Wright Daniel J VOLKSPLANE VP-1 N9288

Summary

On 10 August 2015 at about 14:33 local time, a Wright Daniel J VOLKSPLANE VP-1 registered N9288 was involved in an accident near Brooksville, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 August 2015 at 14:33

Classification

Accident

Location

Brooksville, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Brooksville-Tampa Bay Rgnl (BKV)

Coordinates

28.4736, -82.4556

Aircraft

Wright Daniel J VOLKSPLANE VP-1

Registration

N9288

Category

Airplane

Year built

2010

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brooksville → Brooksville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA306

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to abort the takeoff after determining that the engine was not producing adequate power. Contributing to the accident was the engine's inability to produce adequate power for reasons that could not be determined due to extensive postimpact fire damage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The sport pilot, who was also the builder of the single-seat, experimental, amateur-built airplane, stated that he had "some issues" during assembly of the experimental engine kit, but was finally able to achieve the desired engine rpm during static tests. Subsequently, during the airplane's takeoff roll on its first flight with the new engine, the pilot noted that the airplane was able to gain airspeed, but struggled to become airborne. The pilot stated that he should have aborted the takeoff at that point. The airplane reached a maximum altitude about 100 ft, the engine lost power, and the airplane descended into trees and was destroyed by a postimpact fire. The extent of the fire precluded detailed documentation of the engine and its associated systems; therefore, the reason for the loss of power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.