N7008ZMoyes/Bailey Microlites Ptyltd DRAGONFLY B MODEL · 1998

On July 19, 2018, about 1420 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Moyes/Bailey Microlites PTYLTD Dragonfly B Model airplane, N7008Z, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Buckley, Washington. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the pilot, he performed a preflight inspection and confirmed the fuel tanks were full of fuel. No anomalies were noted as he performed the engine start, taxi, or runup. The pilot departed to the north and after turning onto the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern, the engine “seized,” and the propeller stopped turning. The pilot prepared for a forced landing to a clearing, and he deployed the airplane’s parachute system. The airplane impacted a tree just prior to landing.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors responded to the accident site and reported that the parachute had been deployed. The airplane sustained damage throughout the frame. The engine was visually examined, and no obvious holes in the engine case were observed. Fuel was observed leaking from the fuel pump and fuel filter.

The fuel pump and fuel filter were removed and further examined. No mechanical anomalies were identified during the examination.

On July 7, 2014, about 2020 Pacific daylight time, an experimental light-sport Bailey-Moyes Microlights Dragonfly B airplane, N7008Z, impacted trees after the pilot activated the onboard parachute near Flying H Ranch Airport, Buckley, Washington. Private individuals owned and operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot sustained minor injuries; the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The pilot departed Burnett Landing Airport, Wilkeson, Washington about 2000 for a local personal flight.The pilot reported that about 15 minutes after departure, he was maneuvering the airplane to the west of Flying H Ranch Airport. While maneuvering at an airspeed of about 33-34 mph, he initiated a right turn. The airplane then assumed a nose-low attitude with the right wing low. The pilot felt no feedback pressure on the control stick and determined that there was a flight control malfunction. The descent continued so he activated the onboard BRS emergency parachute when the airplane was about 100 feet above the trees. The airplane subsequently collided with the trees and came to rest inverted about .4 nautical miles from the airport.

The airplane was involved in an accident in December 2010 (WPR11CA079), where the probable cause was attributed to the pilot's improper recovery from a dive that led to a loss of in-flight control; the pilot was not the accident pilot or current owner. Following the accident, that pilot reported that he was aware that the airplane had a tendency to pitch down and accelerate when not monitored and controlled continuously. He stated that during a maneuver, although the control stick would move freely, he was unable to correct the flight path with the elevator and deployed the BRS parachute system.

According to two other Dragonfly pilots, they have been in similar situations of temporarily encountering a control delay, all of which were easily rectified by adding engine power to get more airflow over the elevator.

The airplane was disassembled for recovery purposes which prohibited investigators from determining the configuration prior to the accident. The examination of the disassembled flight control system revealed no evidence of any pre impact failures or malfunctions which would have affected normal operation of the flight controls. According to maintenance records the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on June 30, 2014, or 6 days prior to the accident. At the time of the inspection, the airplane had accrued 449.7 total hours of operation and, according to that Hobbs meter, had acquired 5.4 hours since then. The pilot reported that he had amassed a total flight time of 700 hours, of which 5.8 hours were accrued in a Dragonfly. He had flown 1.1 hours in the last 30 days and all of the 5.8 hours were accumulated in the past 90 days.

The experimental, amateur-built airplane was a high-wing pusher-propeller configuration, with the engine mounted above the wing. The private pilot reported that he had a total flight experience of about 154 hours, including about 36 hours in the accident airplane. The preflight inspection, engine run-up, and takeoff were normal. After the pilot leveled the airplane in cruise flight at an altitude of about 1,300 feet above the ground, he gripped the control stick with his legs in order to free his hands to access and use a camera for some aerial photography. The pilot had done the same thing on previous flights, and he was aware that the airplane had a tendency to pitch down and accelerate when not monitored and controlled continuously. After he took some photographs, he grasped the stick with one hand and applied back pressure to reduce the airspeed. He tried to stow the camera with one hand, but let go of the stick to complete that task. The airplane descended and accelerated again, but to a higher airspeed than the previous time. Although the control stick was free to move, the pilot was unable to correct the flight path with the elevator, and stated that within "a few seconds the aircraft was pointing near[ly] straight down." He deployed the ballistic recovery parachute, and then retarded the engine to idle. The airplane impacted terrain nose-first and sustained substantial damage. The still-inflated parachute dragged the airplane across the ground until the pilot egressed the airplane and collapsed the parachute. Post accident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies or failures. The pilot reported that after the accident, he learned from other pilots of the accident airplane make and model that it was necessary to retard the throttle in order to successfully recover from a dive.