LAX06CA203

NTSB accident investigation · Aircraft Mfg & Dev. CH2000 · Chandler, AZ · June 10, 2006

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
June 10, 2006, 09:15 local (16:15 UTC)
Place
Chandler, AZ
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Initial climb
Aircraft
N280AMAircraft Mfg & Dev. CH2000
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report October 3, 2006
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20060610013429A
Case key
63916

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control and the instructor's delayed remedial actions, which resulted in a collision with terrain during the initial takeoff climb. The instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight was also causal.

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.

Loss of control - in flightTakeoff - initial climb
Soft field takeoff/procedure - attemptedDual student
Directional control - not maintainedDual studentCause
Remedial action - delayedPilot in command(cfi)Cause
Supervision - inadequatePilot in command(cfi)Cause
In flight collision with terrain/waterTakeoff - initial climb
Terrain condition - ground

Analysis

The airplane collided with terrain during the student pilot's attempted takeoff. During a soft-field takeoff with the airplane about 10 to 15 feet above ground level (agl), the student pilot increased the pitch attitude by raising the nose. The airplane yawed about 15 degrees to the right of the runway centerline and the certified flight instructor (CFI) momentarily waited for the student pilot to make corrective action. The airplane yawed an additional 15 degrees to the right before the CFI assumed the airplane controls. He applied left rudder and lowered the nose in an effort to maneuver the airplane back to the runway. The left wing and the tail impacted the ground, which the CFI believed was the main landing gear. The CFI continued the initial takeoff climb and shortly thereafter noticed the damage to the left wing. He returned to the airport for an uneventful landing. The CFI noted no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Factual narrative

The airplane collided with terrain during a soft-field takeoff. In a written statement, the certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that the purpose of the flight was for the student pilot to practice soft-field takeoffs and landings, which he had briefed the student for prior to departure. After rotation, with the airplane about 10 to 15 feet above ground level (agl), the student pilot raised the nose of the airplane high, akin to a short-field takeoff configuration. The airplane yawed about 15 degrees to the right of the runway centerline and the CFI momentarily waited for the student pilot to make corrective action. The CFI directed the student pilot to input left rudder, but the airplane yawed an additional 15 degrees to the right.

The CFI further stated that he assumed the airplane controls. He applied left rudder, and lowered the nose in an effort to maneuver the airplane back to the runway. The left wing contacted the ground about 5 feet from the right edge of the runway and the tail subsequently impacted a grassy median to the right of the runway. The CFI believed that the airplane's main landing gear had contacted the ground and continued with the initial takeoff climb. Shortly thereafter, the CFI and student noticed the damage to the left wing and returned to the airport for an uneventful landing.

The CFI noted no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Aircraft

Registration
N280AM
Reported as
Aircraft Mfg & Dev. CH2000
Category
Airplane
Serial number
20-1041
Engine
Lycoming O-235-N2C, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
League Of Extraordinary Aviators, Inc.
Registered owner
Outside the Box Aviation LLC
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Departed
P19 · Chandler, AZ
Destination
P19 · Chandler, AZ
Airport
P19 · Stellar Airpark, runway 17, 3,913 × 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 · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Flight instructor
Age
49
Certificates
Commercial, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2
Flight hours
856 total · 67 in this make and model · 47 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days
Role
Student pilot
Age
55
Certificate
Student
Medical
Class 3
Flight hours
22 total · 20 in this make and model · 22 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
25 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
1,500 ft broken
Temperature
91 °F, dew point 48 °F
Altimeter
29.82 inHg
Observed at
CHD, 5 nm away

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.