Icon A5 N663BA

Summary

On 27 July 2019 at about 17:20 local time, a Icon A5 registered N663BA, operated by Icon Aircraft Incorporated, was involved in an accident near Lake, Michigan, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 July 2019 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

43.7722, -84.9461

Aircraft

Icon A5

Registration

N663BA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2016

Engines

1

Operator

Icon Aircraft Incorporated

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lake → Lake

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA242

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's improper decision to operate the airplane in exceedance of the airplane manufacturer’s operating limitations, which led to an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper decision to continue attempting the takeoff after two failed attempts.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a sales demonstration flight with a pilot-rated passenger on board. He reported that, when he started the takeoff run from a lake, three small wakes helped propel the airplane into the air. He stated that the airplane took off on the first attempt, the takeoff was normal, and "there was nothing wrong with the [air]plane at all." He added that, after initiating a 10° right turn to stay over the lake, it felt like the airplane "hit a wall." The airplane then descended rapidly, clipped a tree, and impacted water, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. The pilot-rated passenger said that it took four takeoff attempts to get airborne and that the airplane felt very sluggish and acted as if it did not want to come off the water. Postaccident weight and balance calculations revealed that the airplane was about 57 lbs over its maximum gross weight and outside of the weight and center of gravity limits contained in the pilot's operating handbook. Data retrieved from the airplane's onboard digital-to-analogue converter were consistent with three takeoff attempts, with the airplane becoming airborne on the third attempt. A review of video of the accident flight from witnesses showed the airplane in a nose-high attitude with the flaps extended as it approached trees during the initial climb. As the airplane reached about the midpoint of a stand of trees, the angle of attack appeared to increase and the nose dropped. The right wing then lowered and impacted one of the trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.