Summary
On August 22, 2008, a Sacrey W Michael ZENAIR CH (N404BB) was involved in an incident near Fincastle, VA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's inadvertent premature rotation during takeoff.
The pilot of the amateur-built Zenair CH 701SP, was departing from a 2,100-foot-long, turf runway. He reported that he pulled the control stick back too far, in an effort to reduce the weight on the nose-wheel, which resulted in the airplane becoming airborne prematurely. The airplane did not have enough airspeed for the pilot to be able to maintain directional control. It turned left, descended, and struck trees located off the left side of the runway. The airplane sustained damage to both wings, the empennage, and the forward portion of the fuselage. The pilot reported 2,021 hours of total flight experience, which included 13 hours in same make and model as the accident airplane.
This incident is documented in NTSB report NYC08CA294. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N404BB.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inadvertent premature rotation during takeoff.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The pilot of the amateur-built Zenair CH 701SP, was departing from a 2,100-foot-long, turf runway. He reported that he pulled the control stick back too far, in an effort to reduce the weight on the nose-wheel, which resulted in the airplane becoming airborne prematurely. The airplane did not have enough airspeed for the pilot to be able to maintain directional control. It turned left, descended, and struck trees located off the left side of the runway. The airplane sustained damage to both wings, the empennage, and the forward portion of the fuselage. The pilot reported 2,021 hours of total flight experience, which included 13 hours in same make and model as the accident airplane. He did not report any mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane, nor were any found during postaccident examination.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# NYC08CA294