Remos REMOS GX N27GX

Summary

On 11 October 2016 at about 16:30 local time, a Remos REMOS GX registered N27GX, operated by Adventure Flight Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Lowell, Arkansas, United States. 2 people were 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

11 October 2016 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lowell, Arkansas, United States

Nearest airport

Private Airstrip (PVT)

Coordinates

36.1336, -94.1556

Aircraft

Remos REMOS GX

Registration

N27GX

Category

Airplane

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

Adventure Flight Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Springdale → Springdale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA020

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s decision to take off with a prevailing tailwind and insufficient distance to ensure obstacle clearance, which resulted in a collision with a tree.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he performed three off-airport, soft-field landings and was landing in a southerly direction. He added that, after the third landing, he turned the aircraft around and took off to the north, "because of all the tall trees on the south end of the strip." He remarked that the wind was calm on the ground but that, during his takeoff climb, he encountered "wind shear and my airspeed dropped from 50 kts to 30 kts." He recalled that the airplane struck a tree, descended, and impacted terrain. According to the nearest METAR from an aerodrome located about 3 miles northeast of the accident site, the wind about the time of the accident was from 210° at 13 kts. The METAR indicated that the prevailing wind throughout the day was a southerly wind. According to the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, "Takeoff Performance," pages 10-14, paragraph 5: The effect of wind on takeoff distance is large, and proper consideration also must be provided when predicting takeoff distance. The effect of a headwind is to allow the aircraft to reach the lift-off speed at a lower groundspeed while the effect of a tailwind is to require the aircraft to achieve a greater groundspeed to attain the lift-off speed. A headwind that is 10 percent of the takeoff airspeed will reduce the takeoff distance approximately 19 percent. However, a tailwind that is 10 percent of the takeoff airspeed will increase the takeoff distance approximately 21 percent. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.