# Accident 20110924023429A: Tompkins Robert Eugene TANDEM ROCKET, Le Mars, IA, September 24, 2011

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 24, 2011, 19:02 local time
- Place: Le Mars, IA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.7778° N, 96.1936° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.7778&lon=-96.1936&mi=10
- Aircraft: N29RT, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N29RT-2015-05-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Tompkins Robert Eugene TANDEM ROCKET (registry code 05614VC, https://openairdocs.org/model/tompkins-robert-eugene-tandem-rocket) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: TOMPKINS ROBERT EUGENE TANDEM ROCKET
- Reported engine: HKS 700E
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 75 total, 29 in this make and model, 1 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN11CA667](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN11CA667) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110924023429A

## Narrative

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

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DEPARTED LEMARS, IOWA, IN HIS EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR BUILT AIRCRAFT AND ENCOUNTERED A PILOT INDUCED STALL SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE.  THE STALL WAS UNRECOVERABLE, AND HE CRASHED INTO A CORN FIELD ON THE AIRPORT GROUNDS.  THE AIRCRAFT HAS UNDERGONE MAJOR DESIGN CHANGES, WHICH CAUSED THE CENTER OF GRAVITY (CG) TO MOVE AFT.  THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DID NOT UPDATE THE WEIGHT AND BALANCE DATA AFTER THE DESIGN CHANGES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, AND THE PILOT HAD SERIOUS INJURIES INITIALLY REPORTED.  THE INJURIES WERE VIEWED AS MINOR AFTER HOSPITAL TREATMENT.

## 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 CEN11CA667](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN11CA667), Sep 25, 2011: Tompkins Tandem Rocket (N29RT), Lemars, IA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering.

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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