19990611045529A

Accident · No damage

FAA accident report · Taylor TAYLORCOUPE · Pleasanton, TX · June 11, 1999

Date
June 11, 1999 · 13:30 local
Place
Pleasanton, TX
Airport
Pleasanton Municipal Airport
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N2806W
NTSB investigation
NTSBFTW99LA166
Reported as
Taylor Taylorcoupe

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23)Crosswind on climb out caught pilot unprepared to correct in a timely manner. Aircraft yaws and decends making contact with the runway. (.4) the airline transport rated pilot lost control of the airplane during takeoff climb. According to the pilot, while climbing 50-60 feet above the ground, the nose of the airplane yawed left and simultaneously pitched nose up. The airplane was pushed to the right and entered an uncontrolled descent. The pilot attempted to arrest the descent and drift to the right, but was unsuccessful. The airplane impacted the ground with the left wing and left main landing gear. The pilot stated that an inspection of the airplane after the accident revealed no anomalies that would have prevented normal flight. According to the pilot, the wind was from the southeast at 5 knots. However, both he and the passenger stated that they thought that they had inadvertently flown into a 'dust devil.' The pilot added that the airspeed indicated 75 knots prior to and during the incident. (.19) on June 11, 1999, approximately 0945 central daylight time, a Taylorcoupe amateur built airplane, N2806W, was substantially damaged during impact with terrain after departing the Pleasanton airport near Pleasanton, Texas. The airline transport rated pilot and his passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 personal flight destined for gainsville, Texas. According to interviews conducted by an NTSB investigator, the pilot stated that after takeoff, while climbing through 200 feet AGL, the nose of the airplane yawed to the left and pitched down. The left wing and left main landing gear impacted the ground followed by the right main landing gear and propeller. The airplane came to rest upright about 400 feet from the end of the runway. The pilot stated that the winds at the time of the accident were from the southeast at 5 knots. According to the pilot, the left wing strut was damaged and the main gear carry through structure sustained structural damage. Additional damage was sustained by the propeller.

As the FAA filed it

(-23)CROSSWIND ON CLIMB OUT CAUGHT PILOT UNPREPARED TO CORRECT IN A TIMELY MANNER. AIRCRAFT YAWS AND DECENDS MAKING CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY. (.4) THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE DURING TAKEOFF CLIMB. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, WHILE CLIMBING 50-60 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE YAWED LEFT AND SIMULTANEOUSLY PITCHED NOSE UP. THE AIRPLANE WAS PUSHED TO THE RIGHT AND ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO ARREST THE DESCENT AND DRIFT TO THE RIGHT, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND WITH THE LEFT WING AND LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT STATED THAT AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE AFTER THE ACCIDENT REVEALED NO ANOMALIES THAT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED NORMAL FLIGHT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE WIND WAS FROM THE SOUTHEAST AT 5 KNOTS. HOWEVER, BOTH HE AND THE PASSENGER STATED THAT THEY THOUGHT THAT THEY HAD INADVERTENTLY FLOWN INTO A 'DUST DEVIL.' THE PILOT ADDED THAT THE AIRSPEED INDICATED 75 KNOTS PRIOR TO AND DURING THE INCIDENT. (.19) ON JUNE 11, 1999, APPROXIMATELY 0945 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A TAYLORCOUPE AMATEUR BUILT AIRPLANE, N2806W, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING IMPACT WITH TERRAIN AFTER DEPARTING THE PLEASANTON AIRPORT NEAR PLEASANTON, TEXAS. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO THE PILOT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT DESTINED FOR GAINSVILLE, TEXAS. ACCORDING TO INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED BY AN NTSB INVESTIGATOR, THE PILOT STATED THAT AFTER TAKEOFF, WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 200 FEET AGL, THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE YAWED TO THE LEFT AND PITCHED DOWN. THE LEFT WING AND LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR IMPACTED THE GROUND FOLLOWED BY THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND PROPELLER. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST UPRIGHT ABOUT 400 FEET FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE WINDS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE FROM THE SOUTHEAST AT 5 KNOTS. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE LEFT WING STRUT WAS DAMAGED AND THE MAIN GEAR CARRY THROUGH STRUCTURE SUSTAINED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. ADDITIONAL DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED BY THE PROPELLER.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.