- Date
- December 30, 2005, 14:20 local (22:20 UTC)
- Place
- California City, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N99BKAvid Mark IV
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20051230031699A
- Case key
- 63025
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 compensation for the crosswind and failure to maintain directional control of the airplane on takeoff.
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
The airplane nosed over after veering off the runway on takeoff. The pilot had a crosswind of 18 knots, gusting to 20 knots, from 30 degrees to his right. On the takeoff roll, the right wing and tail came up, pushing the airplane off the left side of the runway. The airplane nosed over when it entered the dirt. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Factual narrative
On December 30, 2005, about 1420 Pacific standard time, an Avid Flyer Mark IV, N99BK, veered off the runway and nosed over at California City, California. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal flight departed Rosamond, California, about 1300, with a planned stop in California City and a return to Rosamond. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
In a written statement to the National Transportation Safety Board, the pilot stated that he was beginning his takeoff roll. He noticed that the winds had increased to 18 knots from 30 degrees right of runway heading. About 40 feet into his takeoff roll, the right wing and tail of the airplane came off the ground, despite the pilot holding full opposite aileron. The airplane veered off the left side of the runway into the dirt and nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99BK
- Reported as
- Avid Mark IV
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1123
- Airframe hours
- 48
- Engine
- Bombardier Rotax 582, 64 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- George B Ismael
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · November 1, 2005 · 48 hours before
- Departed
- L71 · California City, CA
- Destination
- L00 · Rosamond, CA
- Airport
- L71 · California City Muni, runway 24, 6,027 × 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2
- Last flight review
- January 1, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,263 total · 48 in this make and model · 1,152 as pilot in command · 48 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 18 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Observed at
- L71
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.