- Date
- June 5, 2008, 20:30 local (Jun 6, 2008, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Danville, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N6366Just Highlander
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report August 12, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20080605843929A
- Case key
- 69028
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The student pilot's loss of control during takeoff.
Findings · 1
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.
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 student pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings. On the last landing, the front wheel lifted off the ground, came down, then lifted again, so he decided to take off. Once airbourne, the airplane started a turn to the left. The pilot then banked right to avoid a tree and struck the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot stated to the Federal Aviation Administration inspectors at the scene that there were no problems with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On June 5, 2008, approximately 2030 eastern daylight time, a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) Highlander aircraft, operated and owned by a student pilot, was substantially damaged when the airplane struck the ground during a go around at Danville, Airport (8N8), Danville, Pennsylvania. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and the flight was was being conducted as a personal flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. The student pilot, the only occupant, was not injured during the accident. The local flight originated from 8N8 for the purpose of practicing take offs and landings.
The pilot said that on the last landing, the front wheel lifted off the ground, came down, and then lifted again. He decided to take off again, pushing the throttle fully in. The airplane started turning to the left so the pilot banked right to avoid a tree and then struck the ground.
The pilot stated to the Federal Aviation Inspectors at the scene that there were no problems with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6366
- Reported as
- Just Highlander
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- JAESC0143
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Marquette Christopher A
- Registered owner
- Marquette Christopher A
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Departed
- 8N8 · Danville, PA
- Destination
- 8N8 · Danville, PA
- Airport
- 8N8 · Danville Airport, runway 27, 3,000 × 60 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 41
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 30 total · 30 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- KSEG, 25 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 11, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 40 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.