Remos Aircraft, the German manufacturer of light sport aircraft, has issued a safety directive to its customers following the fatal crash on Jan. 25 of a Remos GX during the U.S. Sport Aviation show in Sebring, Fla.
The company said an inspector from the NTSB determined an aileron fastener was unsecured in the crash that killed a photographer and seriously injured the pilot. The pilot is recovering from his injuries.
“The left wing had been folded the night before the flight and was extended just prior to takeoff,” the Remos company said in a press release. “It appears that the left aileron quick fastener was not secured during takeoff.”
The wings fold so that the aircraft can be placed on a trailer and stored in a garage.
Remos Aircraft issued a Mandatory Safety Directive on Jan. 31 titled “Inspection of Quick Fasteners on Control System.” The document was distributed to all Remos owners. The safety directive contains illustrated directions for the proper method of securing the aileron controls when extending the wings. It provides replacement pages for the pilot operating handbook with bold sections for checking control continuity. It also requires additional placarding to be placed on the instrument panel, the cabin, and on the tail cone. The placards prompt additional pre-flight checks for control quick fasteners.
Todd Gunther, NTSB investigator in charge, said in his findings that while he was able to establish control continuity to the rudder, elevator, and right wing, “Control continuity could not be established to the left aileron.”
“We have issued this mandatory safety directive to assure that all pre-flight procedures are followed with precision,” said Corvin Huber, CEO of Remos Aircraft. “We are in the process of making a safe airplane even safer.”
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