Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P92 TAIL DRAGGER N237TA

Summary

On 5 September 2012 at about 20:28 local time, a Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P92 TAIL DRAGGER registered N237TA was involved in an accident near Elizabethtown, Kentucky, 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

5 September 2012 at 20:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Elizabethtown, Kentucky, United States

Nearest airport

Addington Field Airport (EKX)

Coordinates

37.6850, -85.9217

Aircraft

Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P92 TAIL DRAGGER

Registration

N237TA

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elizabethtown → Mount Vernon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA547

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the tailwheel-equipped airplane during a takeoff in gusty crosswind conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to take off in gusty wind conditions associated with approaching thunderstorms.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, just after he raised the tail to a level attitude, the airplane yawed slightly to the right. As the pilot was correcting for the right yaw, an “extreme wind gust” struck the airplane, and the airplane pitched nose-up and began to roll left. Despite the pilot’s efforts to regain directional control, the airplane departed the left side of the runway into a bean field where it nosed over. The airplane came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings and the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He further stated that the accident would have been avoided if he had delayed his departure until the approaching weather system had passed. Weather radar data revealed that at the time of the accident a line of thunderstorms, associated with a front, were approaching the airport from the west and were observed over the airport about 8 minutes after the accident. The recorded wind at the time of the accident was from 320 degrees at 23 knots with a peak wind of 27 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.