- Date
- July 6, 2002, 08:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Lancaster, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N234JDJackie SNS-7-Hiperbipe 3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 1, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20020706023619A
- Case key
- 55142
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 failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. A contributing factor was the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff roll.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
On takeoff roll, the airplane swerved to the left. The pilot overcorrected by applying right brake or rudder. The airplane then swerved to the right across the runway and became airborne. Approximately 15 feet agl, due to lack of airspeed, the airplane stalled and impacted the ground with its left wing. Subsequently, the airplane's right wing hit the ground, separating it from the fuselage. The airplane came to rest upright approximately 100 yards to the right side and perpendicular to the runway.
Factual narrative
On July 6, 2002, approximately 0845 central daylight time, a Jackie SNS-7-Hiperbipe 3 experimental single-engine airplane, N234JD, sustained substantial damage after impacting terrain following a loss of control during takeoff/initial climb at the Lancaster Airport, Lancaster, Texas. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
In a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that on takeoff roll from runway 13, the airplane swerved "for some reason" to the left. The pilot further stated that he must have over corrected by applying right brake or rudder. The airplane then swerved to the right across the runway and became airborne. Approximately 15 feet agl, due to "lack of airspeed," the airplane stalled and impacted the ground with its left wing. Subsequently, the airplane's right wing hit the ground, separating it from the fuselage. The pilot stated that the airplane came to rest upright approximately 100 yards to the right side and perpendicular to the runway.
An FAA inspector, who traveled to the accident site, reported the right wing had separated, the propeller was bent and twisted, and both main gear were folded up underneath the fuselage.
At 0853, the Redbird Automatic Surface Observing System, located 10 nautical miles northwest of the accident site, reported wind calm, visibility 8 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 25 degrees Centigrade, dew point 22 degrees Centigrade, with an altimeter setting of 30.09 inches of mercury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N234JD
- Reported as
- Jackie SNS-7-Hiperbipe 3
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 234
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-BEF, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lloyd G. Clements
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 11, 2002 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- LNC · Lancaster, TX
- Destination
- LNC · Lancaster, TX
- Airport
- LNC · Lancaster Airport, runway 13, 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- December 19, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 394 total · 200 in this make and model · 394 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- RBD, 10 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 10, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 392 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.