Pilot Debrief

MCKENNA SD-1A near Juneau, WI — 2017-06-07

Final reportCEN17LA224
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Date
2017-06-07
Location
Juneau, WI, USA
Airport
UNU
Aircraft
MCKENNA SD-1A
Registration
N31313
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The pilot’s difficulty controlling the airplane due to his incorrect reinstallation of the wings, which led to a bounced precautionary landing. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the pilot and the mechanic to verify the wings’ angle of incidence.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot stated that, immediately after takeoff, the left wing felt "extremely heavy" and required "an exceptional amount of right aileron" to maintain level flight. During the precautionary landing, the airplane bounced, turned left, and the left main landing gear collapsed. The pilot had recently reinstalled the wings; however, he made no measurements during the reinstallation, and the mechanic who signed off on the condition inspection did not confirm the wings' angle of incidence. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the angle of incidence was incorrect. Given this was the first flight since the reinstallation of the wings, it is likely the incorrect angle of incidence led to the pilot's difficulty controlling the airplane.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have confirmed wing installation measurements before flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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