Smith AEROSTAR601 N7108

Summary

On 19 August 2017 at about 20:42 local time, a Smith AEROSTAR601 registered N7108 was involved in an accident near Marietta, Pennsylvania, 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

19 August 2017 at 20:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Marietta, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Donegal Springs Airpark (N71)

Coordinates

40.0922, -76.5744

Aircraft

Smith AEROSTAR601

Registration

N7108

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marietta → Marietta

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA288

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff with a quartering tailwind. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the accident airplane make and model.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot stated that, during the takeoff roll, the airplane swerved to the right, and he corrected to the left and aborted the takeoff; however, the airplane departed the left side of the runway and collided with an embankment. At the time of the accident, a quartering tailwind was present. The pilot had no previous experience in the accident airplane make and model or in any other multiengine airplane equipped with engines capable of producing 300 horsepower. During a postaccident conversation with a mechanic, the pilot stated that the airplane "got away from him" during the attempted takeoff. Because a postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure of the airplane's flight controls or nosewheel steering system that would have precluded normal operation and the pilot did not have any previous experience operating this make and model of airplane, it is likely that the pilot lost directional control during takeoff with a quartering tailwind.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.