Nichols LANCAIR 235 accident near Heath, OH
On August 25, 2011, a Nichols LANCAIR 235 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Heath, OH. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 25, 2011
- Place
- Heath, OH
- Aircraft
- Nichols LANCAIR 235 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.022°N, 82.464°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110825X14403
Official records · CEN11FA597
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 25, 2011, at 1856 eastern daylight time, a Nichols model Lancair 235 airplane, N777BN, was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain during initial climb from Newark-Heath Airport (VTA), Heath, Ohio. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the private pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight that was originating at the time of the accident. According to a witness, who was located on the airport, the airplane had used runway 27 for the accident takeoff. The witness stated that the airplane appeared to be "very unstable" after it became airborne, alternately rolling right and left while remaining only a few feet above the runway. The witness remarked that it appeared that the pilot was not in control of the airplane. The airplane then turned left and proceeded off the runway directly toward the witness. The witness noted that the airplane continued to fly erratically, with continuous pitch, yaw, and roll changes, and cleared a row of airport hangars by about 10 feet. The airplane then continued the climb to 100-150 feet above the ground before it banked sharply to the left and entered a nose-down descent into trees. The witness stated that the engine sounded normal throughout the entire flight, with no observed hesitations or misfires. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAccording to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot, age 50, held a private pilot certificate with a single engine land
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to obtain adequate familiarization with the accident airplane type before the accident flight, which resulted in his failure to maintain airplane control during takeoff.
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Browse: Ohio
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
