Air Creation CLIPPER 58 accident near Anacortes, Washington, April 9, 2009
On April 9, 2009 at about 2:00 am local time, a Air Creation CLIPPER 58 (weight-shift aircraft), registered N5138J, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Anacortes, Washington (Anacortes airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power due to the passenger's inadvertent movement of the engine throttle control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 2009 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Anacortes, Washington · Anacortes · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Creation CLIPPER 58
- Registration
- N5138J · registry record · serial T99045
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the experimental weight-shift-control light sport aircraft (trike) experienced a partial loss of engine power during initial climb. The pilot noticed that the engine's throttle went to an idle setting upon climbing to a maximum height of 50 feet above the runway. The pilot made a forced landing on grass-covered terrain adjacent to the runway and the airplane collided with the airport's perimeter chain link fence. One of the trike's fabric wings was ripped over a foot-long span, and the cockpit enclosure was cracked. The pilot reported that no maintenance had been performed on the airplane since he purchased it about 2 months prior to the accident. According to the pilot, although the propeller continued rotating when the engine power loss occurred, insufficient power was produced to sustain flight. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the trike and interviewed the pilot reported that the trike's throttle is accessible to occupants located in both the front and rear seats. In his statement, the pilot opined that during takeoff the throttle was inadvertently retarded by the passenger in the front seat.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Unintentional use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Passenger
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 134 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 120 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 17, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 232 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 10, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 992 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 74S Anacortes WA at 2:00 am
- Destination: 74S Anacortes WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,015 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.