Lee Paul SQ 2000 accident near Pierre, SD
On August 28, 2012, a Lee Paul SQ 2000 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Pierre, SD. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 28, 2012
- Place
- Pierre, SD
- Aircraft
- Lee Paul SQ 2000 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 44.376°N, 100.285°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120828X50230
Official records · CEN12FA579
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 28, 2012, about 0949 central daylight time, a Lee SQ-2000 experimental airplane, N416, owned and operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged during takeoff from Pierre Regional Airport (KPIR), Pierre, South Dakota. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed during the flight. No flight plan was filed. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. On takeoff leg at about 50 feet above the ground, two witnesses observed the left “gull-wing” entrance door to be open and the airplane enter into a series of four up and down pitch oscillations. During the last pitch down oscillation, the airplane impacted the runway at a steep descent angle. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot of N416, age 69, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. On October 5, 2011, the pilot was issued a limited third-class medical certificate, with the limitation that corrective lenses be worn while flying. At the time of the medical examination, the pilot reported having 330 hours of flight experience, with 2 hours in the last six months. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The accident airplane was a KLS Composites (Kit), SQ-2000, which the pilot purchased on December 25, 2001. The airplane was issued a special airworthiness certificate on March 18, 2004. During April 2012, the pilot completed the installation of a Continental IO-360C engine. The pilot maintained detailed construction records
Probable cause
The airplane's entry into a pilot-induced oscillation and the pilot’s loss of airplane control during the takeoff initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the left entrance door opening in flight for undetermined reasons.
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Browse: South Dakota
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
