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20021125037419I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Amtr SONEX · Vero Beach, FL · November 25, 2002

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
November 25, 2002 · 15:38 local
Place
Vero Beach, FL
Airport
Vero Beach Municipal
Phase of flight
To Aborted (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N229WF
Reported as
Amtr Sonex
Reported engine
AMTR JABIRU3300A
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
175 total30 in the last 90 days
N229WFRegistered now · Flowers W Wayne SONEXS/N 229 · Built 2002Airframe modelFlowers W Wayne SONEXEngine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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) The pilot reported that the experimental-homebuilt Sonex kit airplane experienced engine surging shortly after takeoff from runway 11R on its maiden flight, and that he attempted to land the aircraft back on the runway. The nosegear collapsed during the landing and the airplane sustained minor damage. Vrb runway 11R is 7,314' long by 100' wide, according to the airport/facility directory. Witnesses reported that the airplane departed from the beginning of the runway, and appeared out of control shortly after liftoff; it oscillated up and down, wobbled several times, and bounced off the runway twice. It then impacted the runway a third time in a nose-low attitude and came to a stop at the FAR end of the runway. The pilot attributed the engine surging to an improperly-configured throttle body injector; he believed that he had inadvertently set it up too lean for full engine power settings. When asked why he had difficulty controlling the airplane, he stated that he simply "got behind" it. He had no prior flight experience in this model airplane.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE EXPERIMENTAL-HOMEBUILT SONEX KIT AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED ENGINE SURGING SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 11R ON ITS MAIDEN FLIGHT, AND THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO LAND THE AIRCRAFT BACK ON THE RUNWAY. THE NOSEGEAR COLLAPSED DURING THE LANDING AND THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. VRB RUNWAY 11R IS 7,314' LONG BY 100' WIDE, ACCORDING TO THE AIRPORT/FACILITY DIRECTORY. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE RUNWAY, AND APPEARED OUT OF CONTROL SHORTLY AFTER LIFTOFF; IT OSCILLATED UP AND DOWN, WOBBLED SEVERAL TIMES, AND BOUNCED OFF THE RUNWAY TWICE. IT THEN IMPACTED THE RUNWAY A THIRD TIME IN A NOSE-LOW ATTITUDE AND CAME TO A STOP AT THE FAR END OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT ATTRIBUTED THE ENGINE SURGING TO AN IMPROPERLY-CONFIGURED THROTTLE BODY INJECTOR; HE BELIEVED THAT HE HAD INADVERTENTLY SET IT UP TOO LEAN FOR FULL ENGINE POWER SETTINGS. WHEN ASKED WHY HE HAD DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING THE AIRPLANE, HE STATED THAT HE SIMPLY "GOT BEHIND" IT. HE HAD NO PRIOR FLIGHT EXPERIENCE IN THIS MODEL AIRPLANE.