Nuse George F1H ROCKET N295JS

Summary

On 2 December 2011 at about 00:45 local time, a Nuse George F1H ROCKET registered N295JS, operated by Supair, LLC, was involved in an accident near Caroleen, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 December 2011 at 00:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Caroleen, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Summey (8NC2)

Coordinates

35.2892, -81.7850

Aircraft

Nuse George F1H ROCKET

Registration

N295JS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Supair, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Caroleen → Lincolnton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA12CA094

Nobody was injured.

The pilot did not maintain directional control during takeoff at night due to his distraction with a dropped flashlight, and he delayed his decision to abort the takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The tailwheel-equipped experimental amateur-built airplane was departing from a turf runway at night. The pilot reported that he observed two deer crossing the runway and swerved to avoid them. At that time, a flashlight fell from the top of the instrument panel to the floor of the cockpit. The pilot looked down to retrieve the flashlight and did not realize that the airplane had veered off the runway. He subsequently noticed that the airplane did not feel right, looked up, and observed that the airplane was approaching the tree line. The pilot reduced the engine power to idle and applied brakes; however, the airplane struck trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot stated that he did not experience any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.