Eichman AEROBAT III accident near Brownsville, TX
On July 20, 1997, an Eichman AEROBAT III (airplane) was involved in an accident near Brownsville, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 20, 1997
- Place
- Brownsville, TX
- Aircraft
- Eichman AEROBAT III · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 25.920°N, 97.480°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08386
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 20, 1997, at 0728 central daylight time, an Eichman Aerobat III homebuilt experimental airplane, N17638, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground during initial climb following takeoff from Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport near Brownsville, Texas. The private pilot, sole occupant in the airplane, was fatally injured. The airplane was being operated by the owner/builder/designer under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the inaugural test flight which was originating at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed. Witnesses reported to the Investigator-In-Charge (IIC) that the pilot was attempting to takeoff on its maiden flight. A chase airplane was in a position so that its passenger could make a videotape of the event. The videotape revealed the airplane rolling onto runway 13R and began accelerating. The pilot lifted the airplane's nose wheel off the runway two, or three times, then the airplane lifted off the runway and climbed to an altitude of approximately one half of the airplane's wingspan. The airplane immediately returned to the runway in a porpoise like motion and lifted off a second time with a hard right roll. The airplane impacted the runway in an inverted position. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot was born on July 5, 1913, and his personal flight logbook indicated that he received his private pilot certificate on August 9, 1946. FAA records indicate that the pilot's medical certificate had expired. His last FAA medical exam was dated January 17, 1996, and w
Probable cause
inadequate design by the pilot/builder/designer. Related factors were: the porpoise that was encountered by the pilot during the takeoff, and the subsequent jammed rudder.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
