Airborne XT 912 accident near Hawthorne, CA

On March 21, 2016, an Airborne XT 912 was involved in an accident near Hawthorne, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

March 21, 2016

Place

Hawthorne, CA

Aircraft

Airborne XT 912 · WSFT

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

33.924°N, 118.331°W

NTSB ID

20160321X75000

Official records · WPR16FA086

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• HHR ATC Recordings: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
• ATC Communications Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Record of Communication - FAA Air Traffic Office: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Record of Communication Manufacturer: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 21, 2016, about 1201 Pacific daylight time, an Airborne XT912 weight shift control (WSC) special light sport aircraft, N670EM, was destroyed when it impacted a fence and a roadway shortly after takeoff from Northrop/Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR), Hawthorne, California. The student pilot received fatal injuries. The aircraft was owned and operated by Pacific Blue Air (PBA) of Venice, California, and was based at HHR. The instructional flight was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight. According to multiple witnesses, the aircraft initiated its takeoff roll from HHR's runway 25 at a point before the displaced threshold. Just after liftoff, the aircraft began to bank and turn right and continued to do so until its flight track was nearly perpendicular to the runway heading. The initial segment of the flight was a climb but became a descent as the aircraft rolled and turned right. Witness estimates of the aircraft's maximum altitude ranged between 40 and 200 ft, and their maximum bank angle estimates ranged between 45° and 90°. All witnesses reported that the engine rpm either remained constant or increased during the flight and that the engine continued to run at least until impact. None of the witnesses mentioned the presence of any other aircraft. The aircraft struck the airport perimeter fence and then impacted a 4-lane road north of the airport that ran roughly parallel to runway 25. According to witnesses, on impact, the a

Probable cause

The weight shift control aircraft encounter with a wake vortex from a preceding airplane, which resulted in a roll upset at an altitude too low for recovery. Contributing to the accident was the accident pilot's failure to recognize the potential for a wake vortex encounter.

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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.