Accident Rans S-9 Chaos N519TB,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 298144
 
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Date:Friday 4 August 2017
Time:08:00 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic chao model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Rans S-9 Chaos
Owner/operator:
Registration: N519TB
MSN: 0802177
Year of manufacture:2017
Total airframe hrs:2 hours
Engine model:Rotax 503 DCDI
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Athol, Idaho -   United States of America
Phase: Initial climb
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Hackney, ID (ID05)
Destination airport:Athol, ID (ID05)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
According to a witness who was part of the ground crew for this flight, this was the first flight of the experimental, amateur-built airplane. The pilot conducted a "high speed" taxi test during which the airplane became "light." He then taxied back for takeoff from the turf runway. According to the witness, the airplane accelerated well, and liftoff occurred about 300 to 400 ft down the runway. About 2 seconds after liftoff, the airplane pitched up to a "fairly nose high attitude" of about 15° to 20°. When the airplane was at an altitude of about 150 ft and less than halfway down the runway, another witness observed it descend rapidly. The airplane landed hard and sustained substantial damage; the pilot was seriously injured. Evaluation of the airplane flight control travel ranges and weight and balance information did not reveal any anomalies. The pilot reported that the engine performed normally and that he intentionally attempted a steep climb to ensure that he cleared trees at the end of the runway; however, due to the mid-wing configuration, he lost sight of the horizon in the initial climb and then had difficulty judging his pitch attitude due to the lack of a cockpit attitude indicating instrument. Ground personnel had radioed him about the excessive pitch attitude, and the pilot likely overcorrected due to his uncertainty regarding both pitch attitude and ground proximity, which resulted in the airplane impacting the ground.

Probable Cause: The pilot's loss of pitch attitude and ground proximity awareness, which resulted in an unintentionally steep initial climb and an overcorrection into a steep descent and ground impact.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: WPR17LA181
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 2 years and 9 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB WPR17LA181

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
15-Oct-2022 13:41 ASN Update Bot Added

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