20121014022679A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Airborne Windsports PTY XT-912 · Winter Haven, FL · October 14, 2012

Date
October 14, 2012 · 11:18 local
Place
Winter Haven, FL
Airport
Winter Haven'S Gilbert
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N811RW
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA13LA020
Reported as
Airborne Windsports PTY XT-912
Reported engine
ROTAX 912
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Sport pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
70 total70 in this make and model16 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.

The witness observed prior to the accident the aircraft had perfomed at least two touch and go's and stated nothing seemed abnormal but commented that it seemed a bit windy for an ultra light to be out and the winds felt to be about 10-15 knots. The aircraft taxied and parked at the FBO to eat breakfast. Just prior to the accident an acquaintance of pilot susanne broadbelt landed on runway 05. He stated "on landing at kgif I decided conditions were too gusty to park my trike and decided not to stay for breakfast when I saw a single trike parked along with several fixed wing aircraft, as I got closer I recognized sue who I had seen before at the hangars in zephyrhills. I spoke with her briefly and she asked how the air was, I told her it was bad, gusty on my landing and I was going back before conditions got worse and would just have breakfast in zephyrhills. She said her landing was also gusty. I observed the windsock and flags around the airport sticking straight out. I told her I would see her back at kzph. I never got out of my trike or took my helmet off. I then cleared my prop and taxied to take off of runway 05. The time would have been between 11:30 and 11:40AM. I then left the kgif airspace and heard her radio call that she was on the taxi way. I then changed frequency and flew to kzph without incident".aircraft N811RW taxied and departed from runway 5. The aircraft was observed by witnesses to have climbed to approximately 50-75 feet before the right wing fell to an estimated 80 degree downward angle. The nose of the craft was in a downward direction and engine RPM increased. The engine RPM increased and the aircraft passed in front of a 25 foot hangar obstructing the witness view, but immediately heard the aircraft impact the ground. The aircraft impacted the ground in the vicinity of taxiway a and taxiway B3 intersection. The aircraft's right wing impacted the ground; approximately 28 feet from initial point of impact, the main carriage assembly impacted the ground. The aircraft continued to skid on the right side for APPROXIMATELY168 feet before coming to a stop. No mechanical defects indicated prior to crash.

As the FAA filed it

THE WITNESS OBSERVED PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT THE AIRCRAFT HAD PERFOMED AT LEAST TWO TOUCH AND GO'S AND STATED NOTHING SEEMED ABNORMAL BUT COMMENTED THAT IT SEEMED A BIT WINDY FOR AN ULTRA LIGHT TO BE OUT AND THE WINDS FELT TO BE ABOUT 10-15 KNOTS.THE AIRCRAFT TAXIED AND PARKED AT THE FBO TO EAT BREAKFAST.JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AN ACQUAINTANCE OF PILOT SUSANNE BROADBELT LANDED ON RUNWAY 05. HE STATED "ON LANDING AT KGIF I DECIDED CONDITIONS WERE TOO GUSTY TO PARK MY TRIKE AND DECIDED NOT TO STAY FOR BREAKFAST WHEN I SAW A SINGLE TRIKE PARKED ALONG WITH SEVERAL FIXED WING AIRCRAFT, AS I GOT CLOSER I RECOGNIZED SUE WHO I HAD SEEN BEFORE AT THE HANGARS IN ZEPHYRHILLS. I SPOKE WITH HER BRIEFLY AND SHE ASKED HOW THE AIR WAS, I TOLD HER IT WAS BAD, GUSTY ON MY LANDING AND I WAS GOING BACK BEFORE CONDITIONS GOT WORSE AND WOULD JUST HAVE BREAKFAST IN ZEPHYRHILLS. SHE SAID HER LANDING WAS ALSO GUSTY. I OBSERVED THE WINDSOCK AND FLAGS AROUND THE AIRPORT STICKING STRAIGHT OUT. I TOLD HER I WOULD SEE HER BACK AT KZPH. I NEVER GOT OUT OF MY TRIKE OR TOOK MY HELMET OFF. I THEN CLEARED MY PROP AND TAXIED TO TAKE OFF OF RUNWAY 05. THE TIME WOULD HAVE BEEN BETWEEN 11:30 AND 11:40AM. I THEN LEFT THE KGIF AIRSPACE AND HEARD HER RADIO CALL THAT SHE WAS ON THE TAXI WAY. I THEN CHANGED FREQUENCY AND FLEW TO KZPH WITHOUT INCIDENT".AIRCRAFT N811RW TAXIED AND DEPARTED FROM RUNWAY 5. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED BY WITNESSES TO HAVE CLIMBED TO APPROXIMATELY 50-75 FEET BEFORE THE RIGHT WING FELL TO AN ESTIMATED 80 DEGREE DOWNWARD ANGLE. THE NOSE OF THE CRAFT WAS IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION AND ENGINE RPM INCREASED. THE ENGINE RPM INCREASED AND THE AIRCRAFT PASSED IN FRONT OF A 25 FOOT HANGAR OBSTRUCTING THE WITNESS VIEW, BUT IMMEDIATELY HEARD THE AIRCRAFT IMPACT THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN THE VICINITY OF TAXIWAY A AND TAXIWAY B3 INTERSECTION. THE AIRCRAFT'S RIGHT WING IMPACTED THE GROUND; APPROXIMATELY 28 FEET FROM INITIAL POINT OF IMPACT, THE MAIN CARRIAGE ASSEMBLY IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO SKID ON THE RIGHT SIDE FOR APPROXIMATELY168 FEET BEFORE COMING TO A STOP.NO MECHANICAL DEFECTS INDICATED PRIOR TO CRASH.

NTSB investigation

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