Dedeaux Gary G GN-1 N168BD

Summary

On 2 September 2017 at about 13:00 local time, a Dedeaux Gary G GN-1 registered N168BD was involved in an accident near Elba, Alabama, 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

2 September 2017 at 13:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Elba, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

31.4558, -86.0983

Aircraft

Dedeaux Gary G GN-1

Registration

N168BD

Category

Airplane

Year built

2016

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elba → Elba

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA545

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's incorrect pitch control during the initial climb, which resulted in his decision to abort the takeoff and a subsequent hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported in a written statement that, after a "successful pre-check," he initiated power for takeoff, and once airborne, "the plane was losing power enough that [the] plane would not clear [the] tree line at the end of the runway." He added that, about 10 ft above the runway, he aborted the takeoff by "throttling back" and made a hard landing on the grass runway. The pilot reported that during the landing, the main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane slid for about 50 ft on the runway before stopping. The left wing, fuselage, and engine mounts sustained substantial damage. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector reported that, about 3 weeks after the accident, the pilot called him to add to his original statement. According to the inspector, the pilot reported that the engine was not losing power, he overreacted to the situation, and put the airplane back on the ground too quickly. The pilot further reported that the airplane did not gain altitude because he did not apply elevator input quickly enough to execute a proper takeoff. The pilot added that he rotated at the speed he normally does when he flies single pilot, but during this flight, he had one passenger on board. The pilot did not submit the NTSB Form 6120.1 Pilot/ Operator Aircraft Accident/ Incident Report and did not return phone calls from the NTSB investigator-in-charge.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.