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20170510007079A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Reupert Mark AVID FLYER · Reedsville, PA · May 10, 2017

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 10, 2017 · 15:40 local
Place
Reedsville, PA
Airport
Mifflin County
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N532SE
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA17CA177
Reported as
Reupert Mark Avid Flyer
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
2
Pilot’s certificate
Sport pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
600 total600 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days
N532SERegistered now · Reupert Mark AVID FLYERS/N 231 · Built 1987Airframe modelReupert Mark AVID FLYEREngine modelRotax 582DCDI2 cycle

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 aircraft, N532SE, is a side by side dual controlled experimental amateur built aircraft and had two occupants on board. The occupant in the left seat was a certificated sport pilot and was acting as pilot in command. The occupant in the right seat was a certificated private pilot who was manipulating the flight controls during this particular take off sequence from runway 24 at Mifflin County Airport (krvl). The occupant in the right seat was attempting to perform a standard take off. During the departure roll, the occupant in the right seat was manipulating the flight controls and lost runway alignment and veered off the runway to the right (north). The north side of the runway is bordered by a grass strip, which is bordered by a drainage ditch and a hill that slopes upward. There is then a flat expanse of field which slopes downward and away (north) form the airport, this is bordered by a six foot chain link fence. Beyond the fence, APPROXIMATELY250 yards to the north is a farm house. When the aircraft veered off to the right, the occupant in the left seat took the controls back from the occupant in the right seat of the aircraft and attempted to regain control of the aircraft as it entered the grass ditch. When the aircraft departed the grass ditch it had become airborne and the occupant in the left seat was unable to stabilize the aircraft. The aircraft cleared the fence but the occupant in the left seat was concerned they were going to hit the farm house that was approximately 250 yards to the north. The occupant in the left seat attempted to turn the aircraft to the left (south) and this is when the left wing stalled and put the aircraft into a left wing , nose low attitude and counter clockwise rotation. The aircraft impacted the ground and came to rest in a position that was approximately 180 degrees from the original heading. The wreckage indicates that the aircrafts left wing struck first, followed by the nose cowling then the right main landing gear. The wreckage signature also indicates that the aircraft "pirouetted" or spun counter clockwise as it impacted the ground.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT, N532SE, IS A SIDE BY SIDE DUAL CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR BUILT AIRCRAFT AND HAD TWO OCCUPANTS ON BOARD. THE OCCUPANT IN THE LEFT SEAT WAS A CERTIFICATED SPORT PILOT AND WAS ACTING AS PILOT IN COMMAND. THE OCCUPANT IN THE RIGHT SEAT WAS A CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT WHO WAS MANIPULATING THE FLIGHT CONTROLS DURING THIS PARTICULAR TAKE OFF SEQUENCE FROM RUNWAY 24 AT MIFFLIN COUNTY AIRPORT (KRVL). THE OCCUPANT IN THE RIGHT SEAT WAS ATTEMPTING TO PERFORM A STANDARD TAKE OFF. DURING THE DEPARTURE ROLL, THE OCCUPANT IN THE RIGHT SEAT WAS MANIPULATING THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND LOST RUNWAY ALIGNMENT AND VEERED OFF THE RUNWAY TO THE RIGHT (NORTH). THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RUNWAY IS BORDERED BY A GRASS STRIP, WHICH IS BORDERED BY A DRAINAGE DITCH AND A HILL THAT SLOPES UPWARD. THERE IS THEN A FLAT EXPANSE OF FIELD WHICH SLOPES DOWNWARD AND AWAY (NORTH) FORM THE AIRPORT, THIS IS BORDERED BY A SIX FOOT CHAIN LINK FENCE. BEYOND THE FENCE, APPROXIMATELY250 YARDS TO THE NORTH IS A FARM HOUSE. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT VEERED OFF TO THE RIGHT, THE OCCUPANT IN THE LEFT SEAT TOOK THE CONTROLS BACK FROM THE OCCUPANT IN THE RIGHT SEAT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ATTEMPTED TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AS IT ENTERED THE GRASS DITCH. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE GRASS DITCH IT HAD BECOME AIRBORNE AND THE OCCUPANT IN THE LEFT SEAT WAS UNABLE TO STABILIZE THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT CLEARED THE FENCE BUT THE OCCUPANT IN THE LEFT SEAT WAS CONCERNED THEY WERE GOING TO HIT THE FARM HOUSE THAT WAS APPROXIMATELY 250 YARDS TO THE NORTH. THE OCCUPANT IN THE LEFT SEAT ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE AIRCRAFT TO THE LEFT (SOUTH) AND THIS IS WHEN THE LEFT WING STALLED AND PUT THE AIRCRAFT INTO A LEFT WING , NOSE LOW ATTITUDE AND COUNTER CLOCKWISE ROTATION. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AND CAME TO REST IN A POSITION THAT WAS APPROXIMATELY 180 DEGREES FROM THE ORIGINAL HEADING. THE WRECKAGE INDICATES THAT THE AIRCRAFTS LEFT WING STRUCK FIRST, FOLLOWED BY THE NOSE COWLING THEN THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE WRECKAGE SIGNATURE ALSO INDICATES THAT THE AIRCRAFT "PIROUETTED" OR SPUN COUNTER CLOCKWISE AS IT IMPACTED THE GROUND.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB ERA17CA177Accident · Serious injuriesData collectionFinal reportReedsville, PAThe sport pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during takeoff, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.May 10, 2017 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N532SE · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20220823014979ICruise/Level Flight · Cambridge, MNAfter departing on runway 16 while climbing out on runway heading the engine lost power around 800 feet AGL. It continued to run but was not producing enough power to maintain altitude. The PIC made a 180 degree turn to attempt to return to the airport. The…Aug 23, 2022 · Minor damage