- Date
- February 13, 2012, 15:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Warrenton, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N200ZAZenair CH 2000
- Defining event
- Takeoff-rejected takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120213003109A
- Case key
- 83053
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 failure to follow instruction and to relinquish control of the airplane to the flight instructor in a timely manner, which resulted in a runway excursion.
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
The flight instructor and student pilot, who was the owner of the airplane, were practicing simulated engine out/aborted takeoff procedures. The student pilot completed one aborted takeoff without incident; however, during a second attempt, he overrotated and the airplane climbed to an altitude of about 20 feet. The student pilot applied full engine power and landed on the runway; however, he did not reduce the engine power to idle when instructed. The instructor attempted to take control of the airplane, but the student pilot reported that he did not relinquish the flight controls to the instructor in a timely manner. With full power, the airplane tended to turn left, and the instructor applied right rudder and brakes, but was unable to overcome the full power setting, which the student still had not reduced as instructed. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and struck a runway sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilots reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot owner of the airplane were practicing simulated engine out/aborted takeoff procedures. The student pilot completed one aborted takeoff without incident; however, during a second attempt, he over-rotated and the airplane climbed to an altitude of about 20 feet. The student pilot applied full engine power and landed on the runway; however, he did not reduce the engine power to idle, when instructed to do so by the CFI. The student pilot also reported that he did not relinquish the flight controls to the CFI in a timely manner. The CFI applied right ruder and brakes; however, the airplane departed the left side of the runway and struck a runway sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilots reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The student pilot reported about 102 hours of total flight experience; of which, about 100 hours were accumulated in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N200ZA
- Reported as
- Zenair CH 2000
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-0003
- Airframe hours
- 1,380
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235 SERIES, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 11, 2011 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- HEF · Manassas, VA
- Destination
- HWY · Warrenton, VA
- Airport
- HWY · Warrenton-Fauquier, runway 33, 5,000 × 100 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 9, 2011
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 70 in this make and model · 1,200 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 102 total · 99 in this make and model · 21 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- HEF, 12 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 3, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.2 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.