Pilot Debrief

Evektor Aerotechnik AS Sportstar near St Charles, MO — 2008-08-05

Final reportDFW08LA209
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Date
2008-08-05
Location
St Charles, MO, USA
Airport
3SQ
Aircraft
Evektor Aerotechnik AS Sportstar
Registration
N411EV
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The student pilot's failure to maintain control due to his task saturation as a result of his failure to set the pitch trim to the neutral position before takeoff.

NTSB narrative

After taking off, and at about 75 to 100 feet above the runway, the airplane had a sudden pitch down and the student pilot had to pull back on the control stick to maintain control of the airplane. He continued to have difficulty with pitch control as he maneuvered the airplane back to land at the airport, but was unable to simultaneously reduce engine power and maintain control of the airplane. During the landing the airplane touched down hard at a higher-than-normal airspeed with the engine still operating near full power. The student pilot lost directional control and the airplane exited the left side of the runway before nosing over in the grass. An examination of the airplane by Federal Aviation Administration inspectors revealed that the pitch trim was in the full nose-down position. No other anomaly was detected in the airframe or the engine. The pilot later said he didn’t even think about the elevator trim and it was possible that he had taken off with the elevator trim at the wrong setting.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot failed to check elevator trim setting before takeoff.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 7 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents7

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