N116GD – GERALD DONOVAN RANS S-16 – 2017-07-12 NTSB Accident Report

On July 12, 2017, a Gerald Donovan RANS S-16 (N116GD) was involved in an incident near Los Lunas, NM. 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 failure to maintain directional control during takeoff.

The pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane reported that he was performing a "test flight" and had accumulated about 2 hours of total flight time previously with the airplane. He added that, during the takeoff roll the airplane veered to the left and he responded by applying right rudder and aft pitch to rotate the airplane. He added that, as the airplane lifted off the runway, the airplane continued to the left and impacted weeds and a ditch.

The elevator, wings, and right aileron sustained substantial damage.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA17CA407. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N116GD.