Jan. 17, North Las Vegas, Nev. / Erickson K One Design

At 13:24 PST an experimental Erickson K was destroyed when it crashed while maneuvering approximately 12 miles north of the North Las Vegas Airport. The pilot, the sole occupant, parachuted from the aircraft and was not injured. The pilot reported that he had gone out to the practice area to practice outside snap rolls. He stated that he had entered the snap roll at 5,500 feet. The pilot reported that while in vertical flight he stomped on the left rudder and reported that the rudder cable became detached. He reported that he recovered to straight and level flight and reached down to verify that the cable had detached from the rudder. The aircraft entered a right bank and the pilot jumped out of the aircraft and parachuted to safety.