# Accident 20000501004539A: Morton John W CHRISTAVIA M 1, Salem, OR, May 1, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 1, 2000, 08:18 local time
- Place: Salem, OR
- Airport: Mcnary Fld
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 44.8992° N, 123.0603° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.8992&lon=-123.0603&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1143L, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1143L-2013-04-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Morton John W CHRISTAVIA M 1 (registry code 05603SW, https://openairdocs.org/model/morton-john-w-christavia-m-1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA00LA079](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA00LA079) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000501004539A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.23) ON MAY 2, 2000 AT APPROXIMATELY 0815 PDT, MR. JOHN W. MORTON, OWNER AND OPERATOR OF EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT N1143L, CONDUCTED HIS FIRST TEST FLIGHT OF THIS HOMEBUILT CHRISTAVIA MK-1 AT MCNARY FIELD IN SALEM, OR. HE STATEDTHAT HIS TAKEOFF FROM RWY. 13 SEEMED NORMAL, BUT AS HE CLIMBED HE FLET A NEED FOR AN "EXCESSIVE AMOUNT" OF UP ELEVATOR CONTROL FORCE AND TRIM.  HE STOPPED HIS CLIMB AT 600 FT. WHERE HE EXPERIENCED PITCH CONTROL PROBLEMS AND A SIGNIFICANT PITCH FORWARD WHEN HE REDUCED POWER.  HE SAID THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONTROLLABLE IN A CLIMB BUT BECAUSE INSATIABLE WITH THE POWER REDUCED.  AT THIS POINT HE DECIDED TO RETURN TO SALEM AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY WITH SALEM TOWER.  HE WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON RWY. 34.  DURING HIS APPROACH TO LAND THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONTROLLABLE AL LONG AS POWER WAS APPLIED.  ON SHORT FINAL FOR RWY 34 HE INSTINCTIVELY REDUCED THE POWER FOR LANDING AND THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT ABRUPTLY PITCHED DOWN AND HE WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER CONTROL PRIOR TO GROUND IMPACT.  SOME LEVELING HAD OCCURRED AS THE PROPELLER STRUCK THE GROUND JUST SHORT OF THE RUNWAY OVERRUN.  THE AIRCRAFT ULTIMATELY SKIDDED ALONG THE GROUND AND CAME TO A REST APPROXIMATELY 280 FEET FROM     THE POINT OF INITIAL PROPELLER STRIKE. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE GEAR, ENGINE, PROPELLER AND FUSELAGE.  THERE WAS NO FIRE.  THE PILOT WAS INJURIED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB SEA00LA079](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA00LA079), May 1, 2000: Morton Christavia Mark I (N1143L), Salem, OR, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot/builder's failure to correct the center of gravity computations after a weight increase. A contributing factor was the pilot/builder's exceeding the forward CG limit in fuel weight, of…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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