- Date
- June 20, 2009, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Vaughn, MS
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2601Aircraft Mfg & Development CH 601XL S
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090620009419A
- Case key
- 74089
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 pilot's inadequate preflight planning.
Findings · 3
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
An airline transport pilot was departing a private grass field in a special light sport airplane with a passenger onboard. With calm wind, the airplane began a takeoff roll to the west on an approximately 1000-foot-long turf runway. The pilot said that during the takeoff roll the airplane encountered a dip/bump in the runway, which reduced groundspeed and extended the ground roll. The airplane became airborne near the end of the runway, where it started to lose lift and struck an unseen wire with the right main landing gear. The wire was a solar/electrical wire, at a height of approximately 1 to 2 feet, which ran along an adjacent soybean patch. The airplane's nose then pitched down and the airplane came to rest at the bottom of a 5-foot embankment. The pilot reported that due to the density altitude and the weight of the airplane, he could not gain sufficient airspeed during the takeoff to climb. The pilot added that had the unseen wire not "snagged" the landing gear, the airplane would have been able to continue accelerating and climbing. The airplane received damage to the propeller, left leading edge of the left wing, the landing gear, and the fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical deficiencies or mechanical problems with the airplane.
Factual narrative
An airline transport pilot was departing a private grass field in a special light sport airplane, with a passenger onboard. With calm wind, the airplane began a takeoff roll to the west on an approximate 1000-foot-long turf runway. The pilot said that during the takeoff roll, the airplane encountered a dip/bump in the runway, which reduced groundspeed and extended the ground roll. The airplane became airborne near the end of the runway, where it started to lose lift and struck an unseen wire with the right main landing gear. The wire was a solar/electrical wire, at a height of approximately 1 to 2 feet, which ran along and adjacent soybean patch. The airplane's nose then pitched down and the airplane came to rest at the bottom of a 5-foot embankment. The pilot reported that due to the density altitude and the weight of the airplane, he could not gain sufficient airspeed during the takeoff to climb. The pilot added that had the unseen wire not "snagged" the landing gear, the airplane would have been able to continue accelerating and climbing. The airplane received damage to the propeller, left leading edge of the left wing, the landing gear, and the fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical deficiencies or mechanical problems with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2601
- Reported as
- Aircraft Mfg & Development CH 601XL S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 601-005S
- Airframe hours
- 311
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John M Nassour
- Registered owner
- N2601 LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 5, 2009
- Departed
- NONE · Vaughn, MS
- Destination
- VKS · Vicksburg, MS
- Airport
- NONE · Private Airstrip, runway 27, 1,000 × ft, grass/turf
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
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 11, 2009
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,837 total · 140 in this make and model · 6,590 as pilot in command · 268 in the last 90 days · 77 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- JAN, 10 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 24, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 MB 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.