Dayton A Babcock STORM N516VB

Summary

On 20 August 2016 at about 13:30 local time, a Dayton A Babcock STORM registered N516VB was involved in an accident near Eustis, Florida, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 August 2016 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Eustis, Florida, United States

Coordinates

28.8433, -81.6300

Aircraft

Dayton A Babcock STORM

Registration

N516VB

Year built

2014

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Eustis → Eustis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA305

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an aborted takeoff. Contributing to the accident were the loss of engine power due to a malfunctioning alternator, which precipitated the off-field landing, and the pilot’s decision to attempt to take off from an area with high grass, which precipitated the loss of directional control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that he was conducting a local flight in the weight-shift-control aircraft when the engine lost total power. He added that he landed the aircraft in a field and determined that the main battery was "completely dead," so he obtained another battery and installed it on the aircraft. He test ran the engine before takeoff, and it performed satisfactorily. During the subsequent takeoff in high grass, the aircraft did not accelerate as expected, and the engine began to lose power. The pilot aborted the takeoff and applied the wheel brakes. The brakes locked, and he lost directional control. The aircraft then impacted a fence and a house before coming to rest on its left side. The pilot reported that the alternator on the automotive engine, which had an electronic ignition, was likely not charging and that this resulted in the battery becoming depleted and the subsequent loss of engine power. He also reported that he did not account for the effect of the high grass on the airplane's performance and should have aborted the takeoff sooner.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.