CEN12LA538

NTSB accident investigation · Cantlon Starduster Too SA300 · Galion, OH · August 7, 2012

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
August 7, 2012, 19:45 local (23:45 UTC)
Place
Galion, OH
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N111LCCantlon Starduster Too SA300
Defining event
Landing: Loss of control on ground
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Night
Status
Completed · report August 13, 2013
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20120807015869A
Case key
84649

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control and a proper pitch attitude and airspeed while performing an aborted landing.

Findings · 4

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

Performance/control parameters: directional controlAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedCantlon STARDUSTER TOO SA300: 1 caseAll aircraft: 3,958 casesProbable cause
Performance/control parameters: pitch controlAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedCantlon STARDUSTER TOO SA300: 1 caseAll aircraft: 526 casesProbable cause
Performance/control parameters: airspeedAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedCantlon STARDUSTER TOO SA300: 1 caseAll aircraft: 1,681 casesProbable cause

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

The pilot lost directional control during the landing roll and attempted to abort the landing. However, the airplane would not climb and was flying slower than the pilot thought it should be flying, and the airplane was headed toward the airport hangars south of the runway. The pilot reduced the airplane pitch attitude in order to increase airspeed and turned left to avoid the hangars. The airplane stalled as the pilot attempted to climb the airplane over a power line that was along the flight path. During the aborted landing, the pilot did not fly over the remaining runway, which would have provided obstruction clearance to a safe altitude. Also, flight at slow or near stall speed provides a high drag condition, which results in reduced climb performance.

Factual narrative

On August 7, 2012, at 1945 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Starduster Too SA300, N111LC, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during climbout from an aborted landing at Galion Municipal Airport (GQQ), Galion, Ohio. The pilot, the only person on board, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed for the local flight that departed GQQ. The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to run the engine and to practice landings. During an approach to GQQ, the descent to runway 23 (3,504 feet by 75 feet, asphalt) was "a little fast" and he added "a little power" on short final. After the airplane touched down with "some" crab angle, it turned "sharply" to the left. He applied engine power to execute an aborted landing during which the airplane was flying "slower" than he thought, and it would not climb. When the pilot lowered the nose to gain speed, he saw that the airplane was heading further south than he thought and was heading for the airport hangars. He turned the airplane left to avoid the hangars, but it was headed for a power line. He said that he used the remaining airspeed to climb over the power line, but the airplane stalled and impacted the ground. The landing gear collapsed and the airplane slid for about 100 feet on grass. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction/failure with the airplane at the time of the accident. The pilot was issued a third class airman medical certificate dated June 9, 2010, with the following limitation: "Not valid for any class after 6/30/2012."

Aircraft

Registration
N111LC
Reported as
Cantlon Starduster Too SA300
Category
Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number
WJC1
Airframe hours
281
Engine
Lycoming O-360-C1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Pilot
Registered owner
Pilot
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Experimental (Special)
Last inspection
Condition · June 14, 2012
Departed
Galion, OH
Destination
Galion, OH
Airport
GQQ · Galion Municipal Airport, runway 23, 3,504 × 75 ft, asphalt

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
53
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
July 25, 2012
Seat
Rear
Flight hours
110 total · 4 in this make and model · 53 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Night
Wind
220° at 4 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
79 °F, dew point 52 °F
Altimeter
29.97 inHg
Observed at
MFD, 10 nm away

Docket · 1

The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 22, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 525 KB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.