Pilot Debrief

QUAD CITY ULTRALIGHT ACFT CORP CHALLENGER I near Winnie, TX — 2013-04-14

Final reportCEN13LA227
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Date
2013-04-14
Location
Winnie, TX, USA
Airport
T90
Aircraft
QUAD CITY ULTRALIGHT ACFT CORP CHALLENGER I
Registration
N171DP
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The noncertificated pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during takeoff due to his fixation on the instrument panel.

NTSB narrative

When the light-sport airplane was about 300 to 400 feet above ground level, the pilot leveled it off and reduced engine power. He stated that he "fixated" on the instrument panel instead of concentrating on flying and didn't notice that the airplane had banked left. The pilot stated that he wanted to perform practice takeoffs and landings, so he wanted to do a quick turn and applied left aileron pedal. The airplane subsequently pitched down and started to spin, likely because the airplane banked too far left and stalled. The pilot pulled back on the control stick and applied full right aileron. Shortly thereafter, as the airplane started to recover from the spin, the wing contacted the ground. The pilot reported that no mechanical malfunctions or failures occurred during the accident flight. He did not have a pilot's license.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot fixated on instrument panel instead of flying.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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