Rules.
9 It is probable that the pilot was not medically fit to fly the aircraft safely at the time of the accident due to the deterioration of his eyesight.
10 Although the pilot held a current microlight medical declaration signed by a GP, it is likely that the pilot’s eyesight was marginal at the time this was issued. The GP may not have considered the probability of further deterioration of the pilot’s eyesight beyond that date.
11 The CAA Medical Team had declined the pilot for a CAA Class 2 medical certificate in April 2016 citing a ‘risk to flight safety’.
12 The Director has the capability to override the use of the DL-9 medical certificate in an aviation setting in the interests of flight safety, if such a situation is identified.
13 There is currently limited capability within the CAA information system to identify pilots that have been declined a CAA medical on the grounds of risk to flight safety from operating on a lower medical standard.
14 Current CAA guidance around the provision of DL-9 medical certificate information to the CAA limits the ability of the Director to provide effective regulatory oversight of some private pilot licencing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/person-dies-after-plane-crash-near-twizel/7AMS74XUF5ZVNUEX3E3CVEJO6M/
https://www.odt.co.nz/star-news/star-districts/star-south-canterbury/one-killed-light-plane-crash-mackenzie-country
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300437817/man-who-died-in-light-plane-crash-in-waitaki-enormously-skilled-pilot
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DSkDEeK0CHk/T5IJRAKAClI/AAAAAAAAIcQ/AINMlg6aDw0/s1600/ULM+RT+18-04-12+(9).JPG (photo)
http://www.all-aero.com/index.php/contactus/53-planes-l-m-n-o/7501-oldfield-baby-great-lakes--barney-oldfield-special--baby-lakes
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/north-otago/experienced-pilot-killed-crash-near-omaram
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2021 23:44 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 25-Oct-2021 00:49 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 25-Oct-2021 06:01 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Source, ] |
| 25-Oct-2021 08:38 | RobertMB | Updated [Registration, Cn, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 25-Oct-2021 10:12 | harro | Updated [Registration, Cn, Narrative, ] |
| 25-Oct-2021 11:16 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 25-Oct-2021 14:05 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 25-Oct-2021 21:04 | RobertMB | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 25-Oct-2021 21:43 | Geno | Updated [Location, Phase, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 26-Oct-2021 18:44 | angels one five | Updated [Phase, Source, ] |
| 29-Oct-2021 00:09 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 04-Feb-2022 17:03 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, ] |
| 07-Feb-2022 03:55 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, ] |
| 07-Dec-2023 17:46 | harro | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Narrative, Plane category, Category, Accident report, ] |
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