June 15, 2012, Westminster, Md. Remos GX

The light sport aircraft was substantially damaged at about 1010 Eastern time when it impacted the ground during an emergency landing. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, August 29, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The light sport aircraft crashed fatally after its elevator became detached in flight, with initial examination revealing a disconnected quick-fastener for the elevator control.
The aircraft, designed for quick disassembly and reassembly, had recently been reassembled and inspected by the pilot, who was also an A&P.
A newly installed ballistic parachute system was not activated during the emergency, as its activation handle was secured by a padlock whose key was found on the ignition keyring.

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The airplane is designed to fold both wings back to facilitate storage and transportation. In addition, both wings and the horizontal stabilizer were removable. The respective control push-pull rods for the left and right ailerons, and elevator featured a “quick-fastener” to disconnect and reconnect the respective flight control. According to witnesses, the airplane was disassembled and stored for the winter. It was reassembled during April 2012. The pilot, who also was an A&P, completed a condition inspection on June 1, 2012. A ballistic parachute system was installed on June 12, 2012.