ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 299053
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| Date: | Monday 1 May 2000 |
| Time: | 07:18 LT |
| Type: | Morton CHRISTAVIA MARK I |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N1143L |
| MSN: | 2 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-235 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | SALEM, Oregon -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | (KSLE) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot/builder of the kitplane took off from runway 13 on the aircraft's initial test flight and immediately encountered a nose heavy condition. He declared an emergency and maneuvered to land on runway 34. He reported that during his approach the aircraft was controllable as long as power was applied, but on short final he instinctively reduced power and the nose of the aircraft abruptly pitched down. The aircraft then impacted the ground and slid up onto the runway. The center of gravity range limits had been calculated by the pilot/builder as between 10.5 to 19.5 inches with the aircraft's empty weight CG at 11.0 inches. Following the calculations, the pilot/builder changed the aircraft's battery (located forward of the cockpit) which added 7 pounds, and added a new engine exhaust system adding 2-3 additional pounds. A new CG was not calculated. Center of gravity calculations based on the earlier weight/CG of the aircraft, including the weight of the pilot and the 96 pounds of fuel also placed the CG 0.5 inch forward of the old forward limit.
Probable Cause: The pilot/builder's failure to correct the center of gravity computations after a weight increase. A contributing factor was the pilot/builder's exceeding the forward CG limit in fuel weight, of which both conditions resulted in a degradation of aircraft control.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB SEA00LA079
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Oct-2022 01:59 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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