Landing / Ground Loss of Control · NTSB ERA10LA365
TEXAS AIR VENTURES INC COMP AIR 8 — Mount Pleasant, SC
| Date | July 19, 2010 |
| Location | Mount Pleasant, SC |
| Aircraft | TEXAS AIR VENTURES INC COMP AIR 8 (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Positioning |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Landing Loss of control on ground |
| Pilot age | 29 |
| Pilot total time | 1,927 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | 5 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-(general)-Pilot - F
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Incorrect use/operation - C
What happened
The pilot was conducting the first leg of a positioning flight in an experimental, amateur built, tail-wheel turboprop airplane. During landing, the airplane touched down to the right of the runway centerline and departed the right side of the runway. The pilot then added engine power to attempt an aborted landing. The airplane lifted off the runway, pitched up at a steep angle, stalled, and impacted the ground. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions; however, a postcrash fire consumed the majority of the wreckage. The airplane's pitch trim actuator was observed in the landing position, which was the full nose-up position and would have resulted in a steep nose-up attitude during climb-out, if not corrected by the pilot. The pilot had accumulated about 1,930 hours of total flight experience; however, he only had 5 total hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.