Aircraft Mfg & Dvlpmt CH601XL N623HS

Summary

On 31 March 2015 at about 20:40 local time, a Aircraft Mfg & Dvlpmt CH601XL registered N623HS was involved in an accident near Pleasanton, Kansas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 March 2015 at 20:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Pleasanton, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Easley Airstrip (NONE)

Coordinates

38.2036, -94.7403

Aircraft

Aircraft Mfg & Dvlpmt CH601XL

Registration

N623HS

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pleasanton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15FA187

2 people died.

The pilot's excessively high angle-of-attack on rotation that prevented the airplane from climbing sufficiently to avoid the approaching trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The sport pilot was conducting a personal flight with a pilot-rated passenger onboard. Witnesses stated that they saw the airplane lift off the runway in a nose-high attitude; they were unsure if the tail contacted the runway. They said the airplane appeared to be "behind the power curve" and "flying in ground effect." The airplane drifted left of the extended runway centerline and collided with the tops of trees at the end of the runway, fell to the ground inverted, and caught fire. Examination of the engine and propeller indicated the engine was operating at high power at the time of impact. The pilot's autopsy report showed severe coronary artery disease that posed a very significant hazard. However, the cause of death was attributed to thermal injuries. The circumstances of the accident were consistent with the pilot over-rotating the airplane on takeoff, resulting in an excessively high angle-of-attack with insufficient power available to climb and clear the trees on departure. It is unlikely the pilot could have seen or avoided the trees as the airplane approached the end of the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.