Flightstar SC II N953RJ

Summary

On 27 July 2018 at about 20:45 local time, a Flightstar SC II registered N953RJ was involved in an accident near Painesville, Ohio, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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.

Date

27 July 2018 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Painesville, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Concord Airpark (2G1)

Coordinates

41.6669, -81.1972

Aircraft

Flightstar SC II

Registration

N953RJ

Category

Airplane

Year built

2001

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Painesville → Painesville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA301

1 person was seriously injured.

The student pilot’s failure to maintain an airspeed below flight speed during a practice taxi run, which resulted in the airplane inadvertently becoming airborne. Once airborne, the reduced engine power due to an improper propeller pitch setting and carburetor icing degraded the airplane’s performance and prevented the airplane from being able to continue to climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that he and his wife owned the accident airplane and had made multiple practice taxi runs on the runway with no intention for flight. During one of the taxi runs, the airplane unexpectedly became airborne. The student determined that there was not enough runway remaining to perform a safe landing, so he chose to continue the takeoff. Once the airplane reached about 100 ft above ground level, it would no longer climb, and he attempted to land in a field; however, the airplane struck trees before reaching the intended field. Before the accident, the student had performed maintenance on the airplane, which included replacing the propeller. He had intended to have a certificated mechanic check his work but had not done so before the accident because there was no intention for flight. He acknowledged that he may not have set the propeller pitch correctly, which could have negatively affected the airplane's performance. In addition, the atmospheric conditions were favorable for moderate icing at cruise power settings and serious icing at descent power settings. Carburetor icing likely accumulated during the multiple taxi runs performed before the unintentional flight. Based on the available information, the airplane inadvertently became airborne because the student allowed it to accelerate to flight speed. The available engine power was likely reduced due to an improper propeller pitch setting and carburetor icing, and both these conditions likely resulted in the airplane's inability to continue to climb.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.