Narrative:

I inadvertently lost control of my aircraft while doing turns about a point. The recovery was executed poorly and there was a substantial loss of altitude. There were at least 3 major contributing factors to this uncontrolled flight almost into terrain. The first contributing factor was my lack of currency in this type of aircraft. I had not flown this type of aircraft for several months. To say I was rusty in this type of canard aircraft would be kind. The second contributing factor was the lack of a proper preflight. I will explain later; but an assumption on my part led to a very slow roll rate and a deep stall. The third factor was not allowing enough height above the terrain in a high density altitude environment to recover from a botched maneuver. I have been averaging 85 hours a month in dissimilar aircraft at sea level airports over the last several months. However; I am currently planning a cross country to deliver this aircraft to the new owner. I thought I would get current and re-familiarize myself with the aircraft before taking it cross country by doing some air work and then some pattern work. I picked a clear day but the winds were quite strong for a re-familiarization flight. Little did I know that the strong winds at altitude would later be a contributing part to a string of errors that led to a near fatal accident. The takeoff and climb out were rushed but uneventful. I went to an open field that I had used before to do the air work. The air work first consisted of turns. That is; left and right turns of ever increasing bank angles. Then I decided to do turns about a point and that led eventually to an inadvertent death spiral followed by a very slow recovery. The only thing that felt slightly out of order during the practice turns was the roll rate of the aircraft. I had been gingerly rolling in and out of left and right turns. The greater the bank angle; the slower the roll rate. I assumed this was due to higher G's and the higher speeds. I was wrong; but did not know it at the time. What I did not realize at the time was the ailerons were limited both in their rate of movement and the range of movement by the improper application of non stretching gap sealing tape. My wife; the week before; at my request; to make the aircraft look better in order to cinch the sale of it; had applied; what I thought; was stretchable gap sealing tape; to the flight controls. This tape was applied so that when the new buyer came to purchase the plane; it just looked better. She had inadvertently applied the non stretchable tape to all the control surfaces as well as to the gaps in the wings and panels. The non stretching tape; which I did not catch on the preflight inspection or during rushed and sloppily done flight control movement check prior to takeoff; I believed; combined with my late recognition of what was happening to my aircraft; during a poorly executed turn about a point; contributed to my deep stall spiral and subsequent slow recovery. After the turns; I decided to do turns about a point both left and right. The left turns were marginally ok. The right turns; however; did not seem to be working at all. I keep drifting away from the field and over a populated area next to it; due to the stronger than expected winds at altitude. At first; I was not concerned about this drifting; but I was just frustrated that I could not do a simple turn about a point. I had gone around approximately 3 times to the right during which I just kept increasing the bank angle and increasing the G's to counteract the drifting of the aircraft until I finally; but slowly realized; the altitude had been and was now rapidly decreasing. There is no stall warning in this aircraft; there is only a high rate of sink. I initiated a recovery and added full power. It seemed like the plane was rolling in mush. The controls; though responding; seemed to take forever to get the wings level. All the while I was rapidly approaching the terrain. The recovery was made way too low to the ground because I did not start any of my maneuvers with the anticipation of any altitude loss or the subsequent drifting over higher terrain. Recovery was slow due tomy late recognition of the altitude loss and low airspeed. Rapid loss of altitude was caused in part by the high density altitude environment. All of these factors contributed to a near fatal deep stall death spiral. When I returned to the pattern; after calming my heart rate down to below 100+ bpm; I realized that the roll rate was really sluggish. I kept overshooting the base and final turns due to the strong winds and now quite apparent slow roll rates of the aircraft. After I landed; I carefully inspected the plane for flight control problems and came to realize what had happened with the taping. I removed the tape. What could have been done better? I should have gotten dual flight time with another canard pilot to knock the rust off. But I did not want to be a bother to an overworked friend who had the only other dual canard trainer on the field. I could have postponed my cross country flight and gotten the dual training. I should have taken a safety observer that day; but he had turned me down when I asked him just prior to the flight; sighting lack of time on his part. I could have waited for another day to fly with him. I could have done a better preflight and discovered that the wrong kind of tape had been applied to the flight controls. Instead; I just assumed it had been done correctly. I could have ignored the ground traffic behind me just prior to takeoff and done a proper flight control check rather than hurrying to take off to please my fellow pilot. I should have climbed to a higher altitude on the assumption that I might just make a mistake on one of the maneuvers due to my lack of currency. I had the wrong attitude for safe flying that day. I should have stopped after each 360 degree turn and checked my altitude and location to make sure that I was maintaining a safe margin above the ground and away from populations. But I was impatient with myself to do the maneuver correctly. Pride goeth before the fall; literally in this case. I should have picked a larger field at a lower absolute altitude with fewer obstacles; and a lower population density nearby to compensate for the winds and high density altitude that were occurring that day. I should have thought better about what I was going to do and how I was going to accomplish it prior to getting in the plane that day. I rushed to take off; train and almost died for hurrying.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A RUTAN LONG EZ PLT TOOK OFF WITH TAPE COVERING THE WING AILERON GAPS AND SUBSEQUENTLY DURING STEEP TURNS STALLED; NEARLY IMPACTING THE GND DURING RECOVERY.

