Mossman Michael D ZENAIR CH 601 HD N905KM

Summary

On 20 September 2022 at about 14:30 local time, a Mossman Michael D ZENAIR CH 601 HD registered N905KM was involved in an accident near Lebanon, Indiana, 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

20 September 2022 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lebanon, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Boone County (6I4)

Coordinates

40.0073, -86.4406

Aircraft

Mossman Michael D ZENAIR CH 601 HD

Registration

N905KM

Category

Airplane

Year built

2004

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA426

Nobody was injured.

The loss of lateral/bank control during takeoff due to the pilot’s decision to operate the airplane with a known fuel imbalance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing a maintenance test flight following a recent condition inspection. Due to a persistent fuel leak in the right wing fuel tank, the pilot had about 11 gallons of fuel in the left wing fuel tank and the right fuel tank was empty. Before takeoff, the pilot checked all flight controls with no anomalies noted. The pilot reported that shortly after being out of ground effect during the takeoff, the airplane began to roll to the left. The pilot attempted to correct with right aileron control but was unsuccessful. The pilot pulled the throttle to idle, and the left roll continued until the left wingtip struck the terrain. The airplane cartwheeled into a cornfield adjacent to the runway, came to rest upright, and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely the known fuel imbalance resulted in a left roll tendency that could not be corrected with the flight controls during the takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.