Hemingway VARIEZE N36P

Summary

On 24 February 1997 at about 20:45 local time, a Hemingway VARIEZE registered N36P was involved in an accident near Arlington, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 February 1997 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Arlington, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Arlington Municipal (AWO)

Coordinates

48.1798, -121.6709

Aircraft

Hemingway VARIEZE

Registration

N36P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA97LA068

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft. Factors contributing to the accident were the pilot's lack of total experience in the type of aircraft and the gusty wind conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, who reported approximately 132 hours of flight experience of which one and three-quarters hour were in this make/model aircraft, intended to conduct high speed taxi tests of the aircraft, and then transition directly to a flight test. During the first taxi test run down the runway the pilot rotated and 'the aircraft lifted off rapidly and steeply.' The pilot reported that he was able to successfully re-land but felt that he had 'over-controlled' the aircraft.' After returning to the threshold of runway 34 he initiated a second taxi run down the runway and reported that 'just before I planned to shut down the engine it (the aircraft) lifted off just as abruptly as the first time at a very steep attitude, also higher than before, about 20 feet.' During the attempted recovery the aircraft struck the runway nose down and left wing low and slid to a stop. An observer to the accident located near an adjacent taxiway reported a wind gust coincident with the time of the second nose rotation. Winds at the Arlington airport were reported as 300 degrees magnetic at 10 knots at 1253 hours.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.