What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On November 1, 2017. At approximately 2:30 pm, aircraft N3512L (Great Lakes model 2T-1A-2) was involved in an accident at the Turners Falls Airport (0B5) located in Montague, MA. privacy data omitted Pilot privacy data omitted was acting as the pilot in command (PIC) and was the only person on the aircraft. Prior to the accident, privacy data omitted stated that he performed his inspection of the airplane. The aircraft had received the annual inspection on the day prior to this accident. He then called the ASOS at orange municipal airport (ore) to get weather conditions. He states they were 10 plus visibility, clear sky, and little wind. The observation was verified by inspector in charge (iic) for 2:52 pm and showed 17005KT for winds. privacy data omitted Stated the he did not receive a formal weather brief. The intended flight was to ore. privacy data omitted Started the aircraft and completed his pre-flight checklist. privacy data omitted Stated that all was well with the airplane and the brakes were working fine as he taxied it. privacy data omitted Then took the active runway 16 and verified rudder pedal operation.
privacy data omitted Stated that he then applied full throttle and attempted take-off. He stated that at about 200 feet and 50 knots he lost control of the aircraft while holding the controls in a tail up position. The aircraft made a hard left turn. The aircraft departed the runway under power at approximately 400 feet from the end of runway 16. The aircraft then went down and back up a small ditch that runs parallel to the runway. When the aircraft went back up the ditch, the right landing gear broke and the aircraft temporarily became airborne. The aircraft started to roll over and its left lower wing and propeller impacted the ground while under power. The aircraft came to its final resting place approximately 150 feet past where it exited the runway and 175 feet the left edge of runway 16. The aircraft came to rest upside down and facing the opposite direction of its intended departure.
privacy data omitted Was able to crawl out of the aircraft. He has stated that he received no injuries other than minor bruising.
The iic found there to be substantial damage to the aircraft. Both propeller blade tips were bent back approximately 90 degrees coupled with the ground scoring found indicates that the engine was under power when the propeller came into contact with the ground. privacy data omitted (Mechanic at the airfield) stated that when he went to the aircraft right after the accident, then he crawled into the plane, shut the fuel selector, pulled the throttle back to idle position from its full power position as well as return mixture to idle cutoff making sure no other fuel could flow to the engine. All three wheels rotated freely and no flat spots were noted on the tires. The right brake assembly broke off and appeared to happen as a result of the accident and not contributing to it.
Dark tire marks were made by the right wheel on the runway indicating that the aircraft?s weight was heavy on the right wheel. The marks from the left wheel were too light to capture by camera indicating the aircraft was very light on the left tire. There were squiggly tire marks on the runway from the tail wheel indicating that the tail wheel was on the ground during its left turn.
Flight control function was verified by the iic and show no evidence of a malfunction.
As the FAA filed it
ON NOVEMBER 1, 2017. AT APPROXIMATELY 2:30 PM, AIRCRAFT N3512L (GREAT LAKES MODEL 2T-1A-2) WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AT THE TURNERS FALLS AIRPORT (0B5) LOCATED IN MONTAGUE, MA. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS ACTING AS THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) AND WAS THE ONLY PERSON ON THE AIRCRAFT. PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT HE PERFORMED HIS INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRCRAFT HAD RECEIVED THE ANNUAL INSPECTION ON THE DAY PRIOR TO THIS ACCIDENT. HE THEN CALLED THE ASOS AT ORANGE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (ORE) TO GET WEATHER CONDITIONS. HE STATES THEY WERE 10 PLUS VISIBILITY, CLEAR SKY, AND LITTLE WIND. THE OBSERVATION WAS VERIFIED BY INSPECTOR IN CHARGE (IIC) FOR 2:52 PM AND SHOWED 17005KT FOR WINDS. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THE HE DID NOT RECEIVE A FORMAL WEATHER BRIEF. THE INTENDED FLIGHT WAS TO ORE. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STARTED THE AIRCRAFT AND COMPLETED HIS PRE-FLIGHT CHECKLIST. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT ALL WAS WELL WITH THE AIRPLANE AND THE BRAKES WERE WORKING FINE AS HE TAXIED IT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THEN TOOK THE ACTIVE RUNWAY 16 AND VERIFIED RUDDER PEDAL OPERATION.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT HE THEN APPLIED FULL THROTTLE AND ATTEMPTED TAKE-OFF. HE STATED THAT AT ABOUT 200 FEET AND 50 KNOTS HE LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WHILE HOLDING THE CONTROLS IN A TAIL UP POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT MADE A HARD LEFT TURN. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY UNDER POWER AT APPROXIMATELY 400 FEET FROM THE END OF RUNWAY 16. THE AIRCRAFT THEN WENT DOWN AND BACK UP A SMALL DITCH THAT RUNS PARALLEL TO THE RUNWAY. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WENT BACK UP THE DITCH, THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR BROKE AND THE AIRCRAFT TEMPORARILY BECAME AIRBORNE. THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO ROLL OVER AND ITS LEFT LOWER WING AND PROPELLER IMPACTED THE GROUND WHILE UNDER POWER. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO ITS FINAL RESTING PLACE APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET PAST WHERE IT EXITED THE RUNWAY AND 175 FEET THE LEFT EDGE OF RUNWAY 16. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN AND FACING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF ITS INTENDED DEPARTURE.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS ABLE TO CRAWL OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT. HE HAS STATED THAT HE RECEIVED NO INJURIES OTHER THAN MINOR BRUISING.
THE IIC FOUND THERE TO BE SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. BOTH PROPELLER BLADE TIPS WERE BENT BACK APPROXIMATELY 90 DEGREES COUPLED WITH THE GROUND SCORING FOUND INDICATES THAT THE ENGINE WAS UNDER POWER WHEN THE PROPELLER CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ (MECHANIC AT THE AIRFIELD) STATED THAT WHEN HE WENT TO THE AIRCRAFT RIGHT AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THEN HE CRAWLED INTO THE PLANE, SHUT THE FUEL SELECTOR, PULLED THE THROTTLE BACK TO IDLE POSITION FROM ITS FULL POWER POSITION AS WELL AS RETURN MIXTURE TO IDLE CUTOFF MAKING SURE NO OTHER FUEL COULD FLOW TO THE ENGINE. ALL THREE WHEELS ROTATED FREELY AND NO FLAT SPOTS WERE NOTED ON THE TIRES. THE RIGHT BRAKE ASSEMBLY BROKE OFF AND APPEARED TO HAPPEN AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT AND NOT CONTRIBUTING TO IT.
DARK TIRE MARKS WERE MADE BY THE RIGHT WHEEL ON THE RUNWAY INDICATING THAT THE AIRCRAFT?S WEIGHT WAS HEAVY ON THE RIGHT WHEEL. THE MARKS FROM THE LEFT WHEEL WERE TOO LIGHT TO CAPTURE BY CAMERA INDICATING THE AIRCRAFT WAS VERY LIGHT ON THE LEFT TIRE. THERE WERE SQUIGGLY TIRE MARKS ON THE RUNWAY FROM THE TAIL WHEEL INDICATING THAT THE TAIL WHEEL WAS ON THE GROUND DURING ITS LEFT TURN.
FLIGHT CONTROL FUNCTION WAS VERIFIED BY THE IIC AND SHOW NO EVIDENCE OF A MALFUNCTION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.