Narrative: I INADVERTENTLY LOST CTL OF MY ACFT WHILE DOING TURNS ABOUT A POINT. THE RECOVERY WAS EXECUTED POORLY AND THERE WAS A SUBSTANTIAL LOSS OF ALT. THERE WERE AT LEAST 3 MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS UNCTLED FLT ALMOST INTO TERRAIN. THE FIRST CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS MY LACK OF CURRENCY IN THIS TYPE OF ACFT. I HAD NOT FLOWN THIS TYPE OF ACFT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. TO SAY I WAS RUSTY IN THIS TYPE OF CANARD ACFT WOULD BE KIND. THE SECOND CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF A PROPER PREFLT. I WILL EXPLAIN LATER; BUT AN ASSUMPTION ON MY PART LED TO A VERY SLOW ROLL RATE AND A DEEP STALL. THE THIRD FACTOR WAS NOT ALLOWING ENOUGH HEIGHT ABOVE THE TERRAIN IN A HIGH DENSITY ALT ENVIRONMENT TO RECOVER FROM A BOTCHED MANEUVER. I HAVE BEEN AVERAGING 85 HRS A MONTH IN DISSIMILAR ACFT AT SEA LEVEL ARPTS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. HOWEVER; I AM CURRENTLY PLANNING A XCOUNTRY TO DELIVER THIS ACFT TO THE NEW OWNER. I THOUGHT I WOULD GET CURRENT AND RE-FAMILIARIZE MYSELF WITH THE ACFT BEFORE TAKING IT XCOUNTRY BY DOING SOME AIR WORK AND THEN SOME PATTERN WORK. I PICKED A CLR DAY BUT THE WINDS WERE QUITE STRONG FOR A RE-FAMILIARIZATION FLT. LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT THE STRONG WINDS AT ALT WOULD LATER BE A CONTRIBUTING PART TO A STRING OF ERRORS THAT LED TO A NEAR FATAL ACCIDENT. THE TKOF AND CLBOUT WERE RUSHED BUT UNEVENTFUL. I WENT TO AN OPEN FIELD THAT I HAD USED BEFORE TO DO THE AIR WORK. THE AIR WORK FIRST CONSISTED OF TURNS. THAT IS; L AND R TURNS OF EVER INCREASING BANK ANGLES. THEN I DECIDED TO DO TURNS ABOUT A POINT AND THAT LED EVENTUALLY TO AN INADVERTENT DEATH SPIRAL FOLLOWED BY A VERY SLOW RECOVERY. THE ONLY THING THAT FELT SLIGHTLY OUT OF ORDER DURING THE PRACTICE TURNS WAS THE ROLL RATE OF THE ACFT. I HAD BEEN GINGERLY ROLLING IN AND OUT OF L AND R TURNS. THE GREATER THE BANK ANGLE; THE SLOWER THE ROLL RATE. I ASSUMED THIS WAS DUE TO HIGHER G'S AND THE HIGHER SPDS. I WAS WRONG; BUT DID NOT KNOW IT AT THE TIME. WHAT I DID NOT REALIZE AT THE TIME WAS THE AILERONS WERE LIMITED BOTH IN THEIR RATE OF MOVEMENT AND THE RANGE OF MOVEMENT BY THE IMPROPER APPLICATION OF NON STRETCHING GAP SEALING TAPE. MY WIFE; THE WK BEFORE; AT MY REQUEST; TO MAKE THE ACFT LOOK BETTER IN ORDER TO CINCH THE SALE OF IT; HAD APPLIED; WHAT I THOUGHT; WAS STRETCHABLE GAP SEALING TAPE; TO THE FLT CTLS. THIS TAPE WAS APPLIED SO THAT WHEN THE NEW BUYER CAME TO PURCHASE THE PLANE; IT JUST LOOKED BETTER. SHE HAD INADVERTENTLY APPLIED THE NON STRETCHABLE TAPE TO ALL THE CTL SURFACES AS WELL AS TO THE GAPS IN THE WINGS AND PANELS. THE NON STRETCHING TAPE; WHICH I DID NOT CATCH ON THE PREFLT INSPECTION OR DURING RUSHED AND SLOPPILY DONE FLT CTL MOVEMENT CHK PRIOR TO TKOF; I BELIEVED; COMBINED WITH MY LATE RECOGNITION OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO MY ACFT; DURING A POORLY EXECUTED TURN ABOUT A POINT; CONTRIBUTED TO MY DEEP STALL SPIRAL AND SUBSEQUENT SLOW RECOVERY. AFTER THE TURNS; I DECIDED TO DO TURNS ABOUT A POINT BOTH L AND R. THE L TURNS WERE MARGINALLY OK. THE R TURNS; HOWEVER; DID NOT SEEM TO BE WORKING AT ALL. I KEEP DRIFTING AWAY FROM THE FIELD AND OVER A POPULATED AREA NEXT TO IT; DUE TO THE STRONGER THAN EXPECTED WINDS AT ALT. AT FIRST; I WAS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THIS DRIFTING; BUT I WAS JUST FRUSTRATED THAT