Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB ERA10LA431
MAXAIR MU 582 DRIFTER — Old Forge, NY
| Date | August 18, 2010 |
| Location | Old Forge, NY |
| Aircraft | MAXAIR MU 582 DRIFTER |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 71 |
| Pilot total time | 3,000 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Response/compensation
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Incorrect use/operation - C
What happened
According to the passenger, the pilot had planned to fly the airplane to the opposite end of the lake. He said that the pilot taxied about 3/4 of the way down the lake, turned around, and started the takeoff roll. The airplane began to climb within 300 feet, but the pilot noticed an approaching line of trees on the shore, so he banked the airplane steeply to avoid hitting the trees. The passenger said that, when the pilot banked the airplane, all forward momentum was lost and they seemed to freefall. The passenger estimated that the airplane fell to the ground from a height of about 100 feet and impacted a swamp in a nose- down attitude. He said that the engine continued to operate throughout the entire accident sequence. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures.