20180709009469A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · North Wing 17M · Section, AL · July 9, 2018

Date: July 9, 2018 · 18:46 local
Place: Section, AL
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N959RR
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA18LA188
Reported as: North Wing 17M
Reported engine: ROTAX 503
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot

N959RRRegistration cancelled Jul 15, 2019 · North Wing 17MS/N 39713 · Built 2005 Airframe modelNorth Wing 17M Engine modelRotax 503 series2 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 pilot purchased the aircraft on 05/04/2018. The pilot asked his spouse to watch him taxi across the homebuilt grass strip runway in the back yard. The pilot taxied to the northwest end of the runway and turned to face a 135-degree heading. The pilot increased throttle and run off the FAR end of the runway through tall grass for a minimum of 100 feet before taking off to the southeast. The pilot circled his home for five times and doubled back making an approach to land on a 315-degree heading. Upon touchdown, the aircraft bounced and the right wing dipped initiating a right turn to a 360-degree heading causing the aircraft to contact an oak tree at an altitude of approximately 15 feet. Contact with the tree caused the aircraft to spin down and to the right where it contacted the ground. The front of the airframe contacted the ground immediately followed by the pilot striking the ground headfirst where both came to rest inverted.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT PURCHASED THE AIRCRAFT ON 05/04/2018. THE PILOT ASKED HIS SPOUSE TO WATCH HIM TAXI ACROSS THE HOMEBUILT GRASS STRIP RUNWAY IN THE BACK YARD. THE PILOT TAXIED TO THE NORTHWEST END OF THE RUNWAY AND TURNED TO FACE A 135-DEGREE HEADING. THE PILOT INCREASED THROTTLE AND RUN OFF THE FAR END OF THE RUNWAY THROUGH TALL GRASS FOR A MINIMUM OF 100 FEET BEFORE TAKING OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST. THE PILOT CIRCLED HIS HOME FOR FIVE TIMES AND DOUBLED BACK MAKING AN APPROACH TO LAND ON A 315-DEGREE HEADING. UPON TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED AND THE RIGHT WING DIPPED INITIATING A RIGHT TURN TO A 360-DEGREE HEADING CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO CONTACT AN OAK TREE AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET. CONTACT WITH THE TREE CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO SPIN DOWN AND TO THE RIGHT WHERE IT CONTACTED THE GROUND. THE FRONT OF THE AIRFRAME CONTACTED THE GROUND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY THE PILOT STRIKING THE GROUND HEADFIRST WHERE BOTH CAME TO REST INVERTED.

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 ERA18LA188Accident · 1 fatalLimited investigationFinal reportSection, ALThe noncertificated pilot's failure to maintain control of the weight-shift-control aircraft during an aborted landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of flight experience in the aircraft.Jul 9, 2018 · Substantial damage