Skykits SAVANNAH VGW N61XT

Summary

On 20 November 2011 at about 19:28 local time, a Skykits SAVANNAH VGW registered N61XT, operated by Frank J. Kehoe, was involved in an accident near Plato Center, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 November 2011 at 19:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Plato Center, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Olson Airport (LL53)

Coordinates

42.0089, -88.4575

Aircraft

Skykits SAVANNAH VGW

Registration

N61XT

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Frank J. Kehoe

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Plato Center → Hampshire

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12FA073

1 person died.

The noncertificated pilot’s decision to fly the airplane without receiving any flight instruction in the airplane, which resulted in his failure to maintain sufficient airspeed during takeoff and the subsequent aerodynamic stall.  

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness reported that the student pilot taxied the airplane to the west end of the runway, and then he taxied the length of the runway to the east. He then taxied the airplane back to the west end of the runway before departing. The airplane became airborne and climbed to about the height of a nearby barn (about 50 feet above ground level) when the airplane's wings began to "wobble." Then the airplane turned left and nosed straight down. The student pilot intended to obtain a sport pilot's certificate with a single-engine land rating but had not started his flight instruction at the time of the accident. He was an accomplished noncertificated ultra-light gyroplane pilot, but he did not possess a Federal Aviation Administration gyroplane pilot's certificate. The pilot had purchased the airplane but had not received any flight instruction in the airplane, and he did not have a solo endorsement to fly the airplane. Except for a 0.4-hour demonstration flight in the airplane, the accident flight was the first time the accident pilot flew the airplane. The postaccident examinations of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident toxicology testing indicated that the pilot had used chlorpheniramine, but it could not be determined if impairment from the medication contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.