What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On August 29, 2015 at approximately 1900 local N534AC, a 2014 Air Creation USA LLC Skypper was involved in an accident at the minute man airport in Stow, MA. Two pilots were on board. Both suffered minor injuries to their extremities, mostly limited to their right arms. The aircraft was substantially damaged.
At approximately 1915 local, regional operations center contacted inspectors from the boston flight standards district office (FSDO). Inspectors from the boston FSDO instructed airport personnel to photograph the wreckage of the aircraft and remove it from the runway.
The photos documenting the wreckage showed an aircraft situated on runway 21 at 6B6. The aircraft was resting on the paved surface of the runway a beam the windsock. The aircraft came to rest on its right side and exhibited substantial damage to the wing structure and passenger compartment consistant with high velocity skidding contact with a paved surface.
On Thursday, 9/3/2015, both pilots were interviewed separately. Aside from minor differences in descriptive (non essential) detail, both pilot's narratives described the same course of events:
The flight originated at crow island airpark (8MA4) and was operated to minuteman, Stow airport (6B6) with two pilots on board. Both were appropriately rated pilots. The pilot occupying the back seat of the aircraft is a weight shift instructor pilot with approximately 900 hours of dual given in light sport / weight shift aircraft.
The flight was essentially a "checkout"as the front seat applicant requested the back seat occupant's presence due to minimal hours / lack of recency of experience in type.
Several successful full stop landings were made with no mention of any need for flight path corrections from the instructor pilot occupying the back seat.
The decision was made by both pilots to execute a touch and go landing. The landing phase of the event was conducted without anomaly. Early in the takeoff roll , the aircraft began to drift to the right. The front seat occupant attempted to correct the drift but subsequently caused a drift to the right, only at a greater rate. A correction was once again initiated and resulted in an even greater drift rate causing the aircraft to tip onto its right side. The aircraft skidded to a stop on the paved surface of runway 21. During interviews, both the instructor pilot and front seat occupant pilot described the event as resembling a pilot induced oscillation. The back seat occupant (rated instructor pilot) stated that the event occurred so rapidly that he was unable to intercede with any corrective control input.
Both pilots stated that the rate of acceleration was very rapid and the center of gravity of this particular type of aircraft is very high. Both pilots speculated that the above mentioned characteristics may have contributed to the perceived rapid frequency of the oscillations.
As the FAA filed it
ON AUGUST 29, 2015 AT APPROXIMATELY 1900 LOCAL N534AC, A 2014 AIR CREATION USA LLC SKYPPER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AT THE MINUTE MAN AIRPORT IN STOW, MA. TWO PILOTS WERE ON BOARD. BOTH SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES TO THEIR EXTREMITIES, MOSTLY LIMITED TO THEIR RIGHT ARMS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.
AT APPROXIMATELY 1915 LOCAL, REGIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER CONTACTED INSPECTORS FROM THE BOSTON FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE (FSDO). INSPECTORS FROM THE BOSTON FSDO INSTRUCTED AIRPORT PERSONNEL TO PHOTOGRAPH THE WRECKAGE OF THE AIRCRAFT AND REMOVE IT FROM THE RUNWAY.
THE PHOTOS DOCUMENTING THE WRECKAGE SHOWED AN AIRCRAFT SITUATED ON RUNWAY 21 AT 6B6. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RESTING ON THE PAVED SURFACE OF THE RUNWAY A BEAM THE WINDSOCK. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON ITS RIGHT SIDE AND EXHIBITED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE WING STRUCTURE AND PASSENGER COMPARTMENT CONSISTANT WITH HIGH VELOCITY SKIDDING CONTACT WITH A PAVED SURFACE.
ON THURSDAY, 9/3/2015, BOTH PILOTS WERE INTERVIEWED SEPARATELY. ASIDE FROM MINOR DIFFERENCES IN DESCRIPTIVE (NON ESSENTIAL) DETAIL, BOTH PILOT'S NARRATIVES DESCRIBED THE SAME COURSE OF EVENTS:
THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT CROW ISLAND AIRPARK (8MA4) AND WAS OPERATED TO MINUTEMAN, STOW AIRPORT (6B6) WITH TWO PILOTS ON BOARD. BOTH WERE APPROPRIATELY RATED PILOTS. THE PILOT OCCUPYING THE BACK SEAT OF THE AIRCRAFT IS A WEIGHT SHIFT INSTRUCTOR PILOT WITH APPROXIMATELY 900 HOURS OF DUAL GIVEN IN LIGHT SPORT / WEIGHT SHIFT AIRCRAFT.
THE FLIGHT WAS ESSENTIALLY A "CHECKOUT"AS THE FRONT SEAT APPLICANT REQUESTED THE BACK SEAT OCCUPANT'S PRESENCE DUE TO MINIMAL HOURS / LACK OF RECENCY OF EXPERIENCE IN TYPE.
SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL FULL STOP LANDINGS WERE MADE WITH NO MENTION OF ANY NEED FOR FLIGHT PATH CORRECTIONS FROM THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT OCCUPYING THE BACK SEAT.
THE DECISION WAS MADE BY BOTH PILOTS TO EXECUTE A TOUCH AND GO LANDING. THE LANDING PHASE OF THE EVENT WAS CONDUCTED WITHOUT ANOMALY. EARLY IN THE TAKEOFF ROLL , THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO DRIFT TO THE RIGHT. THE FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT THE DRIFT BUT SUBSEQUENTLY CAUSED A DRIFT TO THE RIGHT, ONLY AT A GREATER RATE. A CORRECTION WAS ONCE AGAIN INITIATED AND RESULTED IN AN EVEN GREATER DRIFT RATE CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO TIP ONTO ITS RIGHT SIDE. THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED TO A STOP ON THE PAVED SURFACE OF RUNWAY 21. DURING INTERVIEWS, BOTH THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT AND FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT PILOT DESCRIBED THE EVENT AS RESEMBLING A PILOT INDUCED OSCILLATION. THE BACK SEAT OCCUPANT (RATED INSTRUCTOR PILOT) STATED THAT THE EVENT OCCURRED SO RAPIDLY THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO INTERCEDE WITH ANY CORRECTIVE CONTROL INPUT.
BOTH PILOTS STATED THAT THE RATE OF ACCELERATION WAS VERY RAPID AND THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF AIRCRAFT IS VERY HIGH. BOTH PILOTS SPECULATED THAT THE ABOVE MENTIONED CHARACTERISTICS MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE PERCEIVED RAPID FREQUENCY OF THE OSCILLATIONS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.