ERA11LA003

According to the pilot, the airplane began drifting to the left just after takeoff. He attempted to correct the drift; however, the flight controls had no effect. The airplane then began banking to the right until it impacted the ground, coming to rest inverted next to a hangar. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact abnormalities that would have prevented the normal use of the flight controls.

On October 1, 2010, about 1240 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Yost Glasair SH-2, N2117S, collided with terrain immediately after takeoff from runway 18 at Seven Lakes Airport (62GA), Jackson, Georgia. The certificated private pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight to Henry Tift Myers Airport (TMA), Tifton, Georgia. The flight was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot reported to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that after the airplane became airborne, it began to drift to the left. He attempted to correct the airplane with the flight controls; however, the controls had no effect. The airplane began to bank to the right and continued until the right wing struck the ground. In a written statement, a witness reported that the airplane became airborne, banked about 80 degrees to the right, and then banked further to the right. The wingtip struck the ground, and the airplane cart wheeled off the right side of the runway. An FAA inspector that responded to the accident location reported that the airplane came to rest about 20 feet outside of an airport hangar. The airplane's engine was impact separated and located inside the hangar. According to the airport manager, the airplane had accrued approximately 600 hours in the previous three years, and that the owner sublet part of a hangar at the airport. He could not remember the previous time the airplane had flown but thought it was earlier in the week. The pilot reported approximately 500 hours total flight time as pilot in command, about 140 hours of which were in the accident airplane make and model. His most recent flight review was completed in November, 2008. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued January, 28, 2009. The tailwheel equipped airplane was built in 1984, and had accumulated about 500 hours total flight time at the time of the accident. The airplane's most recent conditional inspection was completed in June 2010. An FAA inspector examined the airplane on October 4, 2010 at a local salvage facility. Both wings exhibited impact damage to the leading edge. The right wing aileron remained attached at the inboard attach point and the left wing aileron remained attached at the attach points. The right flap was impact separated at the attach point. Continuity was confirmed to all flight control surfaces from the control column. Continuity was confirmed throughout the engine and compression was confirmed on all of the cylinders utilizing the thumb compression method. No preimpact malfunctions or abnormalities were noted that would have precluded normal operations.