I COULD NOT DO A SIMPLE TURN ABOUT A POINT. I HAD GONE AROUND APPROX 3 TIMES TO THE R DURING WHICH I JUST KEPT INCREASING THE BANK ANGLE AND INCREASING THE G'S TO COUNTERACT THE DRIFTING OF THE ACFT UNTIL I FINALLY; BUT SLOWLY REALIZED; THE ALT HAD BEEN AND WAS NOW RAPIDLY DECREASING. THERE IS NO STALL WARNING IN THIS ACFT; THERE IS ONLY A HIGH RATE OF SINK. I INITIATED A RECOVERY AND ADDED FULL PWR. IT SEEMED LIKE THE PLANE WAS ROLLING IN MUSH. THE CTLS; THOUGH RESPONDING; SEEMED TO TAKE FOREVER TO GET THE WINGS LEVEL. ALL THE WHILE I WAS RAPIDLY APCHING THE TERRAIN. THE RECOVERY WAS MADE WAY TOO LOW TO THE GND BECAUSE I DID NOT START ANY OF MY MANEUVERS WITH THE ANTICIPATION OF ANY ALT LOSS OR THE SUBSEQUENT DRIFTING OVER HIGHER TERRAIN. RECOVERY WAS SLOW DUE TOMY LATE RECOGNITION OF THE ALT LOSS AND LOW AIRSPD. RAPID LOSS OF ALT WAS CAUSED IN PART BY THE HIGH DENSITY ALT ENVIRONMENT. ALL OF THESE FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO A NEAR FATAL DEEP STALL DEATH SPIRAL. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE PATTERN; AFTER CALMING MY HEART RATE DOWN TO BELOW 100+ BPM; I REALIZED THAT THE ROLL RATE WAS REALLY SLUGGISH. I KEPT OVERSHOOTING THE BASE AND FINAL TURNS DUE TO THE STRONG WINDS AND NOW QUITE APPARENT SLOW ROLL RATES OF THE ACFT. AFTER I LANDED; I CAREFULLY INSPECTED THE PLANE FOR FLT CTL PROBS AND CAME TO REALIZE WHAT HAD HAPPENED WITH THE TAPING. I REMOVED THE TAPE. WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER? I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN DUAL FLT TIME WITH ANOTHER CANARD PLT TO KNOCK THE RUST OFF. BUT I DID NOT WANT TO BE A BOTHER TO AN OVERWORKED FRIEND WHO HAD THE ONLY OTHER DUAL CANARD TRAINER ON THE FIELD. I COULD HAVE POSTPONED MY XCOUNTRY FLT AND GOTTEN THE DUAL TRAINING. I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN A SAFETY OBSERVER THAT DAY; BUT HE HAD TURNED ME DOWN WHEN I ASKED HIM JUST PRIOR TO THE FLT; SIGHTING LACK OF TIME ON HIS PART. I COULD HAVE WAITED FOR ANOTHER DAY TO FLY WITH HIM. I COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER PREFLT AND DISCOVERED THAT THE WRONG KIND OF TAPE HAD BEEN APPLIED TO THE FLT CTLS. INSTEAD; I JUST ASSUMED IT HAD BEEN DONE CORRECTLY. I COULD HAVE IGNORED THE GND TFC BEHIND ME JUST PRIOR TO TKOF AND DONE A PROPER FLT CTL CHK RATHER THAN HURRYING TO TAKE OFF TO PLEASE MY FELLOW PLT. I SHOULD HAVE CLBED TO A HIGHER ALT ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT I MIGHT JUST MAKE A MISTAKE ON ONE OF THE MANEUVERS DUE TO MY LACK OF CURRENCY. I HAD THE WRONG ATTITUDE FOR SAFE FLYING THAT DAY. I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED AFTER EACH 360 DEG TURN AND CHKED MY ALT AND LOCATION TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS MAINTAINING A SAFE MARGIN ABOVE THE GND AND AWAY FROM POPULATIONS. BUT I WAS IMPATIENT WITH MYSELF TO DO THE MANEUVER CORRECTLY. PRIDE GOETH BEFORE THE FALL; LITERALLY IN THIS CASE. I SHOULD HAVE PICKED A LARGER FIELD AT A LOWER ABSOLUTE ALT WITH FEWER OBSTACLES; AND A LOWER POPULATION DENSITY NEARBY TO COMPENSATE FOR THE WINDS AND HIGH DENSITY ALT THAT WERE OCCURRING THAT DAY. I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT BETTER ABOUT WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO AND HOW I WAS GOING TO ACCOMPLISH IT PRIOR TO GETTING IN THE PLANE THAT DAY. I RUSHED TO TAKE OFF; TRAIN AND ALMOST DIED FOR HURRYING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.