Aerotrike SAFARI N8035W

Summary

On 23 May 2009 at about 22:05 local time, a Aerotrike SAFARI registered N8035W was involved in an accident near Lake City, Michigan, United States. 2 people were 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

23 May 2009 at 22:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake City, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Home Acres Sky Ranch Airport (Y91)

Coordinates

44.3203, -85.1711

Aircraft

Aerotrike SAFARI

Registration

N8035W

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lake City → Lake City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09CA334

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the experimental weight-shift-control aircraft was performing a takeoff from runway 18 when the accident occurred. The pilot stated that during initial climb, about 10-12 feet above the ground, the aircraft began to descend and drift off of the runway centerline. The pilot was not able to correct for the descent and lateral drift before the aircraft landed hard on its rear landing gear. The right wing tip impacted the terrain as the aircraft bounced twice and tipped onto its side. The wing and its king post were substantially damaged during the accident. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures. According to the pilot, the local surface winds were 3-5 knots from the west-southwest. A nearby weather station reported that the surface winds were 7 knots from the northwest.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.