Loehle LOEHLE P-40 N414L

Summary

On 3 October 2011 at about 22:15 local time, a Loehle LOEHLE P-40 registered N414L was involved in an accident near Tullahoma, Tennessee, 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

3 October 2011 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Tullahoma, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Tullahoma Regional Airport (THA)

Coordinates

35.3800, -86.2467

Aircraft

Loehle LOEHLE P-40

Registration

N414L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tullahoma → Tullahoma

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA013

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after taking off and the landing gear left the ground, the airplane entered a bank of about 10 degrees to the left. The pilot initially assumed that the bank had been induced by a crosswind, but the bank continued to increase as the airplane's speed increased. The pilot then leveled the airplane about 75 feet above the ground and slowed to 50 mph in an attempt to evaluate the control issues. While applying full right control stick and full right rudder, the bank would not decrease, so the pilot attempted to perform a forced landing with the bank angle about 45 degrees. When the pilot decreased engine power, the airplane nose rose, and the airplane stalled and spun to the left. The airplane subsequently impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the nose, cockpit, and left wing. No broken flight control cables were found during a postaccident examination; however, due to the extent of impact-related damage to the airplane, operation of the ailerons could not be verified. When asked how the accident could have been prevented, the pilot suggested that a precautionary/aborted landing should have been undertaken upon the first indication of control issues during the takeoff. The airplane's ballistic parachute system did not activate.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.