20170104002759A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Demmer William Shane BD-4 · Brookfield, WI · January 4, 2017

Date
January 4, 2017 · 12:08 local
Place
Brookfield, WI
Airport
Capitol
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N311SD
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN17FA067
Reported as
Demmer William Shane BD-4
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot

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.

On January 4, 2017, at 1208 CDT an experimental amateur built BD-4 airplane, 311SD, sustained substantial damage while attempting takeoff from runway 21 at the 02C airport in Brookfield Wisconsin. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and traveled approximately 890 feet with oscillations of ground movement and flight on a heading approximately 30 degrees off of the runway heading, and then impacted a parked chevy tahoe.

Approximately 63 feet of tire skid marks were found at the intersection of the paved runway 21 and the sod runway 27. The skid marks indicated that the airplane was deviating to the downwind (left) side of the runway. The airplane departed the edge of the runway with no tracks through the snow or grass indicating that the airplane was airborne for approximately 298 feet on a southerly heading. This was followed by 110 feet of ground movement indicated by tire skid marks on the paved taxiway and tire tracks through the grass. This was followed by 220 feet of no imprints indicating that the airplane was again airborne, then by 262 feet of tire tracks leading to the impact with the parked chevy tahoe which was unoccupied and parked adjacent to runway 21. The tahoe was flipped on its side and moved approximately 8 feet. The airplane wreckage, other than the wing, came to rest on the south side of the tahoe, in contact with the tahoe with the nose bent around to the tail. The wing came to rest 91 feet beyond the point of impact with the tahoe.

The private pilot was fatally injured. There were two passengers onboard. The adult passenger sustained serious injuries, and the 6 month old child, who was restrained in a rear facing car seat, was uninjured. The flight, for purposes of return to the home airport in Virginia, was operating under 14 CFR part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident with strong gusty winds out of the west.

As the FAA filed it

ON JANUARY 4, 2017, AT 1208 CDT AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR BUILT BD-4 AIRPLANE, 311SD, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHILE ATTEMPTING TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 21 AT THE 02C AIRPORT IN BROOKFIELD WISCONSIN. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 890 FEET WITH OSCILLATIONS OF GROUND MOVEMENT AND FLIGHT ON A HEADING APPROXIMATELY 30 DEGREES OFF OF THE RUNWAY HEADING, AND THEN IMPACTED A PARKED CHEVY TAHOE.

APPROXIMATELY 63 FEET OF TIRE SKID MARKS WERE FOUND AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE PAVED RUNWAY 21 AND THE SOD RUNWAY 27. THE SKID MARKS INDICATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS DEVIATING TO THE DOWNWIND (LEFT) SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY WITH NO TRACKS THROUGH THE SNOW OR GRASS INDICATING THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS AIRBORNE FOR APPROXIMATELY 298 FEET ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY 110 FEET OF GROUND MOVEMENT INDICATED BY TIRE SKID MARKS ON THE PAVED TAXIWAY AND TIRE TRACKS THROUGH THE GRASS. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY 220 FEET OF NO IMPRINTS INDICATING THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS AGAIN AIRBORNE, THEN BY 262 FEET OF TIRE TRACKS LEADING TO THE IMPACT WITH THE PARKED CHEVY TAHOE WHICH WAS UNOCCUPIED AND PARKED ADJACENT TO RUNWAY 21. THE TAHOE WAS FLIPPED ON ITS SIDE AND MOVED APPROXIMATELY 8 FEET. THE AIRPLANE WRECKAGE, OTHER THAN THE WING, CAME TO REST ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE TAHOE, IN CONTACT WITH THE TAHOE WITH THE NOSE BENT AROUND TO THE TAIL. THE WING CAME TO REST 91 FEET BEYOND THE POINT OF IMPACT WITH THE TAHOE.

THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. THERE WERE TWO PASSENGERS ONBOARD. THE ADULT PASSENGER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES, AND THE 6 MONTH OLD CHILD, WHO WAS RESTRAINED IN A REAR FACING CAR SEAT, WAS UNINJURED. THE FLIGHT, FOR PURPOSES OF RETURN TO THE HOME AIRPORT IN VIRGINIA, WAS OPERATING UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS OUT OF THE WEST.

NTSB investigation

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