Ultralight America SPITFIRE II N2918A
6 October 2017 · Camarillo, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 6 October 2017 at about 00:50 local time, a Ultralight America SPITFIRE II registered N2918A was involved in an accident near Camarillo, California, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 00:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Camarillo, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Camarillo (CMA)
- Coordinates
- 34.2139, -119.0842
- Aircraft
- Ultralight America SPITFIRE II
- Registration
- N2918A
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1993
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Camarillo → Camarillo
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- GAA18CA002
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to track the runway centerline during an attempted go-around, which resulted in impact with a hangar.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that, during a familiarization flight, he took off and "noticed a strong left turning tendency." He added that he "kept the power at a higher, time restricted setting," which resulted in the coolant temperature rising above the 180°F maximum operating temperature. Although there were no indications of performance degradation, he "became concerned" that the airplane could lose engine power due to overheating and decided to make a precautionary landing. During the landing, the airplane bounced, and he decided to go around. Subsequently, the airplane struck a hangar roof about 75 ft left of the runway centerline and then came to rest on the opposite side of the hangar. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Ultralight America SPITFIRE accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jun 2011 | Ultralight America SPITFIRE II | Ranger, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 13 Mar 2010 | Ultralight America SPITFIRE II MODELCTV | Cameron, Texas, United States | Price Stanley D | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Mar 2017 | Bell 206B | Firebaugh, California, United States | West Valley Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 2017 | Rockwell S 2R | Brawley, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Sep 2017 | Cessna T210N | Watsonville, California, United States | Singh Amandeep | No injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 2017 | Piper PA 28R-201T | Nipton, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Nov 2017 | Cessna 172M | Chico, California, United States | Northgate Aviation Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Mar 2017 | Maule MX7 | Live Oak, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |