Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2004 BRAVO N319UA

Summary

On 20 November 2009 at about 23:25 local time, a Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2004 BRAVO registered N319UA, operated by Heart of Virginia Aviation, Inc., was involved in an accident near Ashland, Virginia, 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

20 November 2009 at 23:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Ashland, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Hanover County Municipal (KOFP)

Coordinates

37.7089, -77.4367

Aircraft

Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2004 BRAVO

Registration

N319UA

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Heart of Virginia Aviation, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ashland → Ashland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA10CA087

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from trees during the landing approach.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to practice takeoffs and landings at night, and due to the obstructions below, the pilot flew the approaches at a “steep” angle. He had successfully completed about nine uneventful approaches and landings before the accident approach. During the accident approach the pilot noted some light turbulence and the airplane began to descend below the “normal” glide path. He added power and arrested the descent, but the airplane struck some trees. He noted that the airspeed or the pitch of the airplane did not change when the airplane struck trees. He made an uneventful landing, but during the post-flight inspection he noticed substantial damage to the leading edges of the wings and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The winds reported at the airport about the time of the accident were calm.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.