- Date
- July 29, 2011, 10:10 local (16:10 UTC)
- Place
- Sheridan, WY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N742RJSloan Roger D Vans RV7A
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report October 17, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110729016399A
- Case key
- 81285
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 aircraft control during takeoff due to cockpit distractions.
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 pilot reported that when the airplane lifted off he became distracted by his headset's noise canceling control and suddenly the nose wheel of the airplane hit the ground hard. The pilot immediately pulled back on the controls and initiated a climb to assess the damage. After 15 minutes of flight, the emergency crew on the ground assessed that the nose gear was bent and the pilot prepared for an emergency landing. The pilot opted to land on the grass and as he set the airplane down on the surface the front gear leg collapsed and the airplane tilted up on its propeller before falling back down onto its main gear and substantially damaging the rudder. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that when the airplane lifted off he became distracted by his headsets noise canceling control and suddenly the nose wheel of the airplane hit the ground hard. The pilot immediately pulled back on the controls and took the airplane up to assess the damage. After 15 minutes of flight the emergency crew on the ground assessed that the nose gear was bent and the pilot prepared for an emergency landing. The pilot opted to land on the grass and as he set the airplane down on the surface the front gear leg gave away and the airplane tilted up on its propeller before falling back down onto its main gear and substantially damaging the rudder. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N742RJ
- Reported as
- Sloan Roger D Vans RV7A
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 71582
- Airframe hours
- 474
- Engine
- Ama/Expr Subaru, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sloan Roger D
- Registered owner
- Sloan Roger D
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · July 2, 2011 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- KSHR · Sheridan, WY
- Destination
- 3U2 · Yellow Pine, ID
- Airport
- KSHR · Sheridan, runway 14, 8,300 × 100 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 70
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 28, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,756 total · 436 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- KSHR
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 19, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 533 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.