Pilot Debrief

INTERSTATE S1A near Lakeland, FL — 2010-05-01

Final reportERA10LA251
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Date
2010-05-01
Location
Lakeland, FL, USA
Aircraft
INTERSTATE S1A
Registration
N34926
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain for undetermined reasons.

NTSB narrative

After takeoff, the airplane climbed about 500 feet and turned to the left. It subsequently entered a nose-dive configuration and descended rapidly. As the airplane neared the ground, it appeared to assume a level attitude consistent with the pilot recovering from the nose dive. The airplane clipped a tree and landed hard in a field. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed three large propeller strikes along the ground. Flight control continuity was established to all flight control surfaces and examination of the engine and system components revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions. No conclusive physical evidence was found to determine the reason for the sudden loss of altitude and resultant hard landing.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have avoided the left turn that led to loss of control.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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