20170719012529A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Aircraft Mfg & Dvlpmt CH601XLI SLSA · Towanda, PA · July 19, 2017

Date: July 19, 2017 · 11:00 local
Place: Towanda, PA
Airport: Bradford County Airport
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N601PH
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA17FA248
Reported as: Aircraft Mfg & Dvlpmt CH601XLI Slsa
Reported engine: Continental O-200
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Student

N601PHRegistration cancelled Jan 9, 2019 · Aircraft Mfg & Dvlpmt CH601XLI SLSAS/N 601-040S · Built 2007 Airframe modelAircraft Mfg & Dvlpmt CH601XLI SLSA Engine modelContinental O-200 series4 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.

Pilot was conducting traffic patterns at airport. After a 'touch and go', and during climb out, he transmitted on the radio that he was experiencing an "in flight emergency" (without description) and was "returning to the airport". Witnesses described the climbout as the Aircraft nose falling and then pitching up (porpoising) as if re-occurring stalls. Aircraft decended into trees. Post crash fire destroyed Aircraft. Single pilot occupant. Fatal.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS CONDUCTING TRAFFIC PATTERNS AT AIRPORT. AFTER A 'TOUCH AND GO', AND DURING CLIMB OUT, HE TRANSMITTED ON THE RADIO THAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING AN "IN FLIGHT EMERGENCY" (WITHOUT DESCRIPTION) AND WAS "RETURNING TO THE AIRPORT". WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE CLIMBOUT AS THE AIRCRAFT NOSE FALLING AND THEN PITCHING UP (PORPOISING) AS IF RE-OCCURRING STALLS. AIRCRAFT DECENDED INTO TREES. POST CRASH FIRE DESTROYED AIRCRAFT. SINGLE PILOT OCCUPANT. FATAL.

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 ERA17FA248Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportTowanda, PAA partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information, and the pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during an attempted return to the airport, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall…Jul 19, 2017 · Destroyed