Pilot Debrief

NORTHWING APACHE SPORT near Franklinton, LA — 2009-05-13

Final reportCEN09LA299
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Date
2009-05-13
Location
Franklinton, LA, USA
Airport
2R7
Aircraft
NORTHWING APACHE SPORT
Registration
N61740
Category
Trike
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in a stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of flight experience in the weight-shift trike.

NTSB narrative

On the second takeoff of the day, the weight-shift trike reached an estimated speed of 40 knots before the pilot pushed the flight control bar forward. The trike rotated, departed the runway, and climbed steeply to an altitude of around 100 feet. The passenger, a pilot with approximately 150 hours in a similar model trike, noted that the pilot did not return the control bar to the neutral position and the trike stalled. The passenger attempted to take control, but moments later the trike impacted the ground and came to rest in an inverted position on an adjacent golf course. The accident pilot was estimated to have purchased the trike three to four months previously and to have logged approximately 5 hours in type. Due to the extent of his injuries, the pilot was not able to be interviewed nor was he able to submit a NTSB accident form 6120.1. No record of an airman certificate was located for the pilot during the investigation. The passenger reported that he did not observe any mechanical anomalies with the trike before or during the attempted flight.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have returned control bar to neutral position before stall.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents2

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