| Where: | Loudon,
Tennessee, United States |
| When: |
February 2, 1997 |
| What: |
Sabre Trike |
| How: | The pilot encountered some cross winds and went down in the trees
near his house. The trike burst into flames upon impact and it is presumed that
the pilot died instantly. |
| Injuries: |
Pilot killed |
| Experience & Training of Pilot: | Had some training, but probably minimal overall, and minimal in
trikes. |
| Notes: | This
area in Tennessee is composed of several parallel ridges approximately 400ft
high, and turbulence over each ridge is to be expected. Thermals from the
valleys tend to ride up the ridges where they release and travel upwards to
about 1000 ft. It is possible, due to the small amount of training an
experience, that the pilot was unaware of this type of 'micro weather'. At the
time of the crash the wind on the ground was around 7mph but such ridge
formations as described can lead to very different winds at altitude. |