20010530010429A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Bbavia 7ECA · Greensboro, NC · May 30, 2001

Date
May 30, 2001 · 19:54 local
Place
Greensboro, NC
Airport
Air Harbor Airport
Phase of flight
To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N1669G
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA01LA149
Reported as
Bbavia 7ECA
Reported engine
Lycoming O235C1
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
3,210 total30 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

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)See narrative MIA01LA149 (.19)on may 30, 2001, about 1954 eastern daylight time, a champion 7ECA, N1669G, registered to omni aviation inc., and operated as a title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight, crashed into trees during takeoff/initial climb at Air Harbor Airport, Greensboro, north carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The commercial-rated pilot and one passenger were not injured, and the aircraft incurred substantial damage. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot stated that it was a normal takeoff with the aircraft operating normally, and all of a sudden something pushed him over to the left into the trees that rise up quickly at the end of the runway. The pilot reiterated that there was no mechanical failure or malfunction to the aircraft's engine, or to any of the aircraft systems, and that he could not explain what pushed him into the trees. He said that his partner had also flown the airplane the night before, and had performed aerobatics, and the aircraft functioned normally. (.4) on may 30, 2001, about 1954 eastern daylight time, a champion 7ECA, N1669G, registered to omni aviation inc., and operated as a title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight, crashed into trees during takeoff/initial climb at Air Harbor Airport, Greensboro, north carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airline transport-rated pilot and one pilot-rated passenger were not injured, and the aircraft incurred substantial damage. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot stated that it had been a normal takeoff, with all engine and flight indications being normal. The pilot further stated that he had rotated about 800 feet down the runway, and had climbed to about 100 feet, when the aircraft suddenly made an uncommanded left turn. He said he tried to recover, but there was no response to control inputs, and the aircraft impacted the tops of pine trees, coming to rest at a height of about 30 feet into the trees. The pilot stated that he supposed that inadvertent rudder input or p-factor caused the left turn, due to slow airspeed, prior to stall. The pilot reiterated that there had not been any mechanical failure or malfunction to the aircraft's engine, or to any of the aircraft systems prior to the accident.

As the FAA filed it

(-23)SEE NARRATIVE MIA01LA149 (.19)ON MAY 30, 2001, ABOUT 1954 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CHAMPION 7ECA, N1669G, REGISTERED TO OMNI AVIATION INC., AND OPERATED AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, CRASHED INTO TREES DURING TAKEOFF/INITIAL CLIMB AT AIR HARBOR AIRPORT, GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE COMMERCIAL-RATED PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED, AND THE AIRCRAFT INCURRED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE FLIGHT WAS ORIGINATING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED THAT IT WAS A NORMAL TAKEOFF WITH THE AIRCRAFT OPERATING NORMALLY, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN SOMETHING PUSHED HIM OVER TO THE LEFT INTO THE TREES THAT RISE UP QUICKLY AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT REITERATED THAT THERE WAS NO MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION TO THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINE, OR TO ANY OF THE AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS, AND THAT HE COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHAT PUSHED HIM INTO THE TREES. HE SAID THAT HIS PARTNER HAD ALSO FLOWN THE AIRPLANE THE NIGHT BEFORE, AND HAD PERFORMED AEROBATICS, AND THE AIRCRAFT FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. (.4) ON MAY 30, 2001, ABOUT 1954 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CHAMPION 7ECA, N1669G, REGISTERED TO OMNI AVIATION INC., AND OPERATED AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, CRASHED INTO TREES DURING TAKEOFF/INITIAL CLIMB AT AIR HARBOR AIRPORT, GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT-RATED PILOT AND ONE PILOT-RATED PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED, AND THE AIRCRAFT INCURRED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE FLIGHT WAS ORIGINATING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED THAT IT HAD BEEN A NORMAL TAKEOFF, WITH ALL ENGINE AND FLIGHT INDICATIONS BEING NORMAL. THE PILOT FURTHER STATED THAT HE HAD ROTATED ABOUT 800 FEET DOWN THE RUNWAY, AND HAD CLIMBED TO ABOUT 100 FEET, WHEN THE AIRCRAFT SUDDENLY MADE AN UNCOMMANDED LEFT TURN. HE SAID HE TRIED TO RECOVER, BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO CONTROL INPUTS, AND THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE TOPS OF PINE TREES, COMING TO REST AT A HEIGHT OF ABOUT 30 FEET INTO THE TREES. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE SUPPOSED THAT INADVERTENT RUDDER INPUT OR P-FACTOR CAUSED THE LEFT TURN, DUE TO SLOW AIRSPEED, PRIOR TO STALL. THE PILOT REITERATED THAT THERE HAD NOT BEEN ANY MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION TO THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINE, OR TO ANY OF THE AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.

NTSB investigation

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