Pilot Debrief

GREENE R/GREENE S RANS S 17 near Erie, CO — 2017-08-22

Final reportCEN17LA327
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Date
2017-08-22
Location
Erie, CO, USA
Airport
EIK
Aircraft
GREENE R/GREENE S RANS S 17
Registration
N117BE
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control following a rejected takeoff for a perceived loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of training and experience in the airplane.

NTSB narrative

The noncertificated pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane reported that, during the initial climb, the engine did not seem to be producing full power, so he attempted to reject the takeoff and land back on the runway. During the landing, the wind pushed the airplane to the right, the left wing rose, and the right wing contacted the ground. The airplane spun around and came to rest upright. The pilot had not flown since 2010 and had no more than 2 hours of recent flight experience. The pilot stated that he had checked the spark plugs before the accident flight and thought that he did not properly install the plugs; however, following the accident, the pilot ran the engine several times and the engine appeared to produce power. The wind conditions at the time of the accident would have resulted in a left quartering tailwind during landing. This, coupled with the density altitude of about 7,300 ft, would have significantly decreased the airplane's performance and could have given the perception to the noncertificated, inexperienced pilot that the engine had experienced a partial loss of power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the takeoff earlier when engine power seemed insufficient.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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