# Accident 20101202053539A: Southerland FREEBIRD LI, Decatur, IL, December 2, 2010

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 2, 2010, 14:00 local time
- Place: Decatur, IL
- Airport: Decatur
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Rotation
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.8353° N, 88.8403° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.8353&lon=-88.8403&mi=10
- Aircraft: N415US, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N415US-2013-09-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Southerland Lawrence P FREEBIRD LITESPORT U (registry code 05629S3, https://openairdocs.org/model/southerland-lawrence-p-freebird-litesport-u) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SOUTHERLAND FREEBIRD LI
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Sport pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 61 total, 1 in this make and model, 16 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN11LA090](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN11LA090) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20101202053539A

## Narrative

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

N415US REQUESTED AN ATC CLEARANCE TO CONDUCT A HIGH SPEED TAXI AND A POSSIBLE "CROW HOP". THE TOWER CLEARED THE AIRCRAFT FOR HIGH SPEED TAXI RUNWAY 18. THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE AND THE PILOT STATED HE WAS GOING AROUND. ON THE DOWNWIND TO RUNWAY 24 THE PILOT ADVISED ATC THAT HE WAS HAVING TROUBLE KEEPING THE NOSE DOWN. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE PILOT DECLARED A MAYDAY AND TOLD THE TOWER HE HAD NO CONTROL AND COULD NOT KEEP THE NOSE DOWN. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN OBSERVED TO BREAK APART SPIRALING VERTICALLY NOSE DOWN IMPACTING INTO TERRAIN APPROXIMATELY A MILE EAST OF RUNWAY 24.

## 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 CEN11LA090](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN11LA090), Dec 2, 2010: Southerland Freebird Litesport U (N415US), Decatur, IL, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's reported inability to control his amateur-built airplane for undetermined reasons after the airplane inadvertently became airborne while conducting a high-speed taxi.